What Reverse does

Reverse SpA is an Italian privately-held executive search firm headquartered in Milan, founded in 2017, specializing in permanent placement of middle and top management professionals. The company serves enterprise and mid-market clients across 12 dedicated industry practices — Banking/Finance/Insurance, Pharma & Life Science, Consulting, ICT/Digital, Engineering & Telco, Manufacturing & Industrial, Fashion/Luxury/Design, Retail & GDO, Logistics, Food, Automotive, and Energy/Oil & Gas. Its revenue model is professional services-based, charging success fees (typically a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year salary, split across project milestones) on each completed mandate.

The firm's core service, Headhunting via the proprietary Engage&Hire methodology, is supported by a stack of internally developed software tools: Hound (an electronic candidate-sourcing tool that maps active and passive candidates across the web), Employer View (a real-time client-facing dashboard exposing every search action), Job Reputation Analysis (a qualitative market perception report delivered within 10 days), and Company Assessment (diagnostic software profiling organizational culture). The signature differentiator is the Recruiting Collaborativo model, which pairs each Head Hunter with a senior external Scout from a sector-specialized network to certify technical competencies alongside soft-skill evaluation. Adjacent service modules include International Headhunting (Reverse Bridge), RPO (including a Data Driven variant), Market Mapping, and Executive search for C-suite mandates.

Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with teams organized by industry vertical, supported by content marketing through the HR-focused blog, the HR Paradox podcast, a monthly HR Manager newsletter, and industry research (e.g., "Generational Gap" survey). The Group has expanded from its Milan headquarters to a Bologna regional office and three international offices in Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona, and acquired Aaron King International in 2025 to add capacity in complex verticals. Reported operational metrics include 19 candidates interviewed per mandate, 77% suitability rate on presented candidates, 8 candidates interviewed by clients per position, and a 91% offer acceptance rate over the trailing 12 months.

Name

Reverse

Legal name

Reverse SpA

Website

https://reverse.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Reverse SpA is an Italian executive search firm that places middle and top management professionals for enterprise clients across 12 industry practices using a proprietary dual-evaluation methodology supported by internally developed sourcing and analytics software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search / Headhunting Services: Permanent placement services for middle and top management positions. Revenue is generated through success fees calculated as a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year salary, with fees typically split across project milestones.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Reverse is an Italian executive search (headhunting) firm that provides recruitment services for middle and top management positions across 12 industry verticals. Its core offering combines a proprietary methodology (Engage&Hire) and dual-evaluation model (Recruiting Collaborativo) with proprietary software tools (Hound, Employer View, Job Reputation Analysis, Company Assessment) to identify, evaluate, and place passive and active executive candidates. The firm serves enterprise and mid-market clients in Italy and selected European markets through direct sales, with related service modules covering International Headhunting, RPO, Mapping, and Executive-level searches.

Product overview

Reverse is an Italian executive search (headhunting) firm that operates as a unified platform centered on its proprietary Engage&Hire methodology, supplemented by specialized service modules (International Headhunting, RPO, Mapping, Executive), and organized around sector-specific Industry Teams (Banking, Pharma, ICT, Engineering, Fashion, Retail, Logistics, Food, Automotive, Energy). The core differentiator is the Recruiting Collaborativo methodology, which pairs Head Hunters with an external Scout Network for dual candidate evaluation. The platform is backed by proprietary technology tools — Hound (candidate sourcing software), Employer View (real-time client dashboard), Job Reputation Analysis (market analysis delivered at day 10), Company Assessment (diagnostic software), and Data Driven RPO — developed internally by the company's R&D team. The Group includes two sub-brands: Reverse Bridge (international headhunting unit) and Aaron King International (specialized executive search acquired in 2025). Content and thought leadership offerings include the HR Paradox podcast, a monthly HR Manager newsletter, blog articles, and downloadable resources on Candidate Personas and Employer Branding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aaron King International: A headhunting company specializing in the research and selection of middle and top management profiles in high-complexity sectors. Part of the Reverse Group since 2025.
• Reverse Bridge

Products and services

• Headhunting (Engage&Hire) Core executive search and selection service for middle and top management, delivered through the proprietary Engage&Hire methodology, providing real-time transparency, guaranteed timelines, market analysis, Hiring Manager engagement, structured key-moment phases, and specialist vertical evaluation.
• International Headhunting Cross-border executive search service supported by Reverse's International Department and its offices in Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona, helping clients navigate foreign labor market dynamics and build hiring strategies across countries.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Comprehensive outsourced recruitment process management for organizations seeking to delegate part or all of their hiring operations to Reverse. Includes a Data Driven RPO variant with real-time reporting on hiring stages.
• Mappatura (Market Mapping) Market mapping service that provides a structured overview of the competitive landscape, potential candidate pools, and positioning for a specific role or sector.
• Executive Search Specialized executive search service focused on C-suite and senior leadership placements, typically involving confidential searches and highly specialized mandates.
• Reverse Bridge International headhunting business unit under the Reverse Group, operating across French, German, Spanish, and English-speaking markets, with offices in Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona.
• Aaron King International Specialized executive search firm acquired by the Reverse Group in 2025, focused on middle and top management placements in complex sectors including IT & Digital, Sales & Marketing, Finance, Banking, Operations, and Healthcare.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 candidates interviewed per position on average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers38 records

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays plc: Global specialist recruitment firm listed on the London Stock Exchange with strong European presence across multiple sectors. While focused more on mid-market professional recruitment than pure executive search, comparable in geographic exposure and European mid-market enterprise client base.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately-held global executive search and leadership advisory firm with industry-specialized practices. Comparable mid/top management placement focus and European presence, though with substantially larger global footprint than Reverse.
• PageGroup: Global recruitment firm (parent of Michael Page and Page Personnel) operating across multiple disciplines including executive search via Page Executive. Comparable search offering with significantly larger scale and broader service portfolio than Reverse.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with strong industry specialization and leadership advisory services. Comparable executive search offering, with established practices in financial services, healthcare, technology, and industrial sectors that overlap with Reverse's practice areas.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Public global executive search and leadership advisory firm specializing in C-suite and senior executive placements across multiple industries. Comparable mid-to-top management search focus with significantly larger geographic and sector coverage than Reverse.
• Spencer Stuart: Privately-held global executive search firm focused on board-level and senior management placements with deep industry practice areas. Most comparable to Reverse in terms of practice-area specialization and senior-management focus, but with global reach Reverse lacks.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large Executive Search division serving senior leadership hiring across all major industries and geographies. Directly comparable service offering to Reverse, but at materially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Robert Half International: Global staffing and consulting firm providing contract and permanent placement services including finance, technology, and administrative roles. Comparable placement business model but serves a broader occupational mix than Reverse's executive search focus.

Direct peers

• Boyden: Global executive search firm with partner-led offices in major markets including Europe, serving mid-to-senior management mandates across industry verticals. Most directly comparable in scale, governance model (partner network), and mid/top management focus to Reverse.

Regional players

• Lloyd Stanford Executive Search: European executive search boutique focused on senior management and board-level placements across multiple industry verticals. Comparable mid/top management focus and European presence, though operating in different specific geographies (DACH/Nordics vs. Reverse's Italy/France/Spain focus).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reverseheadhunting
• Instagraminstagram.com/reverseitalia
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReverseRecruitment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Reverse