What Audeliss does

Audeliss is a London-headquartered, private retained executive search firm founded in 2011 by Suki Sandhu OBE, specializing in placing diverse talent — women, ethnically diverse professionals, and LGBTQ+ candidates — into senior leadership, C-suite, and board roles for enterprise clients globally. The firm operates exclusively on a retained basis with fees structured as 33% of first-year gross compensation for executive searches (with US minimums around $100,000) and approximately 100% of first-year remuneration for non-executive board appointments (with UK minimums of £60,000-£95,000 and US minimums of $100,000-$125,000), billed in three tranches (first retainer, second retainer, completion). Its core service portfolio comprises four integrated offerings: Executive Search, Board Search, Talent Pipelining, and Talent Development (the last delivered through sister company INvolve via programs such as Talent Navigator, Mid-Career Talent Accelerator, and RISE). Distribution operates entirely through senior consultant-led enterprise field sales, supplemented by a thought-leadership marketing engine that includes CEO/Chair dinners, Chief People Officer breakfasts, content marketing, and active social presence.

Audeliss functions as the search arm of a broader group under parent holding company We Us Ours Limited, alongside wholly-owned sisters INvolve (DEI consultancy), The Black British Business Awards (recognition platform endorsed by three UK Prime Ministers), and The Network of Networks (TNON, working with 130+ multinationals on racial minority talent). This sister-ecosystem architecture — including the four annual Role Model Lists (Empower, Heroes, Outstanding, Enable) sponsored by YouTube and Dow — provides a continuous talent sourcing and brand pipeline that distinguishes Audeliss from generalist search firms. Customers are large enterprise organizations across Financial Services (Goldman Sachs, State Street, Nationwide, Aviva, Bank of England), Technology/Media (Google, DeepMind, Spotify, SoundCloud, Fox Corporation), Government/Public (BBC, Channel 4), Consumer/Luxury (Chanel, PepsiCo, AB InBev, Compass Group), and Healthcare (GKN Aerospace, Great Western Hospitals), with reported outcomes of 82% of global appointments over the past five years being diverse and 86% of board appointments being diverse.

The firm's revenue mechanics are anchored in high-touch, multi-month retained engagements with a small senior delivery team (headcount 11-50), with no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, and no public revenue figures. Geographic footprint spans UK (London headquarters) and US (New York, 1 Liberty Plaza), with claims of global delivery. The business is founder-led, with Suki Sandhu OBE remaining as Founder & CEO; Graham Durgan serves as Chair (with leadership tenure across finance, recruitment, and consulting sectors); Manuel Heichlinger serves as Managing Director; and additional senior consultants lead specialized Consumer & Retail (Linda Summers), Delivery (Alex Wyld, Barrie Lee), and board practice (Louise Gore) functions. The strategic posture is best characterized as a steady, category-defining niche professional services firm extending into adjacent programs and a second geography rather than pursuing rapid scale or external capital.

Name

Audeliss

Legal name

Audeliss Limited

Website

https://audeliss.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Audeliss is a London-headquartered, private retained executive search firm specializing in placing women, ethnically diverse, and LGBTQ+ talent into C-suite, senior leadership, and board roles for global enterprise clients across financial services, technology, media, and public sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Interim Executive & Fractional Leadership Placement (BPACAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Alumni Career Services & Ongoing Career Management Programs (BPACAOAM)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Board director recruitment
• Talent pipelining solutions
• Diversity executive search
• Retained search firm

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retained executive search services charging 33% of the candidate's first year gross compensation, which includes base salary, guaranteed bonus, allowances, long-term incentives, and other emoluments.
2. Board/Non-Executive Search Services: Retained board search services charging 100% of the first year gross compensation for non-executive appointments, with minimum fees of £95,000 for Chair roles and £60,000 for other non-executive roles (UK), or $100,000-$125,000 for standard/Chair board seats (US).
3. Talent Pipelining: Proactive talent pipelining solutions to build a bench of high-caliber diverse talent for future hiring needs, typically delivered as part of ongoing client engagements.
4. Talent Development Programs: Cross-company and internal talent development programs including Talent Navigator, Mid-Career Talent Accelerator, and RISE Program, provided through sister company INvolve.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Audeliss is a retained executive search firm that places diverse candidates into C-suite, senior leadership, and board-level roles for enterprise clients globally. Its core offerings are Executive Search, Board Search (non-executive directors and chairs), and Talent Pipelining, supplemented by Talent Development programs delivered through sister company INvolve. All engagements are conducted on a retained basis with fees pegged to a percentage of candidate remuneration or fixed minimums for board roles.

