Taylor Birchwood

What Taylor Birchwood does

Taylor Birchwood is a global executive search firm specializing exclusively in corporate affairs, communications, government relations, and investor relations functions. Formed in September 2024 through the merger of Taylor Bennett (founded 1982) and Birchwood Knight (founded 2009), the firm is headquartered in London with a Dubai office opened in 2025 and operates a network of more than 40 consultants globally to support cross-border mandates.

The firm offers retained executive search as its core service, supplemented by interim and freelance placement, organizational design, succession planning, and executive coaching. Its principal product differentiator is Cultureview, a proprietary culture and leadership assessment tool co-developed with research partner Ipsos Karian & Box. The firm also operates a dedicated third-sector practice (TB3) serving charity and nonprofit clients, extending its addressable market beyond FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 corporate clients.

The business model is fee-for-service executive search, with typical retained search fees calculated as a percentage of first-year compensation for placed candidates. Revenue is generated through discrete mandates distributed across a multinational corporate client base, with the firm additionally monetizing Cultureview assessments, coaching engagements, and organizational design consulting. The firm participates in the Taylor Bennett Foundation's Employer Partner Network, supporting entry-level talent pipelines into the corporate affairs profession.

Name

Taylor Birchwood

Legal name

Taylor Birchwood

Website

https://taylorbirchwood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taylor Birchwood is a global executive search firm specializing in corporate affairs, communications, government relations, and investor relations, serving FTSE 100, Fortune 500, and third-sector clients from offices in London and Dubai.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Corporate affairs recruitment
• Communications leadership hiring
• Investor relations recruitment
• Organisational design advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search (Permanent): Retained executive search for permanent senior-level roles in corporate affairs, communications, government affairs, and investor relations across global organisations.
2. Interim & Freelance Placement: Placement of exceptional interim and freelance communications leaders for immediate cover, specialist skills, or peak-period support.
3. Organisational Design & Succession Planning: Advisory services helping Corporate Affairs Directors, Chief People Officers, and CEOs diagnose, redesign, and future-proof their communications and corporate affairs teams.
4. Executive Coaching & Career Planning: Coaching and career planning for C-suite leaders and next-generation corporate affairs directors.
5. TB3 - Third Sector Executive Search: Specialist division serving non-profit organisations, higher education institutions, regulators, charities, arms-length bodies, and global philanthropic foundations with adapted search methodology.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Taylor Birchwood is a global executive search firm recruiting Chief Communications Officers, Corporate Affairs Directors, Investor Relations leaders, and other senior communications professionals for permanent, interim, and freelance positions. The firm also delivers organisational design, succession planning, executive coaching, and its proprietary Cultureview culture assessment tool for FTSE 100, Fortune 500, private equity, financial services, regulator, charity, and higher education clients. Global search capability is delivered through direct offices in London and Dubai and the GCSP partner network across EMEA, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

Product overview

Taylor Birchwood is an executive search firm specializing in corporate affairs, communications, government relations, and investor relations leadership. Founded through the 2024 merger of Taylor Bennett and Birchwood Knight, the firm operates as a unified service offering rather than a software platform. Core services include executive search for permanent, interim, and freelance placements, organizational design, and succession planning. The firm's proprietary products include Cultureview, a behavioral science-based culture assessment tool developed with Ipsos Karian & Box, and TB3, a specialist third sector practice. Additional services encompass executive coaching, interview process consultancy, and diversity consulting supported by the Taylor Bennett Foundation. The firm has offices in London and Dubai with global reach through the Global Communications Search Partnership (GCSP) network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of clients say they would recommend Taylor Birchwood
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Global Communications Search Partnership (GCSP)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2024Taylor Birchwood is a founding member of the Global Communications Search Partnership (GCSP), a global network of leading firms specialising in communications, corporate affairs, and investor relations executive search. GCSP members include Heyman Associates (North America: New York and San Francisco), GK Consulting (Germany: Berlin and Frankfurt), and Barber Search (Asia: Hong Kong). The partnership provides global coverage across the world's major time zones and enables cross-border search mandates.
• Heyman AssociatescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNorth American partner within the GCSP network. Heyman Associates has over 30 years of experience identifying senior-level communications and corporate affairs leaders, having completed over 1,500 searches for influential companies and institutions. They serve clients from offices in New York and San Francisco.
• GK ConsultingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGCSP partner for continental Europe, founded in 1991 with offices in Berlin and Frankfurt. Specialises in executive search across continental Europe with deep market insight and a highly personalised approach.
• Barber SearchcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGCSP partner for Asia, based in Hong Kong. A high-touch, relationship-focused firm with more than two decades of experience in search and recruitment worldwide, partnering with organisations building winning corporate affairs teams across Asia.
• Ipsos Karian & BoxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaylor Birchwood developed its proprietary Cultureview assessment tool in partnership with Ipsos Karian & Box, one of the UK's leading employee experience consultancies. The tool maps candidate leadership competencies and cultural experience against hiring organisations' cultures. Ipsos Karian & Box also co-authored the Diversity in Corporate Affairs report with Taylor Birchwood.
• Taylor Bennett FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Taylor Bennett Foundation is an award-winning UK charity (established 2009, in partnership with the University of East London and founding partner Brunswick) that encourages people from ethnically diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in corporate affairs and communications. Supported by Taylor Birchwood, the Foundation runs six programmes including paid training courses with HSBC, Burson, FGS Global, and FTI Consulting, building a community of over 400 alumni across the communications industry. Taylor Birchwood is a Platinum Partner and co-founder (Matthew Wall is a Trustee and Co-founder).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated CEO & Board and Communications Officers practice. Direct overlap on corporate affairs mandates with FTSE 100/Fortune 500 clients; broader portfolio but competes head-to-head on senior communications searches.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong communications officer coverage. Competes directly for senior corporate affairs mandates among multinational clients.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organisational consulting firm with a major executive search practice covering communications and investor relations. Competes on enterprise-level mandates; broader portfolio spanning consulting and RPO.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a Communications, Media and Investor Relations practice. Directly comparable on CCO and corporate affairs leader searches for large enterprises.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with established communications and investor relations practices. Comparable on cross-border senior mandates for FTSE 100/Fortune 500 clients, with a broader sector footprint.

Direct peers

• Barber Search: Hong Kong-based corporate affairs executive search firm and GCSP partner. Direct comparable for Asia-Pacific mandates; competes on regional communications leadership searches.
• Odgers Berndtson: UK-headquartered international executive search firm with a Communications & Investor Relations practice. Closest direct UK-based competitor, serving FTSE 100 clients with a similar specialism-led approach.
• Heyman Associates: US specialist in corporate affairs and communications executive search with offices in New York and San Francisco; GCSP partner of Taylor Birchwood. Direct comparable on communications search for North American clients.
• GK Consulting: Berlin/Frankfurt-based executive search firm specialising in communications and corporate affairs; GCSP partner of Taylor Birchwood. Direct comparable for DACH-region mandates.

Others

• FGS Global: Global strategic communications advisory firm formed from Finsbury, Glover Hering and Sard Verbinnen. Adjacent rather than direct: advises clients on communications strategy and occasionally supports senior hiring; competes for the same CCO-level relationships but is not a retained search firm.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taylor-birchwood
• Xx.com/TaylorBirchwood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Taylor Birchwood