What Sterling International does

Sterling International is a privately-held, founder-owned boutique executive search firm established in 2001 by Michael Boroian. It specializes exclusively in the Fashion, Retail and Luxury Goods sectors, operating through four offices in Brussels, Paris, Milan and New York under a unified 'one-market' model that avoids country-level P&L silos. Its core offerings are retained Executive Search (covering Advisory Board, C-level/VP, Creative and Digital mandates), Talent Mapping (succession-planning and market intelligence assignments), and Made-to-Measure Projects (Management Assessment, Studio Assessment, Organizational Design and Succession Planning). The firm is organized around two specialty practices—the Creative Pole (Design, Image, Merchandising; ~one-third of activity) founded alongside the firm in 2001, and the Digital Pole (CDO, eCommerce, CRM, IT, digital transformation) launched in 2021.

The firm competes on the depth of its proprietary research assets rather than scale of technology. Its core technology consists of an internal database of 130,000+ candidates and 30,000+ companies, curated since 2001 and managed by a dedicated Director of Research & Studies, together with human-led talent assessment tools and a Talent Mapping methodology that surfaces candidate locations, backgrounds, compensation, non-compete restrictions and seniority ahead of any recruitment decision. The firm's defensibility rests on a stated Off-Limit policy prohibiting recruitment from client companies—preserving broader candidate pools than competitors—a deliberately limited enterprise client roster, and long-tenured partner relationships with named clients such as Eurazeo Brands, Tommy Hilfiger and EVCP Growth Equity. The legal entity is Sterling International Group, registered in Belgium.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, generated through retained search fees (typically six-figure engagements for C-suite/VP mandates in luxury, fashion and retail) plus talent mapping and custom consulting project fees. Go-to-market is sales-led direct engagement with enterprise buyers (brand owners, luxury houses, PE portfolio companies) supported by LinkedIn, the corporate website, and active participation in industry institutions (Camera della Moda Italiana, Hyeres Festival, Delfin International Fashion Award). The firm serves 11–50 employees across its offices and reports no outside institutional ownership, funding rounds, or pending M&A activity in the source material.

Name

Sterling International

Legal name

Sterling International Group

Website

https://sterling-conseil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling International is a founder-owned boutique executive search firm founded in 2001, specializing in retained search, talent mapping and advisory projects for senior leaders across the Fashion, Retail and Luxury Goods sectors from offices in Brussels, Paris, Milan and New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retainer-based executive search services for C-level, VP-level, and specialized positions in Fashion, Retail and Luxury sectors. Revenue generated through retained search fees.
2. Talent Mapping: Strategic market intelligence services providing comprehensive candidate landscape analysis, compensation data, and succession planning insights.
3. Made-to-Measure Projects: Custom consulting projects including Management Assessment, Studio Assessment, Organizational Design, and Succession Planning for fashion, retail and luxury clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sterling International is a boutique executive search firm founded in 2001 that provides retainer-based executive recruitment, talent mapping, and made-to-measure consulting projects for the Fashion, Retail and Luxury Goods sectors. The firm maintains an internal database of 130,000+ candidates and 30,000+ companies and operates specialized Creative Pole (design, image, merchandising) and Digital Pole (eCommerce, CRM, digital transformation) divisions across offices in Brussels, Paris, Milan, and New York.

Product overview

Sterling International offers a unified executive search and consulting platform for the Fashion, Retail, and Luxury sectors. The core offerings consist of Executive Search and Talent Mapping services, supplemented by Made-to-Measure Projects for tailored consulting needs. Two specialized divisions—Creative Pole and Digital Pole—address specific recruitment domains. The company operates as a boutique firm with offices in Brussels, Paris, Milan, and New York, leveraging a database of 130,000+ Candidates and 30,000 companies to execute search assignments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Core retainer-based executive search service for management positions across Advisory Board, Corporate General Management, C-level/VP-level, Creative, and Digital roles. Sterling deliberately partners with a limited number of clients to ensure the broadest candidate pools.
• Talent Mapping

Quantifiable outcome

• One-third of activity generated by Creative Pole
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a deep Consumer Goods and Retail practice and explicit luxury-goods coverage; Sterling's Director of Research previously worked at Spencer Stuart, indicating direct overlap on senior mandates in fashion and luxury.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Major global executive search firm with a dedicated Consumer Goods, Retail, and Luxury sector practice; Sterling's Director of Research also previously worked at Russell Reynolds, evidencing head-to-head competition for senior luxury appointments.
• Boyden: Smaller, partner-led global executive search firm with an active Consumer & Lifestyle practice that frequently addresses luxury, fashion, and retail; similar boutique model and culture to Sterling, competing for similar mid-to-senior mandates.
• Amrop: Global partnership-based executive search firm with a Consumer, Retail, and Luxury practice operating across Europe and globally — directly comparable in size, partner-led model, and sector focus to Sterling.
• Stanton Chase: Global boutique executive search firm with dedicated Consumer Goods and Retail practice; comparable boutique scale and cross-border office footprint to Sterling across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
• Odgers Berndtson: Mid-size international executive search firm with strong Consumer Practice covering fashion, luxury, and beauty; competes with Sterling on European and cross-Atlantic CEO/board searches.
• DHR Global: Global executive search firm built through mergers of several consumer/lifestyle boutique firms; its Consumer, Retail, and Luxury practice competes head-to-head with Sterling for senior fashion and beauty mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global leadership advisory and executive search firm with a sizeable Consumer and Luxury practice; competes with Sterling on board, CEO, and creative-director searches across fashion, retail, and luxury globally.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global executive search and organizational advisory firm; its Consumer and Retail practice competes with Sterling for C-level and digital-transformation mandates, and can field significantly larger consulting teams.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a strong Consumer and Retail practice and expanding digital officer practice — overlapping with Sterling's Creative and Digital Poles on luxury, beauty, and fashion leadership assignments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Sterling International