Product overview

Audeliss is a professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of executive search and talent solutions focused on diverse leadership. The core offering consists of four integrated services: Executive Search (C-suite and senior leadership appointments), Board Search (non-executive director and chair placements), Talent Pipelining (proactive candidate relationship building), and Talent Development (coaching and structured programs). These services are complemented by supplementary talent development programs including Talent Navigator, Mid-Career Talent Accelerator, and the RISE Program (delivered through sister company INvolve), which provide structured development for diverse professionals at various career stages. The firm also operates Role Model Lists (Empower, Heroes, Outstanding, and Enable) as recognition initiatives that also serve as talent sourcing networks for searches. The portfolio functions as a comprehensive talent ecosystem supporting clients from proactive pipeline building through placement to ongoing development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INvolve: Global network and consultancy championing DEI in business, offering data & benchmarking, strategy development & consultancy, talent development, and trainings & workshops.
• The Black British Business Awards
• The Network of Networks (TNON)

Products and services

• Executive Search

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of global appointments over the past five years were diverse
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INvolve (Sister Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINvolve is a global network and consultancy championing DEI in business, founded by Suki Sandhu in 2013. It supports Audeliss directly with their mission to diversify leadership teams through inclusive recruitment processes. INvolve provides unparalleled access to an exceptional global network of diverse leaders and offers talent development programs including Talent Navigator, Mid-Career Talent Accelerator, and RISE Program.
• The Black British Business Awards (Sister Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Black British Business Awards is the only premium awards programme of its kind in the UK and celebrates exceptional performance and outstanding achievements by Black professionals and entrepreneurs. It has been endorsed by three Prime Ministers, Mayors of the City of London, and global business leaders. This organization supports Audeliss in their mission to diversify leadership teams.
• The Network Of Networks (TNON)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNON assists company stakeholders in tackling systemic barriers to retaining and maximizing the potential of racial minority professionals. They work with over 130 multinational corporations to transform organisational culture and practices for optimally attracting, retaining and advancing racial minority professionals into senior executive roles. They support Audeliss directly with their mission to diversify leadership teams.
• YouTubeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouTube supports INvolve's Role Model Lists (Empower, Heroes, Outstanding, and Enable) which showcase and celebrate diverse leaders. This partnership provides visibility and platform support for the role model programs that indirectly benefit Audeliss' talent sourcing capabilities.
• DowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDow sponsors the Enable Role Model List which puts the spotlight on business leaders with personal experience of disability, neurodiversity or mental health, driving inclusion in the workplace.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spencer Stuart: One of the world's leading retained executive search firms operating across board, CEO, and C-suite mandates globally. Directly comparable to Audeliss in service line, target buyer (enterprise boards and CEOs), and retained fee model, though considerably larger and not specialty-focused on diversity.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with explicit DE&I practice and board services. Comparable in retained model, fee structure, and senior placement focus; also offers talent advisory and culture shaping similar to Audeliss's Talent Development offerings.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately-held global executive search firm known for board, CEO, and senior leadership work across sectors. Closely comparable in retained search model, global reach, and enterprise client base, though broader in scope than Audeliss's diversity specialty.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm focused on board, CEO, and senior leadership succession with strong DE&I advisory. Directly competes with Audeliss for the same enterprise board and C-suite mandates and operates on similar retained fee economics.
• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with strong UK roots and significant US presence, placing board, CEO, and functional leaders. Comparable retained model, geographic footprint (London + New York-style hub structure), and enterprise client focus overlapping with Audeliss's markets.
• True Search: Global executive search firm placing C-suite and board-level leaders with strong technology and consumer verticals. Comparable retained model and enterprise client base, with overlapping presence in the kinds of clients Audeliss serves (Spotify, Google-adjacent tech, SoundCloud).
• DHR Global: Privately-held global executive search firm with practices across board, CEO, and functional leadership. Comparable retained fee economics and enterprise client base; competes for similar mandates though broader in scope than Audeliss's diversity specialty.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Large, publicly-traded organizational consulting firm whose executive search division (Korn Ferry Hay Group) is a top-five global search provider. Competes in the same enterprise retained search market but is part of a much broader portfolio including RPO, assessment, and consulting.
• Page Executive (PageGroup): Executive search arm of PageGroup, a global publicly-listed recruitment firm. Competes in the retained executive search market for enterprise clients, though as part of a much broader staffing portfolio including permanent placement, temporary, and interim services.

Emerging players

• Inclusive Boards: UK-based specialist focused on diverse board and executive placements, with a mission closely aligned to Audeliss. Most direct niche competitor on the diversity-focused board search axis, though smaller and more UK-centric in its client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/audelisspeople
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOEFHNsUQQPPwv7wsh-BBfQ/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/audeliss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Audeliss