Key Questions

The specific process will depend on your business and the role you are seeking to hire, however, an executive search campaign typically begins with an in-depth consultation to understand the organisation’s goals, culture and leadership needs, leading to a detailed candidate brief. A strategy is then developed, including market mapping to identify where ideal candidates might currently work. Our consultants will then work to compile a long list of potential prospects, then approach and engage high-calibre individuals directly.

Shortlisted candidates undergo rigorous assessment, focusing not only on qualifications but also cultural and strategic fit. We work to support you through the internal interviews stage and manages offer negotiations. Crucially, we will continue to assist during onboarding and follows up post-placement to ensure a successful transition.

By providing access to otherwise unreachable talent and offering strategic advice throughout, executive search delivers high-impact appointments that align closely with your business’s needs, reducing hiring risk and supporting long-term success.

At ARCselect, our approach is shaped by the unique needs of each organisation. For roles that are lower in complexity and require speed, a contingent recruitment model—which operates on a success-based fee—can be highly effective. It offers agility and cost-efficiency, particularly for mid-level positions or time-sensitive hires.

However, for more complex or business-critical roles, executive search offers a deeper, more strategic solution. Through full market mapping, passive candidate engagement, and a tailored, consultative process, we ensure the right long-term fit. This model is ideal when precision, discretion, and leadership impact are paramount.

Choosing between the two depends on the seniority, complexity, and strategic importance of the hire. We work with you to determine the best approach to align with their goals.

Executive search typically focuses on targeting passive, high-calibre talent not actively seeking new roles, ensuring access to a broader and more exclusive candidate pool. Executive search provides confidentiality—essential for sensitive leadership changes—and focuses on aligning candidates with an organisation’s culture, values, and long-term goals.

At ARCselect we offer deep industry expertise and support diversity and inclusion through targeted outreach. Though it requires a higher initial investment, executive search reduces the long-term risk and cost of poor hires by thoroughly vetting candidates. We can also save significant time for internal teams by managing the process end-to-end, including negotiation and onboarding support.

Global reach, enhanced employer branding, and strategic succession planning further add to the value we can provide. Ultimately, executive search is a strategic investment that enables businesses to secure transformative leadership, ensuring sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

Executive search firms are increasingly playing a crucial role in advancing diversity and inclusion (D&I), including neurodiverse hiring, at the executive level. Traditional recruitment practices often favour candidates with conventional backgrounds, which can exclude underrepresented groups, including neurodivergent individuals. Executive search firms are positioned to challenge these norms by broadening their search criteria, crafting inclusive job descriptions, and implementing bias-aware processes to ensure fair evaluation. They can also provide tailored support, such as interview coaching and reasonable adjustments, to help neurodiverse candidates showcase their strengths.

The benefits of neurodiverse leadership are clear, with neurodivergent individuals offering unique skills like creativity, problem-solving, and analytical thinking. Redesigning recruitment processes to accommodate these strengths can unlock untapped talent and foster a more inclusive leadership culture. The business case for diversity is compelling, with diverse teams showing better innovation, decision-making, and performance.

To ensure lasting impact, executive search firms should set diversity targets, collaborate with diverse networks, train stakeholders in inclusive recruitment practices, and provide ongoing support for both candidates and clients. In doing so, they can help organisations build resilient, high-performing, and diverse leadership teams.

Executive search can play a pivotal role in advancing diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the leadership level by using proactive and research-led methods to identify high-calibre candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. At ARCselect we aim to go beyond conventional talent pools, often engaging with diverse professional networks to reach overlooked talent.

We help to mitigate unconscious bias through structured interviews, blind CV reviews, and bias training, ensuring a fair and objective assessment process. We also support inclusive job design by focusing on transferable skills and using gender-neutral language, widening appeal to diverse candidates. 

Our global reach enables access to candidates from varied cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, especially beneficial for international organisations. The benefits of D&I-focused executive search include increased innovation, stronger financial performance, enhanced employer branding and support for ESG compliance.

At ARCselect our aim is to always to act as long-term partners in building inclusive, high-performing leadership teams essential for sustainable success.