Duffy Group

What Duffy Group does

Duffy Group, Inc. is a Phoenix, Arizona-based professional and executive search firm founded in 1991 by Kathleen Duffy. The company serves mid-market and enterprise clients across 12+ verticals — including Healthcare, Government, Higher Education, Construction, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Nonprofit, Professional Services, Renewable Energy, Senior Living, and Technology — placing C-level executives, vice presidents, and senior management. Its customer base spans named organizations such as Lightsource bp, REC Solar, Valley Health Plan, Colorado State University, Arizona State University, Make-A-Wish Arizona, California Closets, and Suntec Concrete, with an 80% client return rate and service coverage extending to Canada, Mexico, Central America, Europe, and Asia via a virtual workforce distributed across 14 U.S. states.

The company's core product is Duffy Recruitment Research™, a trademarked proprietary 5-step methodology (Strategy Development, Name Generation, Position Promotion, Candidate Evaluation, Presentation & Report) that targets passive candidates not actively job hunting and delivers a curated slate within 10-15 business days. Rather than retained or contingent search billing, Duffy Group charges on an hourly pay-per-hour basis, with 2023 searches averaging 14.5% of placed candidate salaries versus an industry standard of 20-35%. The firm supports this delivery model through Practice Leaders, Senior Recruiters, and Executive Search Consultants, supported by Marketing, Recruiting Operations, and People Operations functions, and amplifies demand via content marketing, SEO, email, events, PR features in Forbes/Entrepreneur/USA Today/SHRM, and a proprietary podcast ("Revolutionizing Recruitment"). Strategic partnerships include an AzHHA Affiliated Partner relationship for healthcare access; awards include Phoenix Titan 100, Sun Devil 100, AzBusiness Leaders, ATHENA Businesswoman of the Year, and an Al O'Connor Lifetime Achievement Award.

Name

Duffy Group

Legal name

Duffy Group, Inc.

Website

https://duffygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Duffy Group is a Phoenix-based executive search firm founded in 1991 that uses a proprietary 5-step research methodology to place C-level and senior management talent across 12+ verticals for mid-market and enterprise clients in the U.S. and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government & Public Sector Direct Hire (BPACAFAK)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Professional recruitment
• Passive talent sourcing
• Executive headhunting
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Hourly pay-per-hour billing model (not retained or contingent). In 2023, searches averaged 14.5% of salaries compared to industry standard of 20-35%. Flexible and scalable approach with customizable and flexible pricing. Multiple service level options available to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Duffy Group provides professional and executive recruitment services through its proprietary Duffy Recruitment Research™ methodology, a research-based 5-step model that identifies and engages passive talent not actively job hunting and presents candidates within 10–15 business days. Services are delivered under an hourly, pay-per-hour billing structure across twelve industry verticals including Healthcare, Government, Higher Education, Construction, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Faith-Based Nonprofit, Professional Services, Renewable Energy, Senior Living, and Technology, with a virtual workforce supporting national and international clients.

Product overview

Duffy Group offers professional and executive recruitment services through its proprietary Duffy Recruitment Research™ model. This research-based methodology serves as the company's core offering, providing an alternative to traditional contingent and retained search approaches. The service is delivered across multiple industry verticals including Construction, Government, Healthcare, Higher Education, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Faith-Based Nonprofit, Professional Services, Renewable Energy, Senior Living, and Technology. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with a virtual workforce spanning 14 states and operations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, Europe, and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Duffy Recruitment Research™ A proprietary five-step research-based executive recruitment methodology that uncovers passive talent through comprehensive research and analysis, comprising Strategy Development, Name Generation, Position Promotion, Candidate Evaluation, and Presentation & Report. Candidates are typically presented within 10–15 business days. Sold to organizations seeking mid-to-executive-level and senior management placements across multiple industry verticals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14.5% of salaries vs 20-35% industry standard - significantly lower cost per placement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AzHHA (Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliated Partner relationship for healthcare recruiting. AzHHA is the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, representing healthcare organizations across Arizona. This partnership likely provides access to healthcare industry network and referral opportunities for executive search services in the healthcare vertical.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Odgers Berndtson: Odgers Berndtson is a global executive search firm serving mid-to-executive level placements across diverse industries with a research-driven methodology. It competes with Duffy Group for cross-vertical senior management search mandates, but operates on a retained model at significantly larger scale.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds Associates is a top-tier global executive search firm competing directly with Duffy Group for senior executive and board placements. Both firms emphasize proprietary research-based candidate identification and culture-focused matching, but Russell Reynolds operates at significantly larger scale on a retained model.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is one of the largest global executive search firms, competing directly with Duffy Group in mid-to-executive level placements across multiple verticals. As a publicly traded incumbent with global reach, it represents the premium tier of traditional retained search that Duffy Group positions against with its lower-cost hourly model.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search practice, serving similar mid-to-executive level placements across the same verticals Duffy Group targets. It represents the full-service incumbent model — combining executive search with broader talent, leadership, and HR consulting offerings.
• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a research-driven methodology focused on culture fit and leadership potential. Like Duffy Group, it differentiates through proprietary assessment processes, but at a global premium-tier scale on retained engagements.
• Robert Half: Robert Half is a broad staffing and talent solutions firm whose executive search division (Protiviti, RHR International) competes with Duffy Group for mid-to-executive level placements. As a publicly traded incumbent with much larger scale, it represents the broader staffing alternative Duffy Group positions against with its specialized executive focus.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm serving board, CEO, and senior executive searches across industries. Like Duffy Group, it emphasizes proprietary research methodologies and culture-fit evaluation, but operates at significantly larger scale and primarily on retained engagements.

Direct peers

• DHR Global: DHR Global is a mid-market executive search and talent management firm that, like Duffy Group, serves multiple industry verticals with a focus on mid-to-executive level placements. DHR's positioning as an alternative to the large retained search firms mirrors Duffy's value proposition of accessible, research-driven executive search for clients seeking alternatives to traditional retained models.

Emerging players

• WittKieffer: WittKieffer is an executive search firm specializing in Healthcare, Higher Education, Nonprofit, and Life Sciences — directly overlapping Duffy's primary Healthcare and secondary Higher Education/Nonprofit verticals. Similar mid-market positioning to Duffy Group, with comparable proprietary research methodologies, but a more focused vertical mix.
• Caliber Corporate Advisers: Caliber is a specialized mid-market executive search firm focusing on technology, communications, and media sectors. While narrower in vertical scope than Duffy Group, it shares similar positioning as an alternative to large retained search firms with research-driven methodology and flexible engagement models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/duffygroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/DuffyGroupInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duffy-group-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duffy Group