Six Degrees Executive
Six Degrees Executive is an Australian specialist recruitment and executive search firm founded in 2004, placing mid-to-senior and executive talent across permanent, contract, and consulting engagements for enterprise and mid-market employers nationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Six Degrees Executive does
The firm employs 101-250 staff organised around functional disciplines (Accounting & Finance, Digital, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, Technology) and sector verticals, with delivery underpinned by a proprietary 6Dx Assessment Methodology used during executive search assignments, a candidate portal with job search and timesheet functionality, and recurring thought-leadership outputs including the Digital, Marketing & eComm in Focus report and proprietary industry forums such as the Digital Shelf Forum. The go-to-market is sales-led, combining consultative direct engagement with employers and candidates, structured executive search with boards/CEOs, event-driven demand generation, and content marketing across LinkedIn, Facebook and X. Six Degrees Executive is wholly owned by its founders and senior leadership, with no institutional investors, parent entity, or external funding disclosed; CEO Suzie McInerney leads a C-suite that includes Chief Growth Officer Kristan De Sousa and Chief Commercial Officer John Whitehead, with founders Paul Hallam, Nick Hindhaugh and David Braham remaining active as Executive Directors in the executive search practice.
Six Degrees Executive firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Six Degrees Executive
- Legal name
- Six Degrees Executive Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://sixdegreesexecutive.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Six Degrees Executive is an Australian specialist recruitment and executive search firm founded in 2004, placing mid-to-senior and executive talent across permanent, contract, and consulting engagements for enterprise and mid-market employers nationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Six Degrees Executive industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive 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
- Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search (BPACAAAK), General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA), Executive Outplacement (C-Suite & Senior Leaders) (BPACAOAC)
Keywords
Where Six Degrees Executive is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices7 records
Markets served
Six Degrees Executive business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Specialist Recruitment Services: Contingency-based recruitment fees for placing permanent candidates in specialist and senior roles. The company matches organisations with exceptional talent across board, senior leadership, specialist and executive positions.
- Executive Search: Best-practice search methodologies for sourcing board-level, C-suite, and executive leaders, typically on a retained or contingency basis.
- Contracting Solutions: Interim and project-based talent placement for workforce needs, connecting businesses with pre-vetted contractors across multiple industries.
- Talent Consulting: Advisory services including succession planning, organizational consulting, executive assessment, talent mapping, and career coaching.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels12 records
Six Degrees Executive product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Six Degrees Executive is an Australian-owned specialist recruitment and executive search agency that places permanent, contract, and executive talent across multiple industry verticals including FMCG, retail, healthcare, government, and technology. It delivers contingency and retained search mandates, interim contracting solutions, and talent consulting services such as succession planning and executive assessment using its proprietary 6Dx Assessment Methodology.
Product overview
Six Degrees Executive is an Australian-owned recruitment agency offering a suite of talent solutions comprising Specialist Recruitment (permanent and contracting), Executive Search, Contracting Solutions, and Talent Consulting services. The company operates across multiple industry verticals including Business to Business, Consumer & FMCG, Education, Government, Healthcare, Not-For-Profit, Retail, and Services, covering functional areas such as Accounting & Finance, Digital, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, and Technology. Their proprietary 6Dx Assessment Methodology supports executive search assignments with structured candidate evaluation. The company also publishes market insights reports and thought leadership on workforce trends.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Specialist Recruitment Industry and functional expertise used to deliver permanent and contracting recruitment solutions across Australia for mid to senior level roles. Targets organisations seeking to fill specialist positions across sectors such as FMCG, retail, healthcare, government, and technology.
- Executive Search Best-practice search methodologies to source Board, C-suite, GM, and executive leaders through structured, rigorous talent mapping, market intelligence, and discreet outreach using the proprietary 6Dx Assessment Methodology. Designed for boards, CEOs, and senior leaders hiring transformational leadership talent.
- Contracting Solutions Interim and project-based talent placement connecting organisations with pre-vetted contractors for short-term workforce needs across multiple industries. Targeted at businesses needing flexible workforce capacity.
- Talent Consulting Advisory services including succession planning, executive assessment, organisational consulting, talent mapping, and career coaching for boards, CEOs, and HR leaders.
- Career Transition & Outplacement Support services for organisations and individuals managing career transitions, including executive-level outplacement support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reached largest ever number of employees during pandemic recovery
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Six Degrees Executive
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments11 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Six Degrees Executive technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Six Degrees Executive partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Arktic FoxcoreSix Degrees Executive partnered with Arktic Fox to produce the Inside Digital & eCommerce 2026 report, providing market research and insights on retail, digital commerce, and marketing talent trends in Australia.
