Nellen and Partner

What Nellen and Partner does

Nellen & Partner AG is a privately held Swiss executive search boutique founded in 1992 by Roger Nellen, who continues to serve as Owner/Managing Director. The firm is headquartered in St. Gallen with a secondary office in Zürich, operating as an owner-managed SME (inhabergeführtes KMU) with approximately 12 staff, including 8 consultants and 4 office/project management personnel. It delivers premium executive search services for leadership and specialist roles across eight vertical sectors: Tax & Legal, Fiduciary & Audit, Finance, Construction & Real Estate, Industry & Trade, Human Resources, Family Offices, and Private Equity. The firm also provides Board of Directors recruitment, personnel succession planning, and HR advisory for M&A integrations.

The company's core technology is a systematic five-step search methodology (detailed evaluation, targeted search, candidate pre-selection using structured interviews and psychometric tests, clear recommendations, and close cooperation through onboarding), combined with an Active Sourcing approach that blends LinkedIn outreach with direct personal contact to engage passive candidates. A proprietary talent pool of over 35,000 candidates supports the matching process. The firm is the exclusive Swiss partner of Glasford International, granting access to approximately 350 HR consultants across 45 partner firms in roughly 30 countries, and is a member of swissVR, the Swiss board directors' professional association.

The business model is professional services-based, generating revenue through project-based consulting fees on executive search mandates, with no disclosed pricing transparency. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting Swiss companies; 70% of clients are repeat/long-standing relationships, the firm executes over 100 mandates annually, reports a 98% customer satisfaction rate, and 90%+ of placed candidates remain long-term with clients (95% still in the same position after one year).

Name

Nellen and Partner

Legal name

Nellen & Partner AG

Website

https://nellen.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nellen & Partner AG is a Swiss executive search boutique founded in 1992, placing senior leaders and specialists across Tax & Legal, Finance, Real Estate, Industry, HR, Family Offices, and Private Equity sectors for Swiss enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Recruitment Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership recruitment
• Active sourcing consulting
• Board member search
• Succession planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Professional consulting fees for executive search and recruitment services for leadership and key positions in specialized industry sectors

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nellen & Partner AG is a Swiss premium executive search boutique that recruits executives, specialists, and board members for leadership and key positions across specialized industry sectors. The firm uses a five-step systematic methodology—detailed evaluation, targeted search, candidate pre-selection using structured interviews and psychometric testing, clear recommendations, and close cooperation through onboarding—combined with active sourcing of passive candidates via LinkedIn and direct personal contact. Services are supported by a proprietary talent pool of over 35,000 candidates and span Executive Search, Personnel Succession Solutions, Personnel M&A advisory, and Board of Directors Recruitment.

Product overview

Nellen & Partner is a premium Executive Search boutique offering a unified portfolio of recruitment services. The core offering comprises Executive Search (systematic approach to filling managerial and key positions), Active Sourcing (direct outreach to passive candidates via LinkedIn and personal contact), Personnel Succession Solutions, and Personnel M&A advisory. Additional services include Board of Directors recruitment and sector-specific competencies across Tax & Legal, Fiduciary & Audit, Finance, Construction & Real Estate, Industry & Trade, Human Resources, Family Offices, and Private Equity. The company operates with a five-step working methodology: evaluation, targeted search, pre-selection, recommendations, and ongoing support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Premium executive search service for filling managerial and key positions using a systematic, multi-step methodology including candidate evaluation, targeted search, pre-selection, recommendations, and ongoing support. Targeted at Swiss enterprises across specialized industry sectors.
• Active Sourcing

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% satisfied customers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Glasford InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNellen & Partner is the exclusive Swiss partner of Glasford International, connecting to over 350 HR Management Consultants in approximately 45 executive search companies across about 30 countries including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, and USA. Partners meet several times annually to deepen mutual relationships, discuss joint search mandates, and exchange know-how.
• swissVRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the swissVR association which contributes to professionalization of board of directors activities in Switzerland. swissVR has built a broad network for board members, promotes exchange of experience among members and with third parties, offers continuing education for board members, provides an information platform, and initiates and supports research activities in cooperation with universities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is one of the largest global executive search firms with deep C-suite and board practice. Comparable to Nellen as a senior-level search competitor for leadership and board mandates, but operating at global scale rather than Swiss boutique focus.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong practices in financial services, private equity, and family-office leadership. Comparable to Nellen across multiple verticals, but operating as a publicly-listed global incumbent.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting and executive search firm with broad talent advisory offerings. Comparable to Nellen's search and HR advisory services, but operating at global, multi-product scale.
• Odgers Berndtson: Odgers Berndtson is an international mid-to-upper-tier executive search firm. Comparable to Nellen in serving senior leadership mandates, but with broader international footprint.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a leading global executive search and board advisory firm. Comparable to Nellen's executive search and board of directors recruitment offering, but serving multinational clients at much larger scale.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds Associates is a global executive search firm focused on senior leadership and board appointments. Comparable to Nellen's C-suite and board recruitment practice, but with global reach.

Direct peers

• Robert Half: Robert Half is a global staffing and recruiting firm with operations in Switzerland focused on finance, accounting, and professional placements. Comparable to Nellen in the Swiss professional recruitment market, particularly for finance, tax, and fiduciary roles.
• Michael Page: Michael Page is a global professional recruitment firm with a strong Swiss presence across multiple sectors. Comparable to Nellen as a direct competitor for mid-to-senior professional placements in Switzerland.
• Robert Walters: Robert Walters is an international recruitment firm with active operations in Switzerland across professional and executive search. Comparable to Nellen as a fee-based professional recruitment peer in the same Swiss market, with overlapping mid-to-senior level placements.
• Hays: Hays is a global recruitment and workforce solutions firm with operations in Switzerland. Comparable to Nellen as a competitor in professional and executive recruitment, though more focused on mid-level rather than C-suite mandates.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/pages/nellen-partnerag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nellen-&-partner-ag-z-rich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Nellen and Partner