Hanson Search
Hanson Search is a London-founded, global executive search firm placing senior communications, marketing, public affairs, and ESG leaders for enterprise clients across the UK, Europe, the US, and MENA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hanson Search does
Hanson Search is a London-headquartered, founder-led executive search and talent consultancy founded in 2002 by Alice Weightman. The firm places C-suite, board-level, and mid-to-senior communications, marketing, public affairs, sustainability, and technology talent for global corporations, FTSE 100 companies, consultancies, agencies, and government-backed organisations. Its roster of named clients includes McKinsey, KKR, BASF, Weber-Shandwick, Brunswick, Teneo, Twinings, Papa John's, DP World, and the World Cocoa Foundation. The firm operates through 12+ offices spanning the UK, continental Europe, the United States, and MENA, with specialist consultants embedded in each market.
Hanson Search firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hanson Search
- Legal name
- Hanson Search Limited
- Website
- https://hansonsearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hanson Search is a London-founded, global executive search firm placing senior communications, marketing, public affairs, and ESG leaders for enterprise clients across the UK, Europe, the US, and MENA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hanson Search industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search & Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA), Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC)
Keywords
Where Hanson Search is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices13 records
Markets served
Hanson Search business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Executive Search & Headhunting: Retained executive search services for C-suite, board-level, and senior leadership positions across communications, marketing, public affairs, and related specialisms. Clients include global corporations, consultancies, and government-backed organisations.
- Permanent Recruitment: Placement of mid-to-senior level permanent candidates across specialist practice areas including PR & Comms, Healthcare, Financial PR, Corporate Affairs, Technology, Marketing, and Public Affairs.
- Interim & Freelance Recruitment: Temporary and contract staffing solutions through their specialist interim division and sister company The Work Crowd, addressing short-term capacity needs and project-based requirements.
- Talent Advisory: Leadership advisory services including succession planning, market intelligence, and talent consulting to support organisational leadership needs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hanson Search product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hanson Search is a global executive search and talent consultancy that delivers retained executive search, permanent and contract recruitment, interim and freelance staffing, talent advisory, and networking services across communications, marketing, public affairs, sustainability, healthcare, financial PR, and technology disciplines. The firm places C-suite, board, and senior leadership talent for FTSE 100 companies, multinationals, consultancies, agencies, and government-backed organisations across the UK, Europe, the US, and MENA.
Product overview
Hanson Search operates as a connected global talent consultancy providing executive search, recruitment, and talent advisory services through a platform of specialist practices with expert consultants embedded in key markets. The core offering comprises three main services: Executive Search (retained senior leadership recruitment), Recruitment (permanent and contract staffing), and Talent Advisory (strategic consulting), supplemented by Interim/Freelance Recruitment and Networking services. These are delivered through distinct practice areas covering C-suite and advisory, financial and investor relations, PR and communications (with sub-practices in corporate, consumer, financial, healthcare, and technology), public affairs and policy, sustainability and ESG, data and digital transformation, sales and commercial, people and culture, and legal and compliance. The company leverages AI tools (specifically Claude from Anthropic) for administrative recruitment tasks including CV formatting and job description drafting, while all hiring decisions remain human-driven.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Search Global retained executive search service specialising in C-suite and senior leadership placements across communications, marketing, public affairs, sustainability, and technology sectors, with consultants embedded in key markets across the UK, Europe, MENA, and USA. Targets global corporations, FTSE 100 companies, consultancies, agencies, and government-backed organisations.
- Recruitment Permanent and contract recruitment service covering mid-to-senior level positions across PR and communications, marketing, corporate affairs, investor relations, public affairs, sustainability, and digital sectors. Serves enterprise and mid-market clients.
- Interim and Freelance Recruitment Specialist interim staffing solutions for communications, marketing, and public affairs roles, managed through both Hanson Search and sister company The Work Crowd, covering temporary and fixed-term placements to address short-term capacity, project-based, maternity cover, and transitional leadership needs.
- Talent Advisory Strategic advisory service providing market intelligence, talent benchmarking, leadership succession planning, and organisational design consultation to help clients build high-performing teams.
