Heads! International

What Heads! International does

Heads! International is a privately held, European-headquartered executive search and board advisory firm founded in 1998 and headquartered in Munich, Germany. The firm operates as a partnership (Heads! International GmbH & Co. KG) with parallel legal entities in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and a general office in New York, employing between 51 and 100 staff across five locations. Its offering is organized around three core service lines — Board Advisory / CEO Search, Executive Search, and Executive Assessment — plus a specialized Financial Services Practice. The firm places board members, supervisory board chairs, chief executive officers, and other senior executives for large corporations, private equity and investment firms, and family-owned businesses, with sector specializations spanning Industrial & Automotive, Consumer & Retail, Financial Services, Digital & Technology, Private Equity, and Family Business.

The business is delivered entirely by senior partners; the firm explicitly markets that all client advice is provided by senior partners, not junior staff, and is organized around roughly 20 managing partners and partners (plus principal and junior consultant support), each carrying a defined sector mandate. Its go-to-market motion is relationship-driven enterprise field sales, with partners originating engagements through direct outreach to C-suite executives, board chairs, and PE leadership. The firm is privately held with no external institutional investment, and revenue is generated on a retainer-based professional services model typical of retained executive search, with engagement fees tied to scope, seniority, and geographic coverage rather than publicly disclosed pricing. No proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML capability is developed or operated by the firm; its core technology is the partner network itself and the codified search, assessment, and board advisory methodologies applied by those partners. Distribution is direct, with no channel intermediaries, and brand awareness is built through LinkedIn, thought leadership publications in outlets such as manager magazin and Der Aufsichtsrat, and partner appearances in business podcasts.

Name

Heads! International

Legal name

Heads! International GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://headsinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Heads! International is a Munich-based, privately held executive search and board advisory firm founded in 1998, serving large corporations, private equity sponsors, and family businesses across DACH, the UK, Switzerland, and New York via a senior-partner-only delivery model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Board Advisory

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Board advisory consulting
• Leadership recruitment
• CEO search firm
• Executive assessment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Heads! International generates revenue through executive search engagements, placing senior executives and board members for clients. The firm operates on a retainer-based model typical of executive search firms, charging engagement fees for identifying, assessing, and placing candidates in C-suite, board advisory, and other senior leadership positions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heads! International is a European independent Executive Search and Board Advisory firm that places senior executives, board members, and CEOs for large corporations, private equity firms, and family businesses. The firm delivers Board Advisory / CEO Search, Executive Search, Executive Assessment, and a specialized Financial Services practice through senior partners who provide unbiased, challenging advice to translate business strategy into leadership requirements.

Product overview

Heads! International is a European independent Executive Search and Board Advisory firm offering a unified portfolio of talent acquisition services. The core offering consists of three integrated service lines: Board Advisory / CEO Search (placing board-level and C-suite executives), Executive Search (for senior management positions), and Executive Assessment (evaluating executive candidates). The firm also maintains a specialized Financial Services practice. All services are delivered by senior partners who provide unbiased, challenging advice, with a focus on translating business strategy into leadership requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• David A. KamenetzkyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid A. Kamenetzky collaborated with Heads! International on the 'How Family Capital Wins' study. Kamenetzky has spent years accompanying globally significant family-owned companies in relevant positions and contributed to documenting the factors that make family-owned businesses successful.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong European heritage and major practices in board, CEO, and financial services search. Closely overlaps with Heads! International on board advisory, CEO search, and assessment offerings in the DACH region and beyond.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the largest global executive search and board advisory firms, with deep coverage in CEO, board, and senior executive placements across Europe and globally. Direct competitor in board advisory and C-suite search where Heads! International positions itself.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global leadership advisory firm focused on executive search, leadership assessment, and culture shaping, with major financial services and private equity practices. Direct competitor across Heads! International's core service lines, particularly board and CEO assignments.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with extensive board, CEO, and financial services practices. Competes directly with Heads! International on C-suite and supervisory board mandates across Europe and North America.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organizational consulting firm combining executive search with broader HR consulting, executive assessment, and talent advisory. Overlaps with Heads! International across executive search and board advisory, with greater scale.

Direct peers

• Boyden: Global mid-sized executive search firm with deep board advisory, CEO, and family business practices, particularly active in DACH and broader Europe. Closely comparable to Heads! International on geography, ownership (partner-led), and the mix of board and CEO mandates.
• Norman Broadbent: Mid-sized independent executive search and leadership advisory firm headquartered in London, with practices in board advisory, financial services, and private equity. Closely comparable in scale, ownership (publicly listed UK firm), and service mix to Heads! International.
• Page Executive: Executive search division of PageGroup focused on senior leadership and board appointments globally. Competes with Heads! International for senior executive and C-suite mandates across European markets and consumer/industrial sectors.
• Odgers Berndtson: Large UK-headquartered international executive search firm with strong European footprint across board, CEO, and functional practices. Most similar mid-large independent competitor to Heads! International by ownership structure, geography, and board/C-suite focus.

Emerging players

• Signium Life Sciences: Mid-sized global executive search firm with strong board advisory and CEO placement capabilities across Europe, including Germany. Competes for mid-market board and executive mandates that overlap with Heads! International's core offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hertie-institute-for-clinical-brain-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 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 Heads! International