Keyman
Keyman is a France-based executive search firm founded in 2004 that recruits C-suite executives, managers, and rare-profile talent for French large enterprises, ETIs, and family-owned SMEs across 10+ industry verticals via five regional offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMarcq-en-baroeul, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Keyman does
Keyman is a France-based executive search firm, founded in 2004 by Antoine Perruchot and Rémi Dherbecourt in Lille, specializing in the recruitment of senior executives, C-suite leaders, committee members, and rare-profile talent for French enterprises. The firm operates a direct approach (headhunting) methodology, in which each search mission is handled by a dedicated binôme pairing a senior consultant (strategy and candidate exchanges) with a recruitment officer (market mapping and outreach). Its proprietary "Moteurs Profonds" assessment methodology evaluates candidates' deep internal drivers and motivations beyond competencies, supported by structured interviews, personality testing, and reference checks. Keyman runs five regional offices (Lille headquarters, Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Strasbourg) plus Toulouse, covering more than 10 industry verticals including Industry, Retail, Finance, Banking, Insurance, Agriculture, FMCG, Luxury, Tech, and Life Sciences.
The firm operates as a professional services business on a quote-based, project fee model typical of executive search, generating revenue from placement success fees. It is the founding entity of the Batka Developing Talents group (SAS, share capital €11,825.60), a private HR-focused holding founded by the Perruchot brothers; Keyman itself is privately held with no external institutional investment. Go-to-market is exclusively direct, enterprise field sales, leveraging 500+ client relationships, repeat engagements, and a post-placement follow-up (J+90) plus re-hunt guarantee. Brand strength is evidenced by a 5-star rating in the Les Échos-Statista ranking for six consecutive years (2021–2026), a 97% Happy Candidates recommendation rate, and a 4.9/5 Google rating across 270+ reviews.
Keyman has approximately 50–60 collaborators and reports 100+ executive recruitments completed annually, with the Nantes office alone reportedly executing 450+ recruitments per year, indicating a substantial total volume when aggregated across offices. Customer logos include Auchan, Chanel, LVMH, Crédit Agricole, Allianz, Renault, Veolia, Danone, Bonduelle, Kiabi, Boulanger, Bridgestone, Agrial, Europcar, Roquette, Saint-Gobain, and Siparex, among others. The firm expanded to Strasbourg in September 2025, extending coverage to the Grand Est region and consolidating national footprint.
Keyman firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Keyman
- Legal name
- Keyman Consulting
- Website
- https://keyman.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Keyman is a France-based executive search firm founded in 2004 that recruits C-suite executives, managers, and rare-profile talent for French large enterprises, ETIs, and family-owned SMEs across 10+ industry verticals via five regional offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Keyman industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)
Keywords
Where Keyman is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Marcq-en-baroeul
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Keyman business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Executive Search / Headhunting Fees: Keyman operates as an executive search firm charging fees for identifying, approaching, and recruiting high-level profiles not actively seeking new positions. The firm fills senior management, C-suite, and rare-expertise positions for clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom executive search engagements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Keyman product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Keyman is a French executive search firm that identifies, approaches, and recruits senior executives, C-suite leaders, managers, and rare-expertise profiles using direct approach (headhunting) methodology. The firm operates across multiple industry verticals including Industry, Retail, Finance, Banking, Insurance, Agriculture, FMCG, Luxury, Tech, and IT, serving enterprises through five regional offices in France with a proprietary 'moteurs profonds' deep motivation assessment.
Product overview
Keyman Executive Search is a unified executive recruitment service offering rather than a multi-module platform. The core offering consists of Executive Search (headhunting), Direct Approach Recruitment, and Top Management Recruitment services, supported by a proprietary Deep Motivators Assessment methodology. Services are delivered through a dedicated consultant/recruiter partnership model across five regional offices (Lille, Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Strasbourg) covering diverse industry sectors including Industry, Retail, Finance, Banking, Insurance, Agriculture, Distribution, FMCG, Luxury, Tech, Digital, IT, Life Sciences, Chemistry, Nutrition, and Education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% candidate recommendation rate per Happy Candidates label
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Keyman
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Keyman technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Keyman partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Batka Developing Talents (Groupe Batka)coreKeyman is the founding and flagship company of the Batka Developing Talents group. The group was founded by brothers Antoine Perruchot and Rémi Dherbecourt in 2004 and has since expanded to include additional HR-focused companies. Keyman serves as the first enterprise within the Batka group ecosystem.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Keyman competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search leader with deep French presence serving large enterprises on C-suite and board mandates — directly competitive with Keyman's enterprise CODIR and top management practice.
- Heidrick & Struggles: International executive search firm serving large-cap and large-mid-cap clients; overlaps with Keyman in executive recruiting, leadership assessment, and succession advisory across France.
- Alexander Hughes: Paris-based international executive search firm focused on mid-market and ETI clients across multiple sectors — a particularly close French-boutique peer to Keyman on enterprise-segment searches.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a Paris hub focused on board, CEO, and senior executive appointments — close competitor on mandates overlapping with Keyman's 500+ French enterprise clients.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and board advisory firm with strong French operations; competes with Keyman for C-suite, board, and transformation mandates across the same enterprise client base.
- Page Executive: Executive search brand of PageGroup focused on senior and board-level appointments; competes with Keyman across French enterprise and ETI mandates with a similar direct-approach methodology.
- Boyden: Global executive search firm with a substantial Paris practice covering multiple industries; directly comparable to Keyman on senior executive recruitment for French and international clients.
Broad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Diversified global organizational consulting firm that includes a major executive search franchise; competes with Keyman on mandates while also offering adjacent talent consulting services.
Emerging players
- Approach People: France-based boutique executive search firm focused on senior management placements across industrial and consumer verticals — an emerging competitor with overlapping sector coverage and methodology.
- Birdeo: Paris-based executive search and HR transformation firm specializing in digital, tech, and transformation leadership mandates — an emerging competitor for Keyman's Tech and Digital practice.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Keyman social profiles
Digital presenceKeyman financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Keyman leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Keyman funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Keyman 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 Keyman
What does Keyman do?
Keyman is a French executive search firm that identifies, approaches, and recruits senior executives, C-suite leaders, managers, and rare-expertise profiles using direct approach (headhunting) methodology. The firm operates across multiple industry verticals including Industry, Retail, Finance, Banking, Insurance, Agriculture, FMCG, Luxury, Tech, and IT, serving enterprises through five regional offices in France with a proprietary 'moteurs profonds' deep motivation assessment.
Is Keyman a public or private company?
Keyman is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Keyman founded?
Keyman was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Keyman based?
Keyman is headquartered in Marcq-en-baroeul, France, in the Europe region.
How does Keyman make money?
One revenue line is on record: executive Search / Headhunting Fees.
Who are Keyman's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Egon Zehnder, Heidrick & Struggles, Alexander Hughes, Russell Reynolds Associates, Spencer Stuart, Page Executive and Boyden. Korn Ferry is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Approach People and Birdeo.
Does Keyman have an API?
No public API is recorded for Keyman.
What industry is Keyman in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAF, Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt). Its NAICS code is 561312.