RGF Executive Search Japan

What RGF Executive Search Japan does

RGF Executive Search Japan is a private, bilingual (Japanese/English) executive search firm established in 1998 and headquartered in Tokyo, with a secondary office in Osaka serving the Kansai/West Japan market. The company provides four core service lines: Retained Search for senior and C-suite mandates on an exclusive multi-month basis; Contingency Search for mid-to-senior performance-based placements; Start-up Consulting tailored to emerging company team builds; and Market Mapping, a research service providing talent landscape, competitor organization, and compensation benchmarking intelligence. Its consultant base is organized by industry vertical — Consumer & Digital Markets, Financial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Industrial & Manufacturing, Professional Services, Real Estate & Property Services, and Technology — and by functional specialization across Finance & Accounting, HR, Internal IT, Legal/Compliance/IP, Supply Chain, and Taxation. A dedicated Market Intelligence Team supports passive candidate identification across the Japan market.

The firm generates revenue on a professional services basis: retained engagements typically combine an upfront retainer plus a success-based fee component, while contingency placements are compensated as a percentage of placed candidate compensation upon successful hire. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with dedicated industry and function-specialized consultants engaging directly with corporate clients, predominantly large organizations and multinationals operating in or entering Japan that require bilingual executive talent. The company employs between 101 and 250 people, operates as part of the broader RGF recruitment group portfolio, and is led by CEO/COO Struan McKay. RGF Executive Search Japan has been recognized four times as Japan's 'Executive Search Company of the Year' by Recruitment International (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018). A January 2026 notice disclosed a change of parent company within the RGF group, with stated no impact on services. Revenue figures, headcount growth, and funding history are not disclosed in available source data.

Name

RGF Executive Search Japan

Legal name

RGF Executive Search Japan

Website

https://rgf-executive.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

RGF Executive Search Japan is a private bilingual executive search firm founded in 1998 with offices in Tokyo and Osaka, providing retained and contingency search, start-up consulting, and market mapping services to enterprise and multinational clients across eight industry verticals and six functional specializations in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF), Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC), Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Bilingual recruitment Japan
• Senior leadership hiring
• Retained contingency search
• Talent market mapping

Headquarters

HQ city

Minato

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Revenue generated through executive recruitment services including retained search (retained fee structure) and contingency search (contingency fee upon successful placement). Additional services include start-up consulting and market mapping engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RGF Executive Search Japan is a bilingual executive search firm that identifies, evaluates, and secures senior-level and bilingual talent for organizations operating in Japan. It sells four discrete services — Retained Search (exclusive senior/C-suite mandates), Contingency Search (performance-based placements), Start-up Consulting (leadership team building for emerging companies), and Market Mapping (talent landscape and compensation research) — delivered by industry- and function-specialized consultants from offices in Tokyo and Osaka.

Product overview

RGF Executive Search Japan operates as a bilingual executive search firm offering a suite of recruitment solutions centered around four core service offerings: Retained Search for dedicated senior-level searches, Contingency Search for performance-based placements, Start-up Consulting for emerging company talent needs, and Market Mapping for strategic market intelligence. The firm specializes across multiple industries including Technology, Financial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Industrial & Manufacturing, Consumer & Digital Markets, Professional Services, and Real Estate & Property Services, with functional expertise spanning Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, Internal IT, Legal/Compliance/IP, Supply Chain & Procurement, and Taxation. The company operates offices in Tokyo and Osaka.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retained Search A dedicated executive search service engaged on an exclusive basis, typically for senior and C-suite positions, in which the firm commits dedicated resources throughout the search lifecycle. Revenue model: upfront retainer plus success-based fee component.
• Contingency Search A performance-based recruitment service for mid-to-senior level positions with defined timelines; RGF is compensated only upon successful placement. Fee typically calculated as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual compensation.
• Start-up Consulting Tailored recruitment solutions for start-up and growth-stage companies, supporting leadership team build-out, founding team composition, and rapid hiring of key functional roles to enable business expansion.
• Market Mapping Comprehensive market intelligence and talent mapping that provides clients with insight into talent landscapes, competitor organizations, and market compensation benchmarks.

Segments7 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

• Hays Japan: Hays Japan is a multinational specialist recruitment firm providing bilingual and local talent placement across industries such as financial services, technology, life sciences, and industrial. Its enterprise client base and Japan-focused search operations closely parallel RGF Executive Search Japan.
• Stanton Chase: Stanton Chase is a global executive search firm with a strong Asia-Pacific presence including Japan. It competes for retained C-suite and senior management assignments across similar industry verticals, making it a direct peer for senior executive mandates.
• Morgan McKinley Japan: Morgan McKinley Japan provides bilingual professional recruitment and executive search services across financial services, technology, and commerce. Its specialization and Japan-market focus directly overlap with RGF Executive Search Japan's bilingual value proposition.
• Boyden: Boyden is a global executive search firm with significant Asia-Pacific and Japan presence, focused on senior management and board-level appointments across industries. Its boutique-style service and industry specializations make it directly comparable to RGF Executive Search Japan.
• Michael Page Japan: Michael Page Japan is a specialist recruitment firm placing mid-to-senior professionals across multiple industries including financial services, technology, and healthcare. Its bilingual recruitment model and multi-vertical coverage make it a direct peer to RGF Executive Search Japan.
• Robert Walters Japan: Robert Walters Japan is a bilingual professional recruitment and executive search firm operating in Tokyo and Osaka. It competes head-to-head with RGF Executive Search Japan across mid-to-senior management placements in financial services, technology, and industrial sectors.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm serving major corporates across Japan and Asia-Pacific. It competes for high-end C-suite and board mandates, representing an incumbent threat at the upper end of RGF's addressable market.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, talent management, and advisory services with established Japan operations. Its broader portfolio and global boardroom relationships position it as a higher-end incumbent competing for the same enterprise clients.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a Japan office. It serves multinational and large Japanese corporates for board, CEO, and senior executive searches, overlapping directly with RGF's C-suite focus.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong Asia-Pacific coverage. It competes for senior executive mandates in Japan, particularly in financial services, technology, and industrial sectors where RGF also has deep specialization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 RGF Executive Search Japan