15+ Years of Proven Executive Search Expertise.
Since 2008, we have focused on CEO search and senior executive search for listed and privately held companies across Europe, particularly in situations of transformation, growth, and succession.
Our primary focus is technology-driven organizations, complemented by experience in telecommunications, media, logistics, healthcare, and professional services, where leadership decisions have a direct impact on performance and execution outcomes.
We have extensive experience in critical executive search assignments across Europe, supporting investors, family offices, and privately held companies in identifying and appointing senior leaders for business-critical roles.
In transformation and stabilization contexts, we advise on the deployment of selected interim executives to ensure immediate leadership capacity during critical phases.
Executive Search for Established Organizations.
In established companies, we focus on senior leadership appointments in contexts of transformation, succession, and strategic realignment, including CEO and C-level roles where leadership quality is critical to stability and long-term performance.
Executive Search for Growth-Oriented and Investor-Backed Companies.
In investor-backed and scaling organizations undergoing growth, restructuring, or professionalization, we support boards, investors, and founders in identifying senior leaders capable of scaling organizations, strengthening execution capability, or leading turnaround situations.
A Trusted Partner in Executive Search.
We act as lead advisor throughout the executive search process – from mandate definition through candidate assessment to final appointment and decision support for CEOs, boards, and investors.
We focus on clarity of requirements, structured assessment of candidates, and disciplined decision-making in senior leadership selection.
Boutique Structure, Senior Involvement.
headfinders is a boutique executive search practice led by Dr. Frank Knoche and a small team of senior professionals.
All mandates are managed at partner level, ensuring continuity, depth of assessment, and direct engagement with clients and candidates.
Exclusive focus on senior and top-management appointments where execution quality and leadership fit determine outcomes.
Direct Communication.
Direct, transparent communication throughout.
Structured, focused, decision-oriented process ensuring alignment among stakeholders at every stage.
Execution and Speed.
Search processes combining precision and efficiency – enabling timely access to qualified candidates and disciplined decision-making without procedural complexity.
Executive Search focused on leadership decisions in complex environments.Precision. Speed. Fit.
Dr. Frank Knoche
How We Work Together.
Once we jointly agree to proceed, we follow a structured process designed to support high-quality leadership decisions under defined constraints of time and information:
Requirement Definition.
We assess the mandate in its full context: organizational situation, market environment, leadership requirements, success criteria, and compensation framework.
Outcome: A shared and clearly defined target leadership profile.
Market Mapping.
We structure the relevant candidate market based on the agreed profile, including target organizations and leadership segments.
Together with the client, we define prioritization and outreach strategy.
Candidate Engagement.
We then contact the desired candidates in a discrete manner to determine under which conditions these candidates would be open to your specific vacancy.
Assessment and Presentation.
We conduct structured interviews and evaluation, followed by structured candidate documentation and recommendations for client discussions.
We remain involved throughout the interview process as required.
Decision Support.
We support final selection through structured comparison of candidates and, where relevant, additional assessment methods such as psychometric analysis may be included.
Objective: A clear, well-supported executive hiring decision.
Pricing Model.
We structure engagements as fixed-fee mandates defined upfront per assignment, ensuring alignment on scope, process, and responsibilities in senior leadership selection.
This approach supports disciplined decision-making and avoids incentive structures that may distort evaluation or selection outcomes.In specific cases, alternative structures may be considered where required by client governance frameworks, provided full alignment across stakeholders is maintained.
All fees are agreed at the outset. The guiding principle is transparency and alignment in decision-making rather than variable, outcome-linked compensation models.
Let’s Discuss Your Leadership Requirement.
Confidential conversations for senior executive and board-level mandates.