In a fractured economy, clients and hiring managers find value in working with boutique, partner-owned retained search firms.

Many members of the AltoPartners global partnership – recently voted among the top 40 executive search providers worldwide by Hunt Scanlon and consistently recognised as one of the top 10 international executive search and leadership advisory groups – have their roots in one of the Big Five global executive search giants. Others spent years honing their knowledge and skills as C-suite professionals before deciding to go solo.

For all of them, it was a leap of faith, but none have looked back.

“They love AltoPartners for the ability to promote their own brand while still having access to global networks and industry expertise, as well as the credibility that comes with being a member of the AESC – the global organisation that sets the standards in terms of ethics and quality for the industry”, says Julia Scheffer, AltoPartners Global Director and AESC Global Board Member.

Here’s why smaller has proved to be better for them and their clients.

1. As owner-operators, the buck starts and stops with us, says AltoPartners global chair Santiago Solis Arias, who left a lucrative partner role at Heidrick & Struggles to start one of Colombia’s best-known private executive search companies, Executive Connection SAS. “They may have a team of researchers working on the case, but you’ll never be fobbed off to an account executive who doesn’t have skin in the game. When it’s your own business and reputation on the line, you ensure that there are no slip-ups and that your clients and the candidates are satisfied,” says Solis.

2. We get that it’s a long-term partnership. Corinne Klajda, who heads up Nuvadis/ AltoPartners Poland, sums it up: “The beauty of an owner-led executive search firm is that we are personally invested in our client’s success. We have served the Polish market for over 30 years. We know our clients, their requirements, culture and organisations, enabling us to provide a personalised approach to every client and candidate. And to do it quickly, ethically and transparently.”

3. All the networks with none of the off-limits. AltoPartners provides the platform for its member firms to leverage each other’s shared knowledge, experience, networks and databases across all 59 offices in 35 countries. “This way, our clients can enjoy all the benefits of local insights and the best on-the-ground expertise, while also having full access to global talent through local search partners. This approach avoids being bogged down by global off-limits (an industry term referring to search restrictions often imposed by multinational clients to prevent international search companies from approaching their top talent in other territories), which can severely limit the pool of talented candidates,” says Ricardo Bäcker, founder and chair of Bäcker & Partners / AltoPartners Argentina, who values the strong collaboration within the partnership. “At AltoPartners, I feel that each of our partners has a genuine interest in my country, our office and myself, and this entrepreneurial mindset really makes all the difference to our clients,” he adds.

4. Boots-on-the-ground local knowledge. “We have real people in real offices in each region we operate in,” says Marco Arcaini, who heads up AltoPartners Germany’s Wiesbaden office. “We live where we work – a factor that puts AltoPartners among the top five worldwide in actual reach and in-situ presence. This gives clients the best of both worlds: deep local knowledge combined with international reach.”

5. Referrals and repeat business are our bread and butter. Albert Froom, the founding Chairman of AltoPartners and Partner of LTI Netherlands, has been serving the Benelux region for over three decades. “Our clients value our flexibility and creativity when it comes to identifying candidates and the extreme care with which we approach each assignment. It’s imperative that we get it right because ultimately, we measure our success by the re-buy factor of clients, and our referrals are largely based on word of mouth. If a candidate proves unsuitable or leaves before their tenure is up, it impacts our reputation and our bottom line.”

6. High-touch, high-impact. As a former Chief HR officer for Alexander Forbes and then Vodacom, Mpho Nkeli of Search Partners International (SPi) / AltoPartners South Africa, knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the desk: “Our customer-centricity and the way we keep the client connected to each step of the search process is a source of pride. Our goal is to wow the client and the candidate at every touchpoint. Quality and speed are key as we partner with clients and candidates. We know it works because of the high level of repeat business and the number of candidates that go on to become clients.”

7. Easy on the hiring teams – and on the candidates. Without the need to focus on bureaucracy, sales targets or overheads, boutique firms can afford to be more candidate-focused. “The way candidates are treated in this industry still shocks me,” says Dr Thomas Heyn of Jack Russell Consulting / AltoPartners Germany. “If a candidate has taken the time to consider your proposal and agreed to have their name put forward, then they deserve respect and consideration, even if they do not make it onto the shortlist. We never forget that we are an extension of our client’s brand.”

8. Sectoral and local depth. “We combine sector expertise with local knowledge to give our clients deep insight and access to proven leaders, while also looking beyond the obvious to rising stars and cross-sector talent who challenge established mindsets,” says Richard Fortune, Managing Partner at AltoPartners Australia and co-head of the AltoPartners Global Natural Resources practice group.

9. Ready adoption of AI. Smaller really is nimbler when it comes to ready adoption of AI tools to help clients make better, more informed decisions, says Carol Leonard, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Board Practice at The Inzito Partnership / AltoPartners UK in London. “We’re unconstrained by group-wide policies in terms of the AI tools we are able to use, but bound by ethical commitments to protect privacy and maintain confidentiality.”

10. We see you. “As entrepreneurs, we understand what it takes to run a business successfully. We are fascinated by the businesses our clients have built – the assets they’ve developed, the skills they need, and the people who will take them forward. We invest time in understanding the unique industry and cultural context of a search to ensure we find the perfect candidate every time,” says Sonal Agrawal of Accord India / AltoPartners India, who heads up one of the subcontinent’s leading executive search organisations.

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Written by Gail Strauss