Blair West
Blair West is a UK-based executive search and finance recruitment firm serving high-growth businesses, private equity and venture capital investors, and their portfolio companies across senior leadership and finance appointments, operating from Newcastle and London.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNewcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Blair West does
Blair West is a UK-headquartered executive search and finance recruitment firm founded in 2019 and based in Newcastle upon Tyne with a London office. It operates a two-service model: Executive Search, covering Non-Executive Chairs, CEOs, CFOs, and C-suite-minus-one appointments across commercial, technology, and product functions, and Finance Recruitment, spanning part-qualified and transactional roles through to senior finance leadership and adjacent professional services disciplines (accountancy, tax, audit, legal, property).
The firm serves a clearly defined client base — high-growth UK businesses, private equity and venture capital investors, and their portfolio companies — with named engagements spanning PE houses (LDC, BGF, Mobeus, YFM, Foresight) and corporate clients such as Sage, Opencast, Atom, and True Potential. Its core operating technology is Salesforce CRM, supplemented by a dedicated in-house research function producing company profiles, psychometric inputs, and market intelligence that feed its retained and contingency mandates.
Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a per-placement basis, with retained mandates for senior roles and contingency models for finance hires; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm has raised two rounds of institutional capital — from Northstar Ventures in September 2024 and a seven-figure round from Frontier Development Capital in May 2026 — and operates an employee-ownership model in which roughly half of team members hold equity. Go-to-market is consultant-led, direct, and relationship-based, supported by content marketing (High Growth Leadership podcast, blog), LinkedIn, and regional events including the North East Dealmakers Awards.
Blair West firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blair West
- Legal name
- Blair West
- Website
- https://blairwest.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blair West is a UK-based executive search and finance recruitment firm serving high-growth businesses, private equity and venture capital investors, and their portfolio companies across senior leadership and finance appointments, operating from Newcastle and London.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blair West industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search and Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)
Keywords
Where Blair West is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newcastle Upon Tyne
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Blair West business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Executive Search: Retained search mandates for C-suite and senior leadership positions, including Non-Executive Chairs, CEOs, CFOs, and C-suite minus-one roles. Revenue generated through success-based fees, typically a percentage of the placed candidate's compensation.
- Finance Recruitment: Contingency and retained recruitment for finance professionals at all levels - from part-qualified and transactional to senior leadership appointments. Also includes professional services (accountancy, tax, audit, legal, property).
- Specialist Sector Recruitment: Search and placement for sales, marketing, technology, operations, and HR functions across executive and senior professional levels.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Blair West product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blair West is a specialist executive search and finance recruitment firm that places senior finance professionals into high-growth and private equity-backed businesses. The firm runs two core practices: Executive Search for C-suite and senior finance leaders, and Finance Recruitment for permanent and interim finance hires across all levels. It operates from offices in Newcastle and London, serving a client base of more than 600 businesses across the UK.
Product overview
Blair West is a specialist recruitment firm operating a two-service model: Executive Search and Finance Recruitment. Executive Search focuses on senior leadership appointments (Chairs, CEOs, CFOs, C-suite minus-one) across commercial, technology, and product functions. Finance Recruitment covers the full spectrum from transactional/part-qualified finance through to senior finance leadership, including professional services disciplines. The company serves high-growth businesses and private equity-backed organisations across the UK and internationally, with offices in Newcastle and London.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Search
- Finance Recruitment
Quantifiable outcome
- Client referral rating of 8.52 out of 10 (independently surveyed)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Blair West
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Blair West technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Blair West partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Insider MediaminorBlair West is a supporting sponsor of the Insider North East Dealmakers Awards 2026, with funds raised going to the Children's Heart Unit Fund.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Blair West competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PSD Group: UK executive search firm serving PE-backed and high-growth businesses across finance, technology, and commercial functions. Similar specialist boutique positioning and PE portfolio focus.
- Tranmere Search: Executive search firm specializing in PE-backed and growth-stage businesses, particularly in finance, technology, and commercial leadership. Comparable mid-market positioning and PE-portfolio mandate focus.
- Walker Hamill: UK executive search and interim specialist focused on PE-backed finance and operational leadership. Direct overlap with Blair West on CFO, FD, and PE-portfolio mandates in the UK mid-market.
- EquityFC: UK specialist finance and PE-backed executive recruitment firm, focused on mid-market PE portfolio company placements. Competes head-to-head with Blair West in PE-driven finance and CFO-level searches across the UK.
- Finatal: PE-focused search firm placing senior finance, commercial and operational talent into PE-backed businesses. Closely comparable in target customer and mandate types.
Broad incumbents
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm covering CEO, board, and senior finance roles. Competes with Blair West on larger board-level and C-suite mandates and increasingly targets the UK mid-market.
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Direct competition for senior executive and board appointments at PE-backed and large UK enterprises.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting and executive search firm. Competes on C-suite, CFO, and board mandates across the UK, including PE-backed clients.
- Robert Walters: UK-listed recruitment group covering finance, technology, and commercial recruiting across multiple levels. Overlaps with Blair West's finance recruitment arm and adjacent technology searches.
- Odgers Berndtson: Established UK-headquartered executive search firm with strong PE and FTSE client coverage. Overlaps with Blair West on C-suite, chair, and CFO mandates for PE-backed and growth businesses.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blair West social profiles
Digital presenceBlair West financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blair West leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Blair West funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blair West M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blair West
What does Blair West do?
Blair West is a specialist executive search and finance recruitment firm that places senior finance professionals into high-growth and private equity-backed businesses. The firm runs two core practices: Executive Search for C-suite and senior finance leaders, and Finance Recruitment for permanent and interim finance hires across all levels. It operates from offices in Newcastle and London, serving a client base of more than 600 businesses across the UK.
Is Blair West a public or private company?
Blair West is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Blair West founded?
Blair West was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blair West based?
Blair West is headquartered in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Blair West make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Executive Search is the primary driver. The others are finance Recruitment and specialist Sector Recruitment.
Who are Blair West's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PSD Group, Tranmere Search, Walker Hamill, EquityFC and Finatal. Broad incumbents are Heidrick & Struggles, Egon Zehnder, Korn Ferry, Robert Walters and Odgers Berndtson.
Does Blair West have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blair West.
What industry is Blair West in?
Blair West's product category is Executive Search and Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAA, C-Suite & Board Search. Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.