Brown Davis Executive Search Partners

What Brown Davis Executive Search Partners does

Brown Davis Executive Search Partners is a privately held, boutique executive search firm founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a secondary office in Omaha, Nebraska. The firm exclusively serves the insurance and insurtech ecosystem, including insurance carriers, reinsurers, insurtechs, MGAs, distributors, fintech companies, and private equity and venture capital portfolio companies. Its core offering is a performance-driven retained executive search service for board, C-suite, executive, management, and consultant-level placements, complemented by consulting (talent market analysis, succession planning, DEI development), interim and fractional executive placement, advisor and advisory board recruitment, contractors and consultants hiring, insurtech advisory, and confidential career planning.

The firm operates with a lean 1–10 person team anchored by co-founders and Managing Partners Shawn Davis (a 16-year former senior insurance executive) and Michael Brown (a 20+ year executive search veteran with 3,000+ successful placements), supported by VP of Operations Tyler Turner. There is no proprietary technology platform; the business runs on partner-led domain expertise, decades of accumulated industry relationships, and a multi-channel content marketing presence that includes a blog and the "On With Shawn" video podcast. Brown Davis is bootstrapped and founder-led, with no institutional funding, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed.

Revenue is generated primarily through retained executive search engagements on a professional services fee basis, with no admin fees and incentives aligned to client outcomes. The firm achieved $1M+ in annual revenue within its first two years of operation. Distribution is direct: website-driven inbound with free consultation CTAs, supplemented by partner outreach, industry networking, and referrals. Customer segments are organized vertically rather than by company size, and no named customer logos are publicly disclosed.

Name

Brown Davis Executive Search Partners

Legal name

Brown Davis Executive Search Partners

Website

https://browndavisco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brown Davis Executive Search Partners is a privately held, boutique executive search firm founded in 2021 that exclusively serves insurance, insurtech, MGA, fintech, and PE/VC portfolio companies with retained C-suite and executive placement, plus consulting and interim services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Insurance recruiting
• Insurtech talent acquisition
• Retained search firm
• Talent strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: Brown Davis uses a performance-driven retained executive search approach. Clients engage the firm for executive and professional talent acquisition, with incentives aligned to outcomes. No admin fees mentioned. The retained model suggests upfront or staged payments tied to search completion milestones.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brown Davis is a boutique executive search and talent acquisition firm that places board, C-suite, executive, management, and consultant-level talent exclusively within the insurance and insurtech sectors. Core offerings include retained executive search, strategic consulting and talent market mapping, interim and fractional executive placement, and start-up and growth expansion recruiting, supported by advisory board recruitment, contractors and consultants hiring, insurtech advisory, and confidential career planning services.

Product overview

Brown Davis Executive Search Partners is a boutique executive search and talent acquisition firm specializing exclusively in the insurance and insurtech industries. The firm operates as a services-based offering with multiple integrated service lines rather than a software product platform. The core services include Retained Executive Search (for permanent executive placements), Consulting (strategic advisory and talent market analysis), Interim Executive Placement (temporary staffing), and Start-Up and Growth Expansion (specialized recruiting for emerging companies). These services are complemented by Advisor & Advisory Board Recruitment, Interim & Fractional Executive Placement, Contractors & Consultants Hiring, Insurtech Advisory, and Confidential Career Planning modules. The company uses a performance-driven retained search approach aligned with client outcomes, serving insurance carriers, reinsurers, insurtechs, MGAs, distributors, and private equity/venture capital firms in the insurance ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retained Executive Search Core executive recruitment service that identifies, attracts, qualifies, and lands passive executive talent for board, C-suite, executive, management, and consultant levels, with incentives aligned to client outcomes and no admin fees; serves insurance carriers, reinsurers, insurtechs, MGAs, and PE/VC portfolio companies.
• Consulting Strategic advisory services including talent market analysis and mapping, diversity mapping, succession planning, high-performance leadership coaching, business and talent strategy alignment, and digital transformation guidance for insurance and insurtech organizations.
• Interim Executive Placement Temporary executive staffing solution providing qualified interim leadership to fill vacancies, offering organizational stability and unbiased expertise while insurance and insurtech companies seek permanent hires.
• Start-Up and Growth Expansion Recruiting Specialized talent acquisition for early-stage, late-stage, and greenfield insurance startups, including advisory board members, senior executives, and go-to-market launch teams to support capital raises and key growth deliverables.
• Advisor & Advisory Board Recruitment Matches C-suite and highly experienced executives with insurance and insurtech startups and scaling companies seeking their expertise, insights, and networks.
• Insurtech Advisory Advisory services for insurtech companies, including connections to strategic partnerships for funding, capacity, product, customer acquisition, growth, distribution, actuarial services, and fronting services.
• Confidential Career Planning Confidential career planning services for insurance and insurtech executives seeking discreet career transitions or planning.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with dedicated financial services practice serving insurance clients. Comparable as a competitor for insurance C-suite searches, with a boutique-to-mid-market international footprint.
• JM Search: Mid-market-focused executive search firm with practice areas spanning financial services, insurance, and technology. Comparable because it competes for similar insurance and insurtech mandates but at the mid-market segment, sharing the boutique positioning.
• DHR Global:

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice. Comparable because it competes for senior insurance mandates, though it serves a far broader set of industries and is a public-company incumbent.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a strong financial services and insurance practice. Comparable for senior insurance placements and board advisory work, though operating at much larger scale.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable as a competitor for top-tier insurance executive mandates with established board and CEO relationships.
• Korn Ferry: Public, full-spectrum organizational consulting and executive search firm with a dedicated financial services practice. Comparable for executive search mandates in insurance; broader portfolio includes RPO and consulting.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the largest global executive search firms with deep insurance industry practice. Comparable as a direct competitor for C-suite insurance searches, with substantially larger global reach and brand recognition.

Emerging players

• The Insurtech Forum / InsurTech Hartford Recruiters: Smaller specialist insurance and insurtech recruiting firms operating in the same niche ecosystem. Comparable as emerging players focused on the insurtech talent market, often serving earlier-stage mandates.
• Heritage Partners Group: Boutique executive search firm with insurance industry specialization. Comparable because of similar vertical focus and boutique scale, representing direct niche competition in insurance executive placements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLbvgQARI5-R_VK_4ok93WGmRxKWHDIf-8

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Brown Davis Executive Search Partners