- AmperitycoreAmperity partnered with Arktic Fox and Six Degrees Executive on the Inside Digital & eCommerce 2026 report, providing customer data platform insights for the Australian retail and consumer market research.
- Arktic FoxcoreSix Degrees Executive partnered with Arktic Fox to produce the Digital, Marketing & eComm in Focus 2025 report, providing industry research and insights on Australian marketing and digital trends.
- Very Special KidsminorSix Degrees Executive has supported Very Special Kids for more than a decade through pro bono recruitment support and fundraising, reflecting the company's values-driven approach to community engagement.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Six Degrees Executive competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Peoplebank: Peoplebank is a leading Australian IT and digital recruitment specialist offering permanent, contract, and executive search services, directly comparable to Six Degrees' digital and technology practice led by Katrina Park.
- Clicks IT Recruitment: Clicks is an Australian-owned specialist IT and digital recruitment firm with a similar boutique specialisation to Six Degrees, focused on permanent and contract technology placements including executive search in the digital and technology space.
- Robert Walters Australia: Robert Walters is a UK-headquartered specialist recruiter with a strong Australia presence focused on mid-to-senior permanent and contract placement plus executive search across professional disciplines, mirroring Six Degrees' specialist and executive search positioning.
- Talent International: Talent International is an Australian-founded specialist recruitment firm focused on ICT, digital, and government sectors, providing permanent and contract placements that overlap directly with Six Degrees' technology, digital, and government practices.
Broad incumbents
- Michael Page Australia: Michael Page is a global specialist recruitment firm with extensive Australian operations across permanent, contract, and executive search, competing directly with Six Degrees for the same senior and specialist candidate pool across multiple sectors.
- Robert Half Australia: Robert Half is a global staffing and recruitment firm with significant Australian operations focused on finance, accounting, technology, and administrative roles, competing with Six Degrees in the specialist senior recruitment and contract staffing segments.
- Chandler Macleod: Chandler Macleod is one of Australia's largest domestic recruitment firms, offering permanent, temporary, and executive recruitment services with national reach, directly overlapping with Six Degrees' specialist and contracting solutions.
- Hays Australia: Hays is the largest listed recruitment firm globally and operates a substantial specialist recruitment business across Australia, directly competing with Six Degrees in perm, contract, and executive search across multiple verticals including marketing, sales, and engineering.
Emerging players
- Frontline Retail: Frontline Retail is an Australian specialist retail recruitment agency placing mid-to-senior professionals, directly overlapping with Six Degrees' dedicated retail and consumer practice covering brand, marketing, and eCommerce roles.
- Salt & Shein: Salt (formerly Salt & Shein) is an Australian specialist recruitment agency with dedicated practices in digital, marketing, sales, and creative, competing head-to-head with Six Degrees in the marketing and digital talent verticals across perm and contract placements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Six Degrees Executive social profiles
Digital presenceSix Degrees Executive financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Six Degrees Executive leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Six Degrees Executive funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Six Degrees Executive 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 Six Degrees Executive
What does Six Degrees Executive do?
Six Degrees Executive is an Australian-owned specialist recruitment and executive search agency that places permanent, contract, and executive talent across multiple industry verticals including FMCG, retail, healthcare, government, and technology. It delivers contingency and retained search mandates, interim contracting solutions, and talent consulting services such as succession planning and executive assessment using its proprietary 6Dx Assessment Methodology.
Is Six Degrees Executive a public or private company?
Six Degrees Executive is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Six Degrees Executive founded?
Six Degrees Executive was founded in 2004. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Six Degrees Executive based?
Six Degrees Executive is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Six Degrees Executive make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Specialist Recruitment Services are the primary driver. The others are executive Search, contracting Solutions and talent Consulting.
Who are Six Degrees Executive's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Peoplebank, Clicks IT Recruitment, Robert Walters Australia and Talent International. Broad incumbents are Michael Page Australia, Robert Half Australia, Chandler Macleod and Hays Australia. Emerging players are Frontline Retail and Salt & Shein.
Does Six Degrees Executive have an API?
No public API is recorded for Six Degrees Executive.
What industry is Six Degrees Executive in?
Six Degrees Executive's product category is Executive Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAB, Executive & Leadership Direct Hire, with a secondary code of BPACAAAK, Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search. Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.