Charles Aris Inc.

What Charles Aris Inc. does

Charles Aris Inc. is a privately held executive search and talent advisory firm founded in 1969 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and operated by the Oakley family across two generations. The firm operates three distinct business lines: (1) Charles Aris Executive Search, the flagship retained search practice placing C-suite, VP, and Director-level talent across more than 10 functional practices (including AI, CEO, Corporate Development, Engineering, Finance, Human Capital, Private Equity, Sales & Marketing, and Strategy) and 12 industry verticals; (2) Charles Aris Transaction Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary launched in 2022 that applies the firm's proprietary sourcing methodology to originate proprietary business acquisitions for private equity clients on a success-fee basis; and (3) Aris Amplify, launched in 2025 as a contingency recruiting division targeting mid- to senior-level roles under a transaction-fee model.

The firm's underlying technology consists of custom research tools and established phone-based sourcing processes developed through decades of executive recruiting; this methodology has been adapted from candidate sourcing to M&A target identification for the Transaction Services line. Charles Aris also operates as the U.S. representative of the InterSearch global recruiting network (since 2015), enabling international search reach when required. The firm maintains an extensive thought leadership footprint, including 10 functional/industry newsletters, The Charles Aris Podcast, downloadable compensation insights reports, and a job board/candidate resource hub used to drive top-of-funnel demand.

The revenue model is multi-stream: retained executive search fees for the flagship practice, success-based transaction fees for PE deal sourcing, and contingency-based fees for Aris Amplify. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, anchored by practice leaders specializing in specific functions and industries, supported by direct outreach, content marketing, and relationship-based enterprise engagement. Charles Aris serves a diversified client base spanning private equity firms, industrial manufacturers, AgTech companies, and large enterprises across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and nationwide U.S. markets, with a team of over 100 employees distributed across two offices and 20 states under an indefinite remote/hybrid work policy adopted in 2022.

Name

Charles Aris Inc.

Legal name

Charles Aris Inc.

Website

https://charlesaris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Buy-Side Search & Acquisition Advisory (FSAEAIAD)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Contingency recruiting
• Retained search
• Talent acquisition
• Private equity deal sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charles Aris Executive Search: Retained executive search services for finding executive-level talent. Clients engage the firm on a retained basis to fill C-suite, VP, Director, and other senior leadership positions across various functions and industries.
2. Aris Amplify: Contingency-based recruiting services launched in 2025, focusing on mid-to-senior level talent under a contingency partnership model to complement the retained search division.
3. Charles Aris Transaction Services: Transaction services business focused exclusively on sourcing business acquisitions for private equity clients. The firm identifies proprietary deal opportunities using their talent-sourcing methodology adapted for M&A.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Charles Aris helps organizations meet ambitious growth goals through retained executive search (Charles Aris Executive Search), contingency recruiting for mid- to senior-level talent (Aris Amplify), and transaction services that source proprietary business acquisitions for private equity clients (Charles Aris Transaction Services).

Product overview

Charles Aris is a talent and growth partner offering three distinct business lines: (1) Charles Aris Executive Search - the firm's flagship retained executive search practice for finding executive-level talent across multiple functional areas and industries; (2) Aris Amplify - a contingency recruiting division launched in 2025 for mid- to senior-level talent searches; and (3) Charles Aris Transaction Services - a deal-sourcing business that applies the firm's talent-sourcing methodology to find business acquisitions for private equity clients. The firm covers functional areas including Artificial Intelligence, CEO & President, Corporate Development, Engineering/Operations/Supply Chain, Finance & Accounting, Human Capital, Private Equity, Revenue Cycle Management, Sales & Marketing, and Strategy, across industries including Aerospace & Defense, Agriculture & Food, Business & Consumer Services, Consumer Products, Financial Services, Healthcare, Hospitality, Industrials, Life Sciences, Professional Services, Retail, and Technology, Media & Telecom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Charles Aris Executive Search: Retained executive search services for finding executive-level talent
• Charles Aris Transaction Services
• Aris Amplify
• Charles Aris Podcast

Products and services

• Charles Aris Executive Search Fully retained executive search services for finding executive-level talent (C-suite, VP, Director) across functions including AI, CEO/President, Corporate Development, Engineering/Operations, Finance/Accounting, Human Capital, Private Equity, Sales/Marketing, and Strategy, and across industries including Healthcare, Financial Services, Agriculture, Technology, Industrials, and more.
• Aris Amplify

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200+ successful executive placements in strategy consulting practice alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• InterSearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015InterSearch is a global recruiting network, and Charles Aris was selected as its United States representative in 2015. This partnership provides the firm with international recruitment capabilities and access to global talent pools through the network of affiliated firms.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Emerging players

• Grata: Technology-driven private company sourcing platform for M&A and investment professionals. Adjacent competitor to Charles Aris Transaction Services, which uses phone-based sourcing to find PE acquisition targets; Grata uses a proprietary data platform for the same buyer-side use case.

Direct peers

• Boyden: Privately held global retained executive search firm with industry and functional practice structure. Closely comparable to Charles Aris on partner-led delivery model and cross-border capabilities.
• Spencer Stuart: Privately held global retained executive search firm with industry-specialized practices. Closely comparable to Charles Aris on retained model, functional specialization, and private ownership structure.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global retained executive search firm with deep functional and industry practices including Financial Services, Private Equity, and Consumer. Directly comparable to Charles Aris on a retained-search business model, though materially larger in scale and geographic footprint.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately held global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable to Charles Aris on retained search model, deep industry practice structure, and family-controlled ownership.
• Stanton Chase: Global retained executive search firm with 70+ offices and 40+ industry practices. Comparable to Charles Aris in mid-sized firm dynamics, partner-led practice structure, and PE-adjacent search work.
• Signium: Global executive search firm organized by industry practices. Highly comparable to Charles Aris on retained model, practice-leader structure, and PE-related mandates; also operates as part of an international network similar to InterSearch.
• Caldwell Partners: North American retained executive search firm with industry practices including Financial Services, Private Equity, and Industrial. Comparable mid-sized scale to Charles Aris with overlapping functional specialties.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global retained executive search firm organized by functional and industry practices. Directly competes with Charles Aris in C-suite, Financial Officers, and Private Equity searches for mid-sized to enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Largest global organizational consulting firm combining executive search with talent advisory, RPO, and executive coaching. Overlaps with Charles Aris's retained search but operates at much greater scale across a broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL80wl9av8bXPW1AQhSPcpkg2ehPFskUyi&si=EdLUahfMiLrJeVgD
• Xx.com/charlesaris
• Facebookfacebook.com/charlesarisinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-aris-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Charles Aris Inc.