What Altus Partners does

Altus Partners is a London-based private talent consultancy founded in 2009, operating in the market as DRAX Executive, the dedicated talent partner of The LCap Group. The firm provides executive search, interim executive placement, and leadership advisory services targeted exclusively at private equity firms and their portfolio companies. Its service model spans the full investment lifecycle, encompassing pre-deal leadership assessment, deal advisor sourcing and management access, leadership mobilization, succession planning, management reset, exit preparation, and post-deal advisory. The firm also addresses nine senior functional mandates, including Board, CEO, Financial Officers, Investment Professionals, Growth Officers, People, Supply Chain & Ops, Product/Data/Security/Tech, and ESG/Sustainability Officers, across ten sector verticals from Financial Services to Life Sciences.

The firm's underlying technology consists of a proprietary analytics platform and the PACE Leadership Evaluation tool, which together draw on a research dataset covering 12,000 exit deals and 84,000 leader profiles. This evidence-led methodology underpins a suite of annual research publications, including The Leadership Capital Report (co-published with The LCap Group), the Deal Advisory Landscape in Global Private Equity, the CFO Market Trends Impact report, and the DRAX-Altus Investor Compensation Insights Report. The firm reports sustained operating cadence of 400+ leadership appointments, 100+ pre-deal processes, and 200+ leadership advisory engagements annually, supported by an exclusive off-market deal origination capability.

The business model is professional services-fee based, with quote-based, engagement-tied pricing and no publicly disclosed rates. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, targeting enterprise PE accounts through consultant-led engagement, supported by thought-leadership content marketing. The firm maintains a single London headquarters (Savoy Hill House) and serves a globally distributed client base that includes KKR, Oaktree, Ares, Advent International, Ardian, HIG Capital, Hg, Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), and Tenzing. Altus Partners is privately held, with The LCap Group as its parent conglomerate, and operates with a headcount of 11-50 employees.

Name

Altus Partners

Legal name

DRAX

Website

https://altus-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Altus Partners, operating as DRAX Executive, is a London-based executive search and leadership advisory firm serving private equity firms and their portfolio companies across the full investment lifecycle via proprietary analytics and sector-specialized consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Leadership Advisory

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive RPO (Leadership Hiring Programs) (BPACABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB), Succession Planning & High-Potential (HiPo) Leadership Programs (EDABAAAL), Executive Outplacement (C-Suite & Senior Leaders) (BPACAOAC)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership advisory
• Private equity recruiting
• Interim executive placement
• Talent consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Leadership Advisory Services: Professional services revenue from executive search, interim executive placement, leadership evaluation, and advisory engagements across the investment lifecycle from pre-deal through exit preparation

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Altus Partners (operating as DRAX Executive) is a full-service leadership advisory and executive search firm that places executives into private equity-backed companies and their portfolio firms. The firm delivers Executive Search, Executive Interim placement, Leadership Evaluation (via the proprietary PACE tool), and Leadership Advisory services (succession planning, management reset, exit preparation, leadership mobilisation), supplemented by pre-deal services such as Deal Origination, Deal Advisor Sourcing, and Leadership Scans. All engagements are powered by proprietary analytics and an evidence-led research methodology covering data from 12,000 exit deals and 84,000 leaders.

Product overview

Altus Partners operates as part of The LCap Group, offering research-led compensation benchmarking products and services. The primary named product is the DRAX-Altus Investor Compensation Insights Report, which provides compensation analysis for private equity and investment professionals. Additional related offerings include the CFO Market Trends Report, Deal Advisory Landscape Report, and The Leadership Capital Report, which together form a suite of market intelligence tools for private equity investors and fund leadership. The company also provides executive search, leadership advisory, and deal advisory services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Full-service executive search for private equity funds and their portfolio companies, placing CEOs, CFOs, board members, and functional leaders across multiple sectors.
• Executive Interim

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ leadership appointments per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The LCap GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRAX is the talent partner of The LCap Group, operating as a full-service leadership advisory and executive search firm within the LCap Group ecosystem. LCap Group publishes the annual Leadership Capital Report with DRAX, combining research and expertise across the group.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with one of the most established PE and board advisory practices; directly competes for senior leadership mandates at large-cap PE sponsors and their portfolio companies, mirroring DRAX's CEO/CFO/board search focus.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm serving PE and large corporates; directly comparable on executive search, succession, and leadership advisory services, with a strong PE & Consumer Practice competitive with DRAX's sector coverage.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with significant PE and financial services leadership placement practices; competes head-to-head with DRAX on C-suite and functional officer searches across the same investor-backed client base.
• Egon Zehnder: Global leadership advisory and executive search firm with deep PE-backed company relationships; directly comparable across executive search, board advisory, and leadership evaluation, overlapping with DRAX's full lifecycle service set.
• Odgers Berndtson: UK-headquartered international executive search firm with strong PE sponsor practice; competes with DRAX particularly in London and EMEA for PE-backed executive mandates across financial officers and operational leaders.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm where executive search is a core, scaled business; competes with DRAX on PE-backed C-suite and functional searches while also offering broader talent consulting and RPO services.
• Page Executive: Executive search division of PageGroup focused on senior leadership and C-suite mandates, including PE-backed companies; directly comparable on executive search services and shares UK/EMEA overlap with DRAX.

Others

• Lincoln International: Global investment banking advisory firm focused on mid-market M&A; adjacent rather than direct - competes with DRAX more on the deal advisory and due diligence side of the PE lifecycle than on retained search mandates.
• Alvarez & Marsal: Global professional services firm with strong PE restructuring and operational advisory presence; overlaps with DRAX's PE value-creation advisory and management reset mandates, particularly under-performance or leadership-change scenarios.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with deep PE practice including due diligence and value creation support; a broader incumbent whose PE advisory work overlaps with DRAX's pre-deal Leadership Scan and advisory engagements, but does not compete on retained search.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/altus_partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Altus Partners