International Executive Search

What International Executive Search does

International Executive Search is a privately held, founder-led specialist executive search firm focused exclusively on senior private banking and private wealth management appointments. Founded in 2008 by Stephen Heal — who brings 30+ years of executive search experience and 25+ years specialising in private banking — the firm is headquartered in St Albans, United Kingdom, with a regional entity (International Executive Search Middle East LLC-FZ) operating from Dubai's Meydan Free Zone. Its client base comprises leading private banks, multi-billionaire and global family offices, and large global corporations seeking senior private banking leadership and relationship managers across the Middle East, EMEA, UK, Switzerland, Africa and Asia.

The firm delivers its services through three engagement models: single-hire retained assignments for confidential or strategic senior appointments; rolling retainer partnerships for banks undertaking multi-hire, multi-location team build-outs; and contingent search for targeted candidate introductions. Delivery is anchored in a proprietary six-stage Scope–Execute–Close methodology (Briefing → Market Mapping → Long List → Short List → Process → Closure) and a self-imposed code of practice. The firm does not operate a proprietary software platform; its technology stack is limited to standard productivity tools (WordPress-hosted website, Google Analytics, Google AdSense, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, Atlassian Jira Service Desk) used for marketing, content distribution and operational support.

The revenue model is professional services fees on retained mandates combined with subscription-style recurring retainer fees on multi-hire engagements. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed; mandates are initiated via direct enquiry to the founder and executed personally by Stephen Heal and his team. Approximately 75% of mandates are for positions outside the UK, reflecting the firm's international, cross-border mandate mix. The firm reports a 100% success rate on retained mandates and 50+ senior private banking placements across the Middle East, UK, Switzerland and Africa in the prior 18 months.

Name

International Executive Search

Legal name

International Executive Search

Website

https://internationalexecutivesearch.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Executive Search is a specialist private banking executive search firm serving banks, family offices and global corporations. It delivers retained single-hire searches, rolling multi-hire retainers and contingent searches across the Middle East, EMEA, UK, Switzerland, Africa and Asia.

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)

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
• Private banking recruitment
• Wealth management hiring
• Senior talent acquisition
• Confidential executive placement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retained search fees: Single-hire retained executive search engagements where the client pays a fee to secure a focused, confidential search for one critical senior hire. Used for high-impact, business-critical roles such as Managing Partner or CEO appointments.
2. Rolling retainer fees: Multi-hire, ongoing partnership arrangement for banks undertaking team build-outs, market expansion or sustained hiring. Provides continuous access to senior private banking talent across multiple locations and roles over time, billed on a recurring retainer basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

International Executive Search is a specialist private banking executive search firm that delivers confidential, senior-level placements (Board, CEO, MD, Director, Head of desk, relationship managers) for private banks, family offices and global corporations. The firm offers three engagement models — retained single-hire search, rolling retainer for multi-hire team build-outs, and contingent search — underpinned by a six-stage Scope–Execute–Close methodology and a self-imposed code of practice. Services are delivered globally with concentrated coverage across London, Geneva, Zurich, Dubai, the wider Middle East, EMEA and Asia, with 75% of mandates placed for positions overseas.

