Odgers Berndtson

What Odgers Berndtson does

Odgers Berndtson is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm headquartered in London, founded as an executive search firm in 1965 (with a sub-entity registered in 2001) and operating across 29 offices in 33 countries. It identifies, assesses, and places board members, CEOs, and senior executives for large organizations, supplementing retained and contingency executive search with interim management, board advisory and succession, executive coaching, leadership assessment, and human capital consulting. The firm serves clients across twelve industries and twelve executive functions, with primary customers being boards, chairs, and chief executives, and secondary segments spanning Financial Services, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and IT Services, Industrial and Private Equity, Consumer/Entertainment/Sport, Education, Public Impact, and Sustainability.

The commercial model is professional services: fee-based engagements structured as retained searches, contingency placements, interim day-rate or project work, and ongoing advisory retainers. There are no self-serve, marketplace, or reseller channels. Distribution is entirely direct, led by 200+ sector-specialist partners who originate and run engagements, supported by an events, thought-leadership (OBSERVE Magazine), and employer-brand program (CEOx1Day) marketing stack, plus organic LinkedIn, YouTube, and earned media for top-of-funnel awareness. The firm has no proprietary software or technology platform; its core capability is proprietary human-capital assessment methodology and partner-led judgment.

Recent strategic activity includes the January 2026 acquisition of U.S.-based Ridgeway Partners (Financial Services and Board Advisory), an October 2025 senior-health investor roundtable co-convened with consultancy Carnall Farrar tied to the NHS 10 Year Plan, and a February-to-December 2026 BioVenture Builder partnership with Brabant Development Agency, 3D-PharmXchange, and AOMB Intellectual Property for drug-development startups. Leadership comprises Carl Lovas (CEO), Virginia Bottomley (Chairman, heading the Board Practice), Brad Beveridge (President and CEO of Canada), and Joy M. D'Amore (head of talent). The company is privately held and does not disclose revenue.

Name

Odgers Berndtson

Legal name

Odgers Berndtson

Website

https://odgersberndtson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Odgers Berndtson is a London-headquartered global executive search and leadership advisory firm operating 29 offices across 33 countries with 200+ partners. It serves boards, CEOs, and senior leadership of large organizations across twelve industries through retained executive search, interim management, board advisory, and leadership consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interim Executive & Fractional Leadership Placement (BPACAAAJ), Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB), C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA)

Keywords

• Executive search
• Leadership advisory
• Board services
• Interim management
• Succession planning

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices34 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Fee-based executive search engagements where Odgers identifies, attracts, and places senior executives and board members for client organizations. Revenue is generated on a retained-search or contingency basis, typically tied to the seniority and complexity of the role.
2. Leadership Advisory & Development: Ongoing advisory engagements including executive coaching, leadership assessment, succession management, and board engagement services. These are typically retainer or project-based engagements with existing client relationships.
3. Interim Management: Placement of interim executive leaders into client organizations for defined periods, providing revenue on a per-engagement basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Odgers Berndtson is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm that identifies, attracts, assesses, and places senior executives, board members, and interim leaders for client organizations. Its core service lines are Executive Search, Board + CEO Services (Board Search, Board Succession, and Board + CEO Advisory), Interim Management, and Leadership Advisory (Executive Coaching, Leadership Assessment, Succession Management, and Board Engagement). The firm operates through 200+ partners across 29 offices in 33 countries.

