Richmond Associates

What Richmond Associates does

Richmond Associates is a specialist executive search firm founded in 1999 that exclusively recruits fundraising, advancement, and development professionals for mission-driven non-profit organisations. The firm operates from three offices spanning London (UK headquarters), Sydney (Australia), and Singapore (Asia), with sister legal entities Richmond Associates UK Limited, Richmond Associates Australia Pty Ltd, and Richmond Associates Asia Pte Ltd. Its client base is concentrated in four verticals: higher education institutions (University of Oxford, UCL, University of Queensland, UTS, University of Melbourne, Nanyang Technological University, Australian National University), arts, cultural and heritage organisations (V&A, Tate, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Whitechapel Gallery, RADA, Edinburgh International Festival), health and research charities (LSHTM, Institute of Cancer Research), and broader non-profits (Greenpeace UK, National Trust, Movember, The Nature Conservancy, Podium Analytics, AllChild).

The firm's revenue model is professional services revenue generated from successful executive placements; standard executive search fee mechanics apply (a percentage of first-year placed compensation), with no publicly disclosed pricing. It operates a consultative, relationship-driven GTM with direct enterprise field sales — typically engaging hiring institutions through a structured brief process and sourcing candidates from a proprietary database (FileFinder CRM), direct outreach, website registrations, and conference networks such as CASE Asia Pacific and CASE Europe. The firm uses content marketing (its RAPPORT blog), LinkedIn, email newsletters, and event participation to maintain market presence at top of funnel, while its careers/job board operates at bottom of funnel for candidate engagement.

Underlying technology is limited to a FileFinder CRM provided by Dillistone Systems, plus standard website utilities (Google Maps, Google Fonts). There are no proprietary software products, no app, no API, and no AI/ML components described. Core operational capability resides in the domain expertise of its small consulting team, most of whom have prior in-house fundraising experience at institutions such as BAFTA, the Science Museum, V&A, Arts Council England, the Natural History Museum, and Opera Australia. Leadership has been Managing Director Sonja Dunphy since 2018, with Director Jocelyn Kelty leading Australia operations established in 2010 and the Singapore office opened in 2019.

Name

Richmond Associates

Legal name

Richmond Associates UK Limited & Richmond Associates Australia Pty Ltd & Richmond Associates Asia Pte Ltd

Website

https://richmond-associates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Richmond Associates is a global executive search firm founded in 1999, exclusively recruiting fundraising and advancement professionals for non-profits across higher education, arts & culture, health research, and charity sectors. Operating from London, Sydney, and Singapore offices with 1-10 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search / Non-Profit Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Life Sciences Leadership Search (BPACAAAE)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Non-profit recruitment
• Fundraising talent placement
• Advancement professional search
• Charity sector recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Executive Search / Recruitment Services: Richmond Associates provides executive search and recruitment services to match fundraising and advancement professionals with non-profit clients. They operate as an employment agency, collecting candidate applications and sharing them with clients for work-finding services. Revenue is generated through professional service fees associated with successful placements of senior fundraising and development roles.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Richmond Associates is a specialist executive search firm that recruits senior fundraising, advancement, and development professionals for non-profit organisations across the cultural, educational, health, and charity sectors. The firm operates across the UK, Australia, and Asia, providing candidate sourcing, vetting, and placement services for roles such as Director of Development, Head of Philanthropy, and Head of Corporate Partnerships. The service is delivered on a per-engagement basis with fees negotiated for each executive search mandate.

Product overview

Richmond Associates is a global executive search firm operating as a single unified service offering specialized recruitment for the fundraising, advancement, and non-profit sector. The company provides executive search services to place candidates in senior fundraising and development roles across arts, cultural, higher education, and charitable organizations globally. Their service portfolio centers on matching exceptional talent with mission-driven organizations seeking leadership in philanthropy, fundraising, and development functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services Global executive search and recruitment services specialising in placing fundraising, advancement, and development professionals in the cultural, education, and non-profit sectors. Engagements are consultative, beginning with obtaining a full brief on the role and organisation, followed by sourcing, vetting, reference and qualification validation, and placement.
• Candidate Placement Services Recruitment services connecting fundraising, philanthropy, and advancement leadership candidates with career opportunities at global non-profit organisations. Candidates register via the firm's website and are matched against client mandates for senior fundraising roles.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recruitment campaigns for international schools (e.g., International School of Geneva) have attracted 95+ applications with successful senior placements; UWCSEA campaign attracted 60 expressions of interest and 27 applications with 6 shortlisted.

Named customers32 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm serving corporate and non-profit clients worldwide. Competitor at the senior end of the same non-profit/arts/education search market, though its specialty areas are far broader.
• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with a well-established non-profit and arts/cultural sector practice. Broader incumbent that competes with Richmond at the senior level across the same verticals but as part of a wider portfolio.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Social Enterprise and Non-Profit practice. Competes with Richmond for senior non-profit leadership mandates, though as part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Harris Hill: UK recruitment firm dedicated to the charity and not-for-profit sector, recruiting fundraising, communications, operations and digital roles. Comparable to Richmond as a UK-based specialist serving non-profit hiring needs.
• Perrett Laver: UK-headquartered specialist executive search firm focused on leadership roles across the not-for-profit, academic, cultural, and science sectors. Direct competitor to Richmond given overlapping vertical focus, similar mid-sized team, and shared geographic focus on the UK and internationally.
• Morgan Hunt: UK recruitment group with a long-standing charity, non-profit, and fundraising practice. Comparable in vertical but broader in role levels (mid-management through senior), often competing for the same clients.
• Saxton Bampfylde: UK executive search firm with a strong not-for-profit practice covering charities, higher education, and arts/cultural institutions. Direct peer given parallel sector coverage and senior-level mandate orientation.
• Koya Partners: US-based executive search firm dedicated exclusively to mission-driven organizations including foundations, non-profits, and education. Operates as a focused non-profit search competitor, particularly relevant for cross-border mandates from US-based funders.
• Witt Kieffer: US-headquartered executive search firm strongly focused on healthcare, higher education, and not-for-profit leadership. Direct peer given vertical alignment in healthcare research institutions and higher education advancement.

Emerging players

• Charity People: UK specialist charity-sector recruiter covering fundraising, communications, and operations roles. Comparable vertical focus but with stronger tilt toward mid-level and campaign roles rather than pure executive search.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richmond-associates

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Richmond Associates