Skill Equity Partners
Skill Equity Partners is an owner-managed boutique advisory firm that provides executive search and leadership consulting services — including succession planning, board advisory, and talent due diligence — to alternative asset management firms across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Skill Equity Partners does
Skill Equity Partners is an owner-managed boutique advisory firm specializing in executive search and leadership consulting for the alternative asset management industry. Founded in April 2021 in Frankfurt by Olaf Geretzki (formerly Partner at Spencer Stuart, Senior Director at AlixPartners, and prior investor at Oaktree Capital Management), the firm operates as Skill Equity GmbH (HRB 123289) with offices in Frankfurt and London. The company serves PE buy-out, distressed, credit, hedge, VC, infrastructure, and sovereign wealth funds, alongside investment banks, corporate banks, asset managers, private wealth managers, fintech firms, and real estate investors.
The firm offers two service lines. Executive Search is a high-touch, client-driven recruitment process for senior investment professionals, portfolio company executives, and C-suite leaders, supported by a real-time web portal hosted by third-party provider Clockwork ESE. Advisory Services cover succession planning, board advisory, market mapping, compensation advisory, and talent due diligence for M&A transactions. The core technology stack — the web portal and global candidate/client database — is delivered via a single core technology partnership with Clockwork ESE, supplemented by Microsoft and Zoom for collaboration. The firm does not disclose proprietary AI or data-science tooling; differentiation rests on practitioner experience, domain knowledge of the alt-asset industry, and the senior-level operator network built by Geretzki over two decades.
The commercial model is engagement-based professional services pricing, not publicly disclosed, with a sales-led go-to-market targeting enterprise clients. Distribution is direct: no intermediaries, marketing limited to LinkedIn and the company website. The team consists of founder Olaf Geretzki and consultant Jane Harley (joined December 2023, previously Head of Strategic Hires at FTI Consulting), consistent with a stated 1–10 employee footprint. The firm reports no funding, no acquisitions, no subsidiaries, and operates as a standalone independent entity.
Skill Equity Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skill Equity Partners
- Legal name
- Skill Equity GmbH
- Website
- https://skillequitypartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Skill Equity Partners is an owner-managed boutique advisory firm that provides executive search and leadership consulting services — including succession planning, board advisory, and talent due diligence — to alternative asset management firms across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skill Equity Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search Services
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA)
Keywords
Where Skill Equity Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Skill Equity Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Executive Search Services: Bespoke executive search assignments for senior investment professionals, portfolio company executives, and advisors in the alternative asset management industry. Client-driven process with full transparency.
- Advisory Services: Leadership consulting including succession planning, board advisory, market mapping, compensation advisory, and talent due diligence services for companies facing leadership challenges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom engagement-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Skill Equity Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Skill Equity Partners provides bespoke executive search and leadership advisory services to the alternative asset management industry. The firm recruits senior investment professionals, portfolio company executives, and advisors for private equity, financial services, and real estate clients, and offers advisory work in succession planning, board advisory, market mapping, compensation advisory, and talent due diligence for M&A transactions.
Product overview
Skill Equity Partners operates as an owner-managed boutique offering two primary service lines: Executive Search and Advisory Services. The Executive Search practice provides high-touch, client-driven recruitment for senior executives using a proprietary web portal for real-time collaboration. The Advisory Services practice offers specialized consulting in succession planning, board advisory, market mapping, compensation advisory, and talent due diligence. Both services target the alternative asset management industry, including private equity, financial services, and real estate sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Search
Quantifiable outcome
- State-of-the-art web portal fostering high collaboration and full transparency resulting in best hiring decisions
Companies that use Skill Equity Partners
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Skill Equity Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Skill Equity Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Clockwork ESE, InccoreThird-party service provider managing and hosting the global client database and web portal used for candidate tracking and client collaboration. Located at 4357 Cedarhurst Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA (www.clockworkrecruiting.com). This is a critical technology partnership enabling the firm's real-time collaboration platform for executive search operations.
- Travel Agencies (Third-party)minorSelected travel agency partners used for facilitating interview travel arrangements for candidates during recruitment processes, including processing candidate information such as name, email, phone, passport details, and travel destination data.
- Software Service ProviderscoreTechnology partners including Microsoft Corporation and Zoom Video Communication, Inc for software services and applications. These providers process candidate and client data under binding contractual obligations to ensure data protection compliance.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Skill Equity Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong Private Equity, Real Estate, and Asset Management practices in Europe and globally; competes with Skill Equity for senior alt-AM mandates.
- Boyden: Global executive search firm with active Private Equity and Financial Services practices; competes with Skill Equity for senior leadership placements in mid-market alt-AM firms.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with deep financial services, PE, and real estate practices. Founder Olaf Geretzki was previously a Partner leading the PE and RE practices in Germany; the closest direct competitor and the canonical alternative-asset-management search specialist.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a leading Financial Services Practice covering investment management, private equity, hedge funds, and real estate; competes directly with Skill Equity on senior alt-AM mandates.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established Financial Services practice serving investment management, private equity, real estate, and banking clients; a direct competitor to Skill Equity for senior leadership roles in European alt-AM.
- Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with deep European Financial Services and Private Equity practices; a relevant peer given its strong London and continental European footprint serving similar alt-AM clients.
- Korn Ferry: One of the world's largest executive search firms with substantial Financial Services and Asset Management practices; consultant Jane Harley previously worked at Korn Ferry, establishing direct functional and client overlap with Skill Equity Partners.
Broad incumbents
- FTI Consulting: Global advisory firm where consultant Jane Harley previously led Strategic Hires in EMEA; offers adjacent leadership advisory and strategic-communications services that overlap with Skill Equity's advisory and talent-due-diligence offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Skill Equity Partners social profiles
Digital presenceSkill Equity Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skill Equity Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Skill Equity Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skill Equity Partners 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 Skill Equity Partners
What does Skill Equity Partners do?
Skill Equity Partners provides bespoke executive search and leadership advisory services to the alternative asset management industry. The firm recruits senior investment professionals, portfolio company executives, and advisors for private equity, financial services, and real estate clients, and offers advisory work in succession planning, board advisory, market mapping, compensation advisory, and talent due diligence for M&A transactions.
Is Skill Equity Partners a public or private company?
Skill Equity Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Skill Equity Partners founded?
Skill Equity Partners was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Skill Equity Partners based?
Skill Equity Partners is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Skill Equity Partners make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Executive Search Services are the primary driver. The others are advisory Services.
Who are Skill Equity Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Egon Zehnder, Boyden, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds Associates, Odgers Berndtson and Korn Ferry. FTI Consulting is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Skill Equity Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skill Equity Partners.
What industry is Skill Equity Partners in?
Skill Equity Partners's product category is Executive Search Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAOAE, Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital), with a secondary code of BPAJANAA, Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation). Its SIC code is 8742.