McDermott + Bull
McDermott + Bull is a privately held executive search and interim leadership firm founded in 2001, serving enterprise clients across eleven verticals including aerospace, financial services, healthcare, and technology via retained search, interim placement, and the Activate 180 coaching sub-brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What McDermott + Bull does
McDermott + Bull is a privately held executive search and interim leadership firm founded in 2001 and headquartered in Irvine, California, with a primary operating base in Los Angeles and additional offices across the United States (New York, Dallas, Seattle, San Diego, Detroit), Canada (Toronto, Vancouver), and Europe (Amsterdam). The firm delivers three service lines: retained executive search for permanent senior leadership roles, interim-leader placement for urgent management gaps, and performance coaching through its sub-brand Activate 180. Its underlying methodology is a Lean 6 Sigma-based search process rather than a software platform, with publicly stated performance metrics including identification of half of placed candidates within the first seven days of a search and presentation of interim candidates within 48–72 hours of request.
The company serves exclusively enterprise clients across eleven vertical practices — Aviation/Aerospace/Defense, Consumer Brands, Education/Non-Profit/Public Entities, Energy + Sustainability, Essential Services, Financial Services, Healthcare + Life Sciences, Industrial/Manufacturing/Distribution, Private Equity, Real Estate, and Technology — with named engagements spanning General Atomics, Bombardier, Rocket Lab, Spirit Aerosystems, Safran, Banc of California, Washington Trust Bank, Direct Relief, Inari Medical, Centrus Energy, and Envestnet, among others. Revenue is generated through professional-services fees on a retained basis, with pricing not publicly disclosed and engagements scoped by role seniority and search type.
McDermott + Bull is led by co-founders Rod McDermott (CEO) and Chris Bull (Managing Partner), with Angela Anderson as COO, and operates as a bootstrapped independent firm with no disclosed parent company, private equity backing, or external institutional investment. Go-to-market is consultative and relationship-driven, relying on direct enterprise engagement, industry events, content marketing, and a documented DEI track record (over half of placed candidates are diverse) as positioning levers. The firm was recognized on the Forbes 2025 list of America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms and received the Institute of Lean Technology Crystal Award in 2025.
McDermott + Bull firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- McDermott + Bull
- Legal name
- McDermott + Bull, Inc.
- Website
- https://mbexec.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- McDermott + Bull is a privately held executive search and interim leadership firm founded in 2001, serving enterprise clients across eleven verticals including aerospace, financial services, healthcare, and technology via retained search, interim placement, and the Activate 180 coaching sub-brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
McDermott + Bull industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer & Retail Leadership Search (BPACAAAG)
Keywords
Where McDermott + Bull is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
McDermott + Bull business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retained Executive Search: Full-cycle executive search services where clients engage M+B to identify and place permanent executive talent in critical leadership roles across various functional areas and industries.
- Interim Leaders Placement: On-demand placement of senior-level interim consultants to bridge open management gaps, providing urgent executive support for organizations experiencing transitions, leaves, or urgent staffing needs.
- Performance Coaching (Activate 180): High-performance coaching solution offered through Activate 180, providing science-backed coaching for teams to boost productivity, retention, and revenue.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
McDermott + Bull product offering
Product offeringCore offering
McDermott + Bull is an executive search firm that provides retained executive search for permanent senior and C-level placements, interim leaders placement to bridge urgent management gaps, and high-performance team coaching through its Activate 180 sub-brand. The firm serves enterprise clients across 11 industry verticals including aerospace, financial services, healthcare, technology, private equity, and consumer brands, operating from offices in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Product overview
McDermott + Bull offers a unified portfolio of talent acquisition and development services centered on executive placement. The core offerings include Executive Search (retained search for permanent senior roles) and Interim Leaders (rapid placement of senior-level consultants for management gaps), with Activate 180 providing supplementary high-performance coaching. The firm operates across multiple industries including aerospace, healthcare, financial services, and technology, delivering placements ranging from C-suite executives to functional leaders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Activate 180: High-performance coaching solution that boosts productivity, retention, and revenue with a science-backed approach for teams.