Product overview

Odgers Berndtson is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm offering a unified portfolio of professional services. The core offerings include Executive Search and Interim Management, complemented by Board + CEO Services (encompassing Board Search, Board Succession, and Board + CEO Advisory) and Leadership Advisory (including Executive Coaching, Leadership Assessment, Succession Management, and Board Engagement). The firm also provides Human Capital Consulting. Together, these services enable clients to identify, attract, assess, and develop world-class leadership across industries including Financial Services, Technology & IT Services, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Industrial, Consumer, Education, and Public Impact sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Core retained-search service that identifies, attracts, and engages senior leadership candidates for client organizations across industries.
• Board + CEO Services Suite of governance-level services including Board Search, Board Succession Planning, and Board + CEO Advisory for boards, chairs, and chief executives.
• Interim Management Placement of temporary executive leaders into client organizations for defined periods to bridge leadership gaps during transitions.
• Leadership Advisory Advisory engagements including Executive Coaching, Leadership Assessment, Succession Management, and Board Engagement services.
• Human Capital Consulting Consulting services focused on human capital strategy and organizational development for clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,900 executive searches completed globally over the past 3 years
• +1 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Brabant Development Agency (BOM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026BOM partnered with 3D-PharmXchange, Odgers, and AOMB Intellectual Property to co-develop the BioVenture Builder accelerator program for drug development startups running February to December 2026. Odgers serves as a knowledge and leadership advisory partner within the program, supporting startup preparation for first major funding rounds and providing access to pharmaceutical industry networks.
• Ridgeway Partners LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Odgers acquired Ridgeway Partners LLC, a U.S.-based executive search firm specializing in Financial Services and Board Advisory. The acquisition expands Odgers' executive search and leadership advisory capabilities in the U.S. financial services sector and strengthens its board advisory practice.
• Carnall FarrarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Odgers co-convened a senior health investor and advisor roundtable with consultancy Carnall Farrar on October 1, 2025, to examine investment opportunities emerging from the NHS 10 Year Plan in England. The collaboration combined Carnall Farrar's healthcare fiscal analysis with Odgers' executive leadership expertise in the healthcare sector.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, talent management, and RPO/advisory services across all major sectors and geographies. It is directly comparable to Odgers Berndtson in executive search and leadership advisory, but operates at meaningfully larger scale with publicly disclosed multi-billion revenue and a broader consulting portfolio.
• Hays plc: Hays is a publicly-listed global recruitment and workforce solutions firm with broader staffing focus but overlapping executive search capabilities. It is comparable to Odgers as a listed recruitment industry peer providing business intelligence on sector hiring trends and broader professional staffing scale.
• Robert Half International: Robert Half is a publicly-listed global staffing and consulting firm with a specialized executive search practice (Protiviti). It is a broad incumbent comparable to Odgers in the recruitment services space, though it is more diversified across staffing, consulting, and finance/accounting placement.

Direct peers

• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a pure-play global executive search and leadership advisory firm with comparable service offerings (executive search, interim, leadership consulting). It is publicly listed and operates across the same industry verticals and geographies as Odgers, making it the closest publicly-traded comparable in business model and scale.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a privately-held global executive search and leadership advisory firm with deep board and CEO practice, operating in similar sectors to Odgers. It is a direct peer due to overlapping service lines (board search, CEO succession, executive assessment) and comparable geographic footprint.
• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a privately-held global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong board and CEO practice across sectors. It is one of the top-tier direct competitors to Odgers in C-suite and board advisory mandates, with comparable partner-led model and global coverage.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds Associates is a privately-held global executive search firm focused on board, CEO, and senior leadership advisory across industries. It directly competes with Odgers in board and C-suite search mandates and shares a similar partner-led, sector-specialized service model.
• DHR Global: DHR Global is a privately-held executive search firm operating across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC with comparable practice areas to Odgers. It is a direct competitor in mid-to-senior executive search and leadership advisory, particularly for technology, industrial, and consumer mandates.

Emerging players

• Signium: Signium is a privately-held global executive search firm with international presence across multiple regions and industries. It competes with Odgers in senior executive and board search mandates, particularly in EMEA and APAC, and is comparable as a peer-tier boutique with overlapping service lines.

Regional players

• PageGroup: PageGroup (Michael Page) is a publicly-listed recruitment firm headquartered in the UK with strong EMEA and APAC presence. While focused on mid-to-senior professional recruitment rather than pure C-suite search, it is a regional comparable to Odgers in the UK recruitment market and serves similar mid-market enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdA5p2Pj-4LioUD-sPGHMFQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odgers-us
• Xx.com/odgersberndtson
• Facebookfacebook.com/odgersberndtson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Odgers Berndtson