Product overview

International Executive Search delivers its offering as a unified specialist executive search practice — not a multi-product software platform. The portfolio is organised around three engagement models: Retained Assignments (Single Hire Retained Search) for confidential, business-critical senior hires; Rolling Retainer for ongoing, multi-location team build-outs across London, Geneva, Zurich and Dubai; and Contingent Search for targeted introductions of senior private bankers. These engagement models are applied across two underlying practice areas — the Private Banking Executive Search Practice and the Family Office Executive Search Practice — to deliver senior appointments in private banking, private wealth management and family office leadership globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retained Assignments (Single Hire Retained Search) Full-cycle, single-mandate executive search for high-profile, business-critical private banking roles; delivers a curated shortlist and one high-impact placement per mandate, suited to confidential or strategic senior appointments such as Board, CEO, MD or Director hires.
• Rolling Retainer Ongoing, long-term executive search partnership for banks scaling teams or entering new markets; provides continuous access to senior private banking talent with flexible coverage across London, Geneva, Zurich and Dubai and prioritisation across roles and locations.
• Contingent Search Targeted candidate identification for specific vacancies, providing a flexible, discreet approach to introducing high-performing private bankers to relevant opportunities where there is a strong mutual fit.
• Private Banking Executive Search Practice Specialist practice delivering senior appointments within private banking and private wealth management, covering leadership, specialist client advisors and ultra-high-net-worth relationship managers across the Middle East, EMEA and Asia.
• Family Office Executive Search Practice Search practice serving family offices, including mandates such as Managing Partner Search for a Global Family Office and Chief Investment Officer Mandate for a London Family Office.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ senior private banking professionals placed in the past 18 months across the Middle East, UK, Switzerland and Africa
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chell Web & DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWebsite design and build partner for internationalexecutivesearch.co.uk. Credited in the site footer alongside the firm's privacy and cookies policies, indicating Chell Web & Design designed or maintains the company website. Limited information on the depth of the relationship beyond web design services.
• LinkedIncoreTechnology or IntegrationEmbedded LinkedIn content (e.g., "like", "pin", "tweet" share buttons) is used across the website for social promotion and to surface recent social posts. LinkedIn cookies (sdsc, li_gc, BizographicsOptOut, lms_ads, _guid, li-oatml, li_sugr, UserMatchHistory, lms_analytics, AnalyticsSyncHistory, li_alerts, bcookie, lidc, bscookie) are placed for load balancing, preferences, advertising, identity tracking and analytics.
• Google (Analytics & AdSense)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Analytics is used for website statistics (_ga and _ga_* cookies, 2-year and 1-year expirations). Google AdSense is used to display advertisements and provide ad delivery and retargeting (_gcl_au, google_adsense_settings, _gcl_ls cookies). Sharing of data follows Google's privacy statement.
• WordPresscoreTechnology or IntegrationContent management system used to develop and run internationalexecutivesearch.co.uk. Sets the wpEmojiSettingsSupports session cookie to store browser details for functional purposes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Hanover Fox International: Boutique executive search firm focused exclusively on financial services, including private banking, wealth management and family offices. Comparable in niche, vertical-only focus and senior mandate profile, though smaller in scale than IES.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Large global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a substantial Financial Services practice covering private banking, wealth and asset management. Competes with IES on senior private banking mandates but as part of a much broader, multi-sector portfolio.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organisational consulting firm with a significant executive search and financial services talent practice. A broad incumbent competing for senior private banking leadership mandates as part of a diversified talent and consulting portfolio.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and leadership consulting firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice covering private banking and wealth management. Comparable on mandate type but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple sectors.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice serving banks, asset managers and family offices. A larger incumbent that competes with IES on senior private banking and wealth leadership searches.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a long-standing Financial Services practice serving private banks, wealth managers and family offices. A broader incumbent whose scale and brand compete with IES for the same senior hiring budgets.

Direct peers

• Pedersen & Partners: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice and strong Central/Eastern Europe, MENA and emerging markets footprint. Directly comparable to IES in serving senior private banking and wealth management mandates across cross-border geographies.
• Stanton Chase: Global executive search firm with a strong Financial Services practice and meaningful MENA presence, including offices in Dubai and across the Gulf. Mid-sized peer that directly competes with IES for senior private banking and family office mandates in similar geographies.
• Charterhouse Search Partners: International executive search firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice covering private banking, asset management and fintech across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Closely comparable in size, vertical focus and cross-border mandate mix to IES.
• Odgers Berndtson: Mid-sized international executive search firm with strong Financial Services coverage across the UK, Switzerland, Middle East and global wealth centres. Directly competes with IES for senior private banking, wealth and family office leadership mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 International Executive Search