Products and services
- Executive Search Retained executive search services helping enterprise clients find and place the right person for critical executive roles across various functional areas (Boards, CEOs, Engineering and Technical, Financial Officers, Human Resources, Marketing, and Sales) and industries including aerospace, financial services, healthcare, technology, and more. Uses Lean 6 Sigma methodology with half of candidates identified in the first 7 days.
- Interim Leaders
Quantifiable outcome
- Half of placed candidates are identified in the first 7 days of an executive search
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use McDermott + Bull
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
McDermott + Bull technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
McDermott + Bull partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Activate 180coreActivate 180 is McDermott + Bull's high-performance coaching solution partner, providing science-backed coaching that boosts productivity, retention, and revenue for client teams. The partnership complements executive search services with team development capabilities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
McDermott + Bull competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global retained executive search firm with comparable C-suite and board-level placement services and similar industry-vertical practice model. Closely comparable on core offering and target buyer (enterprise C-suite/boards).
- Spencer Stuart: Privately held global executive search firm serving boards and CEOs across industries. Directly comparable on retained search, vertical specialization, and senior-level mandates, with similar relationship-driven delivery.
- Egon Zehnder: Privately held global executive search firm with a non-public partnership model and industry practices. Highly comparable on retainer-based senior executive placement and global reach.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm organized by industry and functional practices serving boards, CEOs, and senior leaders. Comparable in delivery model, practice structure, and enterprise target buyers.
- DHR Global: Mid-sized global executive search firm with industry verticals serving senior leadership mandates. Closely comparable in scale, vertical-specialization model, and enterprise client base.
- Boyden: Global executive search firm with industry practices and a partnership-led delivery model. Comparable on retained senior-level search and cross-border mandate execution.
- Stanton Chase: Global retained executive search firm with industry practices and partner-led engagements. Comparable on retained search delivery and mid-market enterprise client focus.
Broad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Public, global organizational consulting firm with executive search, leadership development, and RPO/talent acquisition. Overlaps on search and coaching but operates at meaningfully larger scale across a broader portfolio of HR services.
- Robert Half: Public staffing and talent solutions firm spanning executive search (Protiviti), finance/accounting staffing, and contract placement. Adjacent rather than directly competing in senior retained search, but competes for talent-acquisition wallet share.
Emerging players
- True Search: Mid-market executive search firm with practice areas across technology, life sciences, and consumer. Comparable on retainer-based senior placement with a leaner, growth-oriented operating model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
McDermott + Bull social profiles
Digital presenceMcDermott + Bull financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
McDermott + Bull leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
McDermott + Bull funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
McDermott + Bull 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 McDermott + Bull
What does McDermott + Bull do?
McDermott + Bull is an executive search firm that provides retained executive search for permanent senior and C-level placements, interim leaders placement to bridge urgent management gaps, and high-performance team coaching through its Activate 180 sub-brand. The firm serves enterprise clients across 11 industry verticals including aerospace, financial services, healthcare, technology, private equity, and consumer brands, operating from offices in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Is McDermott + Bull a public or private company?
McDermott + Bull is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was McDermott + Bull founded?
McDermott + Bull was founded in 2001. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is McDermott + Bull based?
McDermott + Bull is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does McDermott + Bull make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retained Executive Search is the primary driver. The others are interim Leaders Placement and performance Coaching (Activate 180).
Who are McDermott + Bull's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, Egon Zehnder, Russell Reynolds Associates, DHR Global, Boyden and Stanton Chase. Broad incumbents are Korn Ferry and Robert Half. True Search is listed as an emerging player.
Does McDermott + Bull have an API?
No public API is recorded for McDermott + Bull.
What industry is McDermott + Bull in?
McDermott + Bull's product category is Executive Search Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAG, Consumer & Retail Leadership Search.