- Networking Facilitates strategic connections and introductions within Hanson Search's global network of professionals, clients, and candidates across communications, marketing, and public affairs sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by world-leading organisations including McKinsey, KKR, Weber-Shandwick, Brunswick Group, and leading pharmaceutical companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hanson Search
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hanson Search technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Hanson Search partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- The Work CrowdcoreThe Work Crowd is Hanson Search's sister company, a UK-registered recruitment platform (company number 08651780) based at 42 Lytton Road, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 5BY. The Work Crowd specialises in fixed-term contract (FTC) and interim employment opportunities. Hanson Search may share limited and relevant candidate/client data with The Work Crowd where relevant for temporary hiring needs. Madeleine Weightman is Head of Interim Marketing and Management Recruitment Services at Hanson Search and co-Founder of The Work Crowd.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hanson Search competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Heidrick & Struggles: One of the largest global executive search firms with a dedicated Communications & Media Officers practice. Operates as a broad incumbent with much greater scale and a wider functional mandate than Hanson Search, but directly competes for CCO and senior communications placements.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search leader with a dedicated Marketing, Communications & Branding practice. Overlaps directly with Hanson Search's C-suite communications and marketing mandates, but offers a much broader range of functional practices and larger global bench.
- Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm headquartered in the UK with a dedicated Communications, Marketing & Digital practice. Direct competitor for UK and European communications and marketing leadership mandates, with comparable boutique-style positioning but greater scale.
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated Communications and Marketing Officer practice. Competes for CCO, CMO, and board-level communications searches and offers broader functional coverage across industries.
- Korn Ferry: The world's largest executive search firm, with a dedicated Marketing & Communications Officers practice. Operates across all C-suite functions and provides integrated consulting, making it the most-frequently-encountered alternative for multi-functional senior leadership searches.
- Robert Half International: Global staffing and consulting firm with a dedicated marketing and creative practice. A broad incumbent serving a wider range of roles and salary bands than Hanson Search, frequently encountered on enterprise procurement rosters for marketing leadership hiring.
Direct peers
- Propel: US-headquartered specialist communications, marketing, and digital recruitment firm. Closest direct peer to Hanson Search, competing for in-house communications, PR, and marketing leadership placements with comparable specialisation, though with stronger US rather than MENA focus.
- Reuben Sinclair: UK-based specialist communications and PR recruitment consultancy focused on corporate, consumer, financial, healthcare, and technology PR placements. Directly comparable niche specialisation to Hanson Search's PR & Comms practice, competing for similar UK mid-to-senior mandates.
- Salt Recruitment: Global specialist recruitment firm with strong digital, marketing, and technology practices. Overlaps with Hanson Search's Data, Analytics & Digital Transformation and Marketing practice areas, competing for senior marketing and digital leadership hires across the UK, Europe, and APAC.
Others
- The Work Crowd: UK-based interim and freelance communications and marketing recruitment platform and sister company to Hanson Search. Operates in the same vertical with a focus on fixed-term contract and freelance placements, providing a complementary talent channel rather than direct competition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hanson Search social profiles
Digital presenceHanson Search compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Hanson Search financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hanson Search leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Hanson Search funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hanson Search 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 Hanson Search
What does Hanson Search do?
Hanson Search is a global executive search and talent consultancy that delivers retained executive search, permanent and contract recruitment, interim and freelance staffing, talent advisory, and networking services across communications, marketing, public affairs, sustainability, healthcare, financial PR, and technology disciplines. The firm places C-suite, board, and senior leadership talent for FTSE 100 companies, multinationals, consultancies, agencies, and government-backed organisations across the UK, Europe, the US, and MENA.
Is Hanson Search a public or private company?
Hanson Search is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hanson Search founded?
Hanson Search was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hanson Search based?
Hanson Search is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Hanson Search make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Executive Search & Headhunting is the primary driver. The others are permanent Recruitment, interim & Freelance Recruitment and talent Advisory.
Who are Hanson Search's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, Odgers Berndtson, Egon Zehnder, Korn Ferry and Robert Half International. Direct peers are Propel, Reuben Sinclair and Salt Recruitment. The Work Crowd is listed as an others.
Does Hanson Search have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hanson Search.
What industry is Hanson Search in?
Hanson Search's product category is Executive Search & Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops), with a secondary code of BPACAAAA, C-Suite & Board Search. Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.