Director, Executive Search, PE-Backed Portfolio

The Brief

The client, a growing search firm serving PE-backed portfolio companies, needed to fill one of the hardest roles in the industry: a Director-level executive search hire capable of generating $2M+ in annual billings.

High billers at this level are common enough on their own. What's rare is finding one who is also a genuine team player rather than a lone operator protecting their own book. The client needed both in the same person, and they needed the search handled with discretion given the seniority and visibility of the role.


The Solution

Tempting Talent went direct to the market rather than relying on inbound or a narrow shortlist. Over the course of the search:

  • 106 people were approached
  • 65 turned into real conversations
  • 5 were presented to the client

Every conversation was used to qualify not just billing history, but working style: how candidates operated within a team, how they handled shared accounts and shared credit, and whether their book of business was portable or personally held.


The Result

The client hired a Director who brought $2M+ in annual billings into their PE-backed portfolio work, along with something harder to find at that level: a track record as a genuine collaborator, not a lone biller.

The impact was immediate. The hire arrived with:

  • $600K in live revenue walked in the door with him
  • 3 active mandates already in hand on day one

Seeing the right person land gave the client the confidence to move on the rest of their hiring plan. It unlocked a Director hire they'd been sitting on and three further searches they'd been holding back. The placement was the proof point the client needed.

Contact Rob White to establish how he can help you with your hiring initiatives:

r.white@temptingtalent.com917-336-2929


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