Lincoln Group

What Lincoln Group does

Lincoln Group is an international talent management consulting firm headquartered in Paris, founded in 1992, that operates across twelve offices in Western Europe, Northern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, with a supplementary TES partner network covering nine additional countries. The firm is majority-owned by The Talent Club of Companies (since January 2020) and employs approximately 250 professionals representing thirty nationalities.

Its core offering is organized into two service lines: Talent Acquisition, comprising Executive Search and Executive Interim Management, and Talent Development, comprising Leadership Advisory, coaching, and assessment. Proprietary tools include the Horizon serious-game assessment (launched 2019), E-mployability digital strategy solution, My Journey career transformation program, and the annual Talent Management Experience Barometer research instrument. The company pursues a vertical sector model with ten specializations including Financial Institutions, Private Equity, Consulting, Legal/Compliance, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Digital & Technologies.

Lincoln monetizes through professional services fees on successful executive placements, interim management engagements, and leadership advisory projects, with quote-based pricing and no disclosed subscription or SaaS component. Distribution is direct via a Talent Agent model targeting enterprise clients, supplemented by five completed acquisitions since 2018 (PeopleKey Consulting, Digital Jobs, Cooper Fitch, The Executive Network, Shapr Talent) that have built owned presence in Asia, the Middle East, the Netherlands, and digital recruitment channels.

Name

Lincoln Group

Legal name

Lincoln HR Group

Website

https://lincoln-group.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lincoln Group is a Paris-headquartered international talent management consulting firm operating twelve offices across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, providing executive search, interim management, and leadership advisory services to enterprise clients across ten sector specializations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Talent Management Consulting

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD), Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Interim management consulting
• Leadership advisory services
• Talent management consulting
• Executive recruitment firm

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

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: Headhunting and executive recruitment services for identifying and placing top-tier talent in organizations. Revenue generated through successful placement fees.
2. Executive Interim Management: Provision of highly qualified interim executives for transformation projects, crisis management, and temporary leadership roles. Revenue generated through engagement fees.
3. Leadership Advisory: Coaching, assessment, and training services for leadership development. Includes Horizon assessment tool and career transition support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lincoln Group is an international talent management consulting firm that provides executive search, executive interim management, and leadership advisory services to enterprise clients. The firm places top-tier executives, supplies interim managers for transformation projects, and delivers leadership coaching/assessment programs through its network of Talent Agents across 15 offices.

Product overview

Lincoln Group offers a unified Talent Management platform combining three core service lines: Talent Acquisition (Executive Search and Executive Interim Management) and Talent Development (Leadership Advisory and Offboarding). The portfolio includes proprietary tools like E-mployability (digital career acceleration), My Journey (professional transformation), and Horizon (leadership assessment via serious game). The firm also operates an annual Talent Management Experience Barometer research tool. Acquired brands including Digital Jobs, Shapr Talent, and PeopleKey Consulting have been integrated to expand digital/data recruitment and Asian market coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• E-mployability: Digital strategy solution to accelerate digital strategy and attract opportunities
• My Journey
• Horizon
• Lincoln Transition Executive

