Search & Select

What Search & Select does

Search & Select is a family-run recruitment agency headquartered in Douglas, Isle of Man, founded in 1998. It operates exclusively from a single office (1 Upper Church Street, Select House, Douglas) and serves employers and job seekers across the Isle of Man economy, with footprint primarily in the IoM and a UK comparative reference. The firm describes itself as the longest-serving recruitment agency on the Isle of Man and self-identifies as the island's #1 recruiter, supported by approximately 11 employees led by Chairman Alan Burman, Managing Director Sally Fenton, and Director Mark Burman.

Its core products span three service streams: Executive Search (discreet, board-level placements), Permanent Recruitment (mid-to-senior full-time placements), and Temporary/Contract Recruitment (split into employer and candidate-facing products). Ancillary services include Pre-Employment Screening (criminal, credit, sanctions, employment, and qualification checks), Outplacement Support, Succession Planning, Specialist Recruitment Campaigns, and M&A introductory services through a partnership with Signature Acquisitions. The technology stack consists of recruitment management software, a secure candidate database with strict access controls, GDPR-aligned data handling (with Isle of Man Information Commissioner as supervisory authority), an AI-powered candidate search capability overlaid on traditional matching methods, and TypeForm for candidate intake. The Future Works event series (co-hosted with Zurich International, organized by Bold Consultancy) and the annual Fiduciary Salary & Benefits Report (now in its sixth edition) function as content and data products that reinforce brand authority.

Commercially, Search & Select operates an employer-funded, contingency-based placement fee model with a no-win, no-fee guarantee ("employers are not charged until the candidate is successfully hired"). Candidates receive services free of charge, which drives a freemium supply-side funnel. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales via specialist teams for each service line (executive, permanent, temp), inside sales via phone and dedicated email inboxes, face-to-face consultations at headquarters, and a self-serve digital surface (website forms, job search portal). Marketing combines paid social/search (LinkedIn, Meta, Google, Microsoft/Bing), an insights blog and weekly newsletter, organic social presence across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and event-led brand building. Customer concentration is diversified across financial services (life assurance, banking, fiduciary, funds/investments), professional services (family offices, CSPs, shipping), and technology (eGaming, eCommerce, blockchain, esports).

Name

Search & Select

Legal name

Search & Select Offshore Limited

Website

https://searchandselect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Search & Select is a family-run, Isle of Man-based recruitment agency founded in 1998 that provides executive search, permanent, and temporary/contract staffing, along with pre-employment screening, outplacement, and succession planning, primarily serving IoM employers and candidates across financial services, fiduciary, technology, and professional services sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA), General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Permanent recruitment
• Temporary staffing
• Pre-employment screening
• Outplacement support

Headquarters

HQ city

Douglas

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Placement fees (Employer-funded): Charges employers a fee only when a candidate is successfully placed. No win, no fee model guarantees satisfaction. The fee is not charged until the candidate is successfully hired.
2. Pre-employment screening services: Provides bespoke candidate screening services including criminal checks, credit checks, media checks, sanctions checks, employment checks, and qualification verification. Costs provided on request.
3. Outplacement and redundancy support: Professional outplacement programs offering one-to-one counselling, targeted group sessions, career coaching, and job market information for departing employees.
4. Research reports: Publishes annual Fiduciary Salary & Benefits Report available for purchase, providing salary benchmarks and benefits data for the Isle of Man fiduciary sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Search & Select is a family-run recruitment agency on the Isle of Man that places permanent, temporary, contract, and executive candidates into roles across financial services, fiduciary, banking, funds, technology, family office, professional services, and shipping sectors. It sells its services to employers on a no-win, no-fee placement basis, provides the same service free to candidates, and supplements core recruitment with pre-employment screening, outplacement, succession planning, and the annual Fiduciary Salary & Benefits Report.

