Cadence Partners

What Cadence Partners does

Cadence Partners is a UK boutique executive search and consultancy firm specialising in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)-led senior leadership and board appointments for the social impact sector. Operating through the legal entity New Bold Associates Limited, the firm was founded around 2012 by Shani Newbold following her experience of bias in the recruitment industry. It delivers four interconnected service lines: Executive Search for senior leadership roles (CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, Director-level), Board Recruitment for trustee and chair appointments, Interim Management for transitional leadership needs, and EDI Consultancy covering inclusive culture, strategy, transformation, and governance. The company does not develop or operate a technology platform — all offerings are advisory and search services delivered by a small team of approximately 10–15 consultants, associates, researchers, and operations staff.

The business model is professional services retained executive search and consultancy, with bespoke quote-based pricing negotiated per engagement and no publicly disclosed fee schedule. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales: direct, relationship-led outreach to charities, foundations, NHS trusts, public sector bodies, and values-led corporates, delivered via the website, LinkedIn, and referrals through a partner ecosystem that includes Women on Boards UK (official recruitment partner), Agenda Alliance, The Fore, ACEVO, The Conduit, and the Race at Work Charter. Differentiators include an EDI-first methodology that bypasses traditional 'black book' networks, the lived experience of practitioners, and a portfolio of EDI credentials including REC Corporate Membership, Race at Work Charter signatory status, Mental Health at Work Commitment, and Disability Confident Committed employer status. Reported outcomes include 200+ organisations served, 600+ individuals from underrepresented backgrounds supported into leadership roles, 25% faster executive fill times, and 50% higher placement success rates.

The client roster spans large charities and purpose-driven bodies including NSPCC, Sense, ActionAid UK, Mind, NCVO, Runnymede Trust, KPMG Foundation, Travalyst, Turn2us, and Systemic Justice. Cadence Partners was recognised as Business of the Year at the Precious Awards in 2024. Operations are UK-based; no global footprint has been disclosed.

Name

Cadence Partners

Legal name

New Bold Associates Limited

Website

https://cadencepartners.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cadence Partners is a UK boutique executive search and consultancy firm delivering EDI-focused senior leadership appointments, board recruitment, interim management, and inclusion advisory services to charities, foundations, NHS trusts, and public sector bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAGAB

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

SECONDARYBPAHACAN

Public Sector & Policy Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Board recruitment
• Interim management
• Diversity consulting
• Leadership advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search (Retained Search): Full-service retained executive search engagements for senior leadership roles (CEO, COO, CMO, CFO, Directors). Engagements include discovery, inclusive research and outreach, candidate evaluation, longlisting, interview support, and onboarding.
2. Board Recruitment: Specialist trustee and board chair appointments for charities, foundations, and public sector bodies. Covers full search, assessment process design, inclusive shortlisting, and induction support.
3. Interim Management: Placement of experienced interim leaders for periods of change, transformation, or leadership continuity. Rapid outreach, evaluation, shortlisting, and onboarding support.
4. EDI Consultancy: Advisory and consulting engagements covering inclusive culture, strategy, transformation, and governance. Delivered through discovery, co-design, implementation, and evaluation phases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cadence Partners is a UK executive search and consultancy firm delivering values-led Executive Search, Board Recruitment, Interim Management, and EDI Consultancy services. Engagements span discovery, inclusive research and outreach, candidate evaluation, shortlisting, interview support and onboarding, with EDI principles embedded throughout every mandate for the social impact sector.

Product overview

Cadence Partners is a unified executive search, consulting and advisory firm offering four interconnected services for the social impact sector: Executive Search for senior leadership appointments, Board Recruitment for governance strengthening, Interim Management for transitional leadership needs, and EDI Consultancy for embedding equity and inclusion into organizational strategy, culture, and governance. The services are designed to work collaboratively to help organisations build diverse, inclusive and effective leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% reduction in executive role fill times through streamlined and diversified recruitment processes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCadence Partners holds Corporate Membership of the REC, the UK's professional body for recruitment. This affiliation supports credibility, industry standards, and accountability in executive search practice.
• Race at Work ChartercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCadence Partners is a signatory to the Race at Work Charter, a UK government-backed initiative managed by Business in the Community, committing organisations to taking practical action to improve outcomes for Black, Asian, Mixed Race, and Caribbean employees.
• Mental Health at Work CommitmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignatory to the Mental Health at Work Commitment, supported by Mind, agreeing to uphold standards for supporting employee mental health.
• Women on Boards UKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial recruitment partner for Women on Boards UK, helping drive gender diversity on boards by connecting organisations with female leadership talent.
• Disability Confident SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCadence Partners is a Disability Confident Committed employer, part of the UK Government's scheme to end discrimination against disabled people in employment.
• Agenda AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShani Newbold serves as a Trustee with Agenda Alliance, a charity working to transform the lives of women and girls with multiple disadvantages. Cadence Partners supports through board-level involvement and EDI expertise.
• The ForeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShani Newbold sits on the Advisory Board of The Fore, an innovative charity foundation that provides grants and support to small charities. Partnership supports talent and governance expertise sharing.
• ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShani Newbold served on the race advisory group of ACEVO. Cadence Partners contributes to reports and guides, including NHS Board Recruitment Compact and Getting on Board's trustee diversity guide.
• The ConduitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with The Conduit, a members' club for impact-driven professionals, to reach diverse and high-calibre candidates across sectors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Inclusive Boards: UK specialist focused on diversity and inclusion in board and executive recruitment. Highly comparable niche positioning to Cadence Partners' EDI-first value proposition, particularly for board placements in the third sector.
• Saxton Bampfylde: UK executive search firm with a notable charity, social purpose, and public-sector practice. Directly competes with Cadence Partners for CEO and trustee appointments across UK charities and foundations.
• Russam GMS: UK interim management specialist that overlaps directly with Cadence Partners' interim leadership offering for charities, foundations, and public-sector clients undergoing transformation.
• GatenbySanderson: UK-based executive search firm specialising in public, third, and education sectors. Strong overlap with Cadence Partners' public-sector and charity client base; one of Cadence Partners' own team members (Dr Emma French) previously served as Principal Consultant there.
• Odgers Berndtson: Major UK and international executive search firm with a dedicated Public Practice and growing diversity-focused practice. Direct competitor for senior charity, foundation, and public-sector board and executive appointments in the UK.
• Green Park: UK executive search and interim management firm with a strong diversity-led practice serving the public and third sectors. Closely comparable business model, EDI focus, and client base to Cadence Partners.

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated Heidrick Consulting practice. Competes for larger UK charity, foundation, and NHS executive mandates that Cadence Partners' boutique scale cannot service.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and board advisory firm with a long-standing UK nonprofit and public-sector practice. Sets the competitive benchmark at the upper end of the market Cadence Partners serves.
• Harvey Nash: UK-based global executive search, leadership, and technology talent firm. Overlaps with Cadence Partners on executive search and interim leadership for public-sector and nonprofit clients in the UK.
• Korn Ferry: Global organisational consulting and executive search firm. Overlaps with Cadence Partners' EDI consultancy and search offerings through its culture, change, and leadership advisory practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cadence-partners
• Xx.com/cadencepartners

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Cadence Partners