Products and services

• Executive Search Headhunting and executive recruitment services for identifying and placing top-tier executives and leaders in client organizations across 10 vertical sectors including Financial Services, Private Equity, Healthcare, and Digital & Technologies.
• Executive Interim Management Temporary executive placement service providing highly qualified managers for transformation projects, crisis situations, post-acquisition integration, and interim leadership needs through the Lincoln Transition Executive sub-brand.
• Leadership Advisory Coaching, assessment, and training services for developing executive talent and organizational leadership capabilities, including succession planning and team effectiveness work led by PhD-qualified consultants.
• My Journey Innovative professional transformation program helping talents navigate career transitions and professional reinvention through structured methodology.
• E-mployability Digital solution designed to accelerate digital strategy and attract professional opportunities for talents and companies seeking to upskill for digital transformation.
• Horizon Assessment Serious game-based assessment solution for leadership transformation that evaluates talents on four axes: vision sharing, uncertainty culture, trust cultivation, and benevolence/resilience. Identifies potential to lead organizational change.
• Talent Management Experience Barometer International anonymous employee survey instrument and research report measuring perception of Talent Management policies including recruitment, integration, internal mobility, professional development, and career committees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% revenue growth in 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Executive Network (TEN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2023Partnership with Dutch Executive Search firm TEN, expanding Lincoln's presence in the Netherlands market. Includes opening of TEN bureau in Paris autumn 2023 offering Executive Search and Board services.
• WHYZminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2023Partnership with Netherlands-based talent acquisition specialist WHYZ as part of Lincoln's European expansion strategy.
• Shapr TalentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2023Acquisition of Shapr Talent, a recruitment platform connecting startups with top candidates in sales, marketing, and HR, to expand digital marketing and technology capabilities.
• The Executive Network (TEN) - Majority StakecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2023Lincoln acquired majority stake in Dutch Executive Search firm The Executive Network (TEN), strengthening European presence.
• Cooper FitchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2022Acquisition of Cooper Fitch, a pure player in Talent Acquisition in Dubai and Middle East. Expands Lincoln's presence in MENA region.
• Digital JobscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2021Acquisition of majority stake in Digital Jobs, specializing in digital and data executive search. Founded in 2009 by Marie Canzano, expands Lincoln's digital talent capabilities.
• PeopleKey ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2018Acquisition of PeopleKey Consulting covering China and Southeast Asia through Singapore and Shanghai offices. Brings over 45 professionals and expertise in high technology, energy, life sciences, and agri-food sectors.
• Entr'UPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2018Partnership with Entr'UP for team collaboration assessment tools. Lincoln contributed assessment expertise to develop Entr'UP's team effectiveness solutions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm focused on board-level and senior executive placements across industries. Directly comparable to Lincoln's Executive Search and Leadership Advisory offerings, operating internationally with deep sector and functional practices.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the leading global executive search firms, with strong leadership advisory and board practice. Overlaps directly with Lincoln's high-end executive search and leadership assessment/coaching offerings and competes for similar C-suite mandates.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and Heidrick Consulting leadership advisory firm with sector-based practices. Directly comparable in business model, international footprint, and integration of search with leadership advisory — closely mirroring Lincoln's three-pillar proposition.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with strong board, CEO succession, and financial services sector practices. Directly comparable to Lincoln in target client profile, search methodology, and reliance on senior consultant relationships.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm headquartered in the UK with broad sector coverage. Comparable to Lincoln's high-end search model, particularly relevant in European and emerging markets where both firms compete for cross-border mandates.
• Boyden: Global executive search firm operating through a partnership model across multiple geographies. Comparable to Lincoln in business structure (partner-led search), sector breadth, and international coverage, with similar intermediate scale.
• Robert Walters: International specialist recruitment consultancy with strong presence in Europe, Asia, and emerging markets. Overlaps with Lincoln's search and interim management offerings, particularly for mid-to-senior professional hires rather than purely board-level mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Large diversified organizational consulting and executive search firm with additional RPO and talent acquisition solutions. Comparable on search and leadership advisory, but operates at a larger scale and across broader HR/RPO service lines that Lincoln does not offer.
• PageGroup (Michael Page): Global specialist recruitment group operating multiple brands (Michael Page, Page Personnel, Page Executive) including executive search. Comparable in international footprint and sector breadth, although primarily volume-driven recruitment with executive search as one segment — relevant given multiple Lincoln leaders came from Michael Page.

Regional players

• Hays: UK-headquartered global specialist recruitment and workforce solutions provider. Comparable in international office network and professional services staffing, although primarily volume recruitment — relevant as a peer for Lincoln's broader talent advisory positioning in EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lincolngroup/mycompany/verification
• Instagraminstagram.com/lincoln_talentrepresentation
• Xx.com/_lincolngroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Lincoln Group