Product overview

Search & Select is a family-run recruitment agency offering a portfolio of interconnected staffing services. The core offering consists of three service streams: Executive Search for senior-level confidential appointments, Permanent Recruitment for full-time placements, and Temporary/Contract Recruitment for flexible staffing needs (served through separate employer and candidate-facing products). These core services are supplemented by Pre-Employment Screening, Outplacement Support, Succession Planning, and Specialist Recruitment Campaigns. The company also publishes the Fiduciary Salary & Benefits Report as an industry insights product and runs the Future Works event series. All services are delivered through dedicated teams for each specialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Confidential senior-level recruitment service for executive appointments on the Isle of Man, using a wide talent network and relationship-driven approach to match candidates with business-critical leadership positions. Targeted at large listed companies and established businesses seeking Managing Directors, Heads of Function, and board-level talent.
• Permanent Recruitment Permanent staffing solutions placing candidates in full-time roles across all levels and sectors on the Isle of Man, featuring dedicated teams, candidate screening, and guaranteed placement outcomes. For businesses of all sizes from boutique firms to large corporations.
• Temporary / Contract Recruitment (Employer Service) Temporary and contract staffing service for Isle of Man employers, providing pre-vetted temps for immediate placement and handling payroll, taxes, and candidate screening on behalf of the hiring company. Covers spikes in demand, project work, and bridging periods.
• Temporary / Contract Recruitment (Candidate Service) Temporary and contract employment opportunities for candidates on the Isle of Man, including weekly pay, access to a discount card programme, and the ability to build CVs, earn income, and gain experience across multiple assignments.
• Pre-Employment Screening
• Outplacement Support
• Succession Planning
• Specialist Recruitment Campaigns
• Fiduciary Salary & Benefits Report

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce hire time by 50%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Zurich InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Global Life Assurance business that co-sponsors the Future Works thought-leadership event series. This is a key marketing partnership for brand visibility in the Isle of Man business community.
• Bold ConsultancyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Tromode-based performance marketing agency that organizes the Future Works event series in collaboration with Search & Select.
• MIX Diversity DevelopersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-founded by Hayley Barnard, provided inclusion and diversity expertise for the inaugural Future Works event on conscious inclusion.
• Signature AcquisitionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated service offering discreet introductory services for businesses considering buying, merging or selling. Referenced as part of specialist services for employers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reed: Reed is a large UK-based generalist recruitment agency with permanent, temporary, and executive services — a broad incumbent whose multi-service recruitment offering mirrors Search & Select's three service streams plus screening.
• Hays: Hays is a large global recruitment firm with dedicated financial services and accountancy practices — broader incumbent offering overlapping with Search & Select's permanent and temporary recruitment across sectors.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organisational consulting firm with a major executive search and professional recruitment business — overlaps with Search & Select's executive and permanent recruitment for financial services leadership.
• Robert Half: Robert Half is a global specialist in finance, accounting, and office recruitment with permanent and temporary staffing — a broader incumbent whose professional services placement model parallels Search & Select's fiduciary, banking, and professional services mandates.
• Michael Page: Michael Page operates a global permanent and temporary recruitment business with strong financial services coverage — a broader incumbent whose permanent placement model parallels Search & Select's mid-level to senior permanent recruitment.
• Odgers Berndtson: Odgers Berndtson is a global executive search firm with a financial services practice serving board-level appointments — a broader incumbent offering overlapping capabilities to Search & Select's executive search service line.

Direct peers

• Marks Sattin: Marks Sattin recruits across finance, accounting, and financial services change & transformation — overlapping directly with Search & Select's permanent and executive recruitment for fiduciary, banking, and funds clients.
• AP Group: AP Group provides financial services and professional recruitment across offshore jurisdictions (Channel Islands, Cayman, BVI), with a similar verticalized model serving banking, insurance, fiduciary, and legal clients — directly comparable to Search & Select's IoM financial services niche.
• Morgan McKinley: Morgan McKinley specialises in financial services professional recruitment, with strong coverage of banking, insurance, and asset management roles — closely aligned with Search & Select's financial services leadership search focus.
• Healy Hunt: Healy Hunt is a specialist executive search firm focused on financial services leadership hires — closely comparable to Search & Select's executive search offering for life assurance, banking, and fiduciary board-level mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/searchandselect
• Facebookfacebook.com/searchandselect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/search-&-select-offshore-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/searchandselect

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Search & Select