The Forbes Group

What The Forbes Group does

The Forbes Group is a privately held retained executive search, consulting, and training firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1986 by Kathy Forbes. The firm specializes exclusively in VP and CXO-level executive searches for technology industry clients, ranging from venture-backed early-stage companies to large established firms, and also serves venture capital and private equity firms seeking leadership talent for portfolio companies. Its operating model is intentionally boutique: the firm limits itself to no more than 2-3 concurrent retained searches to maintain engagement quality, and reports a 100% search completion ratio with 90%+ of placed executives still in role after two years.

The firm's core technology is a proprietary assessment methodology rather than a software platform, anchored by four trademarked tools: FIT™ (Forbes Identification of Talent), a strengths-based, forward-looking hiring system grounded in over a decade of empirical and academic research; SPG™ (Success Profile Generator), a position analysis tool that identifies predictors of success; CAT™ (Cultural Assessment Tool) for cultural fit assessment; and PFI™, an additional assessment instrument. The methodology evaluates leaders against performance objectives and success profile predictors using a framework built around the Six Primary Tasks of Effective Leaders and Seven Vital Character Traits of Champions.

The Forbes Group monetizes through three professional services streams: retained executive search engagements, consulting engagements focused on internal promotion decisions, and interview training workshops based on the FIT™ process. Pricing is custom and engagement-based and is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven, with named financial partners including Benchmark Capital, JP Morgan, Columbia Capital, Argonaut Private Equity, and HIG Capital providing referrals from their portfolio companies. The firm has 11-50 employees, no disclosed external funding, and is founder-owned.

Name

The Forbes Group

Legal name

The Forbes Group

Website

https://theforbesgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Forbes Group is an Atlanta-based retained executive search firm founded in 1986 that conducts VP and CXO-level searches for technology companies and VC/PE-backed portfolio companies using its proprietary FIT™ assessment methodology, complemented by consulting and interview training services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

Keywords

• Executive search
• Leadership assessment
• Retained search
• Talent consulting
• Executive recruiting

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: Primary revenue stream from retained executive search engagements at VP and CXO levels in the technology industry. Clients include venture-backed early stage companies to large established firms. The firm receives retainer fees for search assignments.
2. Consulting Services: Consulting practice focused on successful promotion, helping clients develop a process for promoting the right people into higher-level positions. Revenue generated through consulting engagements.
3. Interview Training: Interview training workshops delivered to client organizations based on the FIT hiring process. Revenue from training workshop engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Forbes Group is a retained executive search, consulting, and training firm specializing in VP and CXO-level leadership placements within the technology industry. The firm uses proprietary predictive hiring methodologies (FIT Hiring System, SPG, CAT, PFI) to assess and place senior executives, and conducts no more than 2-3 searches at a time to maintain a focused, high-touch engagement model.

Product overview

The Forbes Group is a retained executive search, consulting, and training firm specializing in leadership assessment at the VP and CXO level in the technology industry. Their core offering is the FIT™ (Forbes Identification of Talent™) Hiring System, a strengths-based predictive hiring methodology. This system is supported by three proprietary tools: SPG™ (Success Profile Generator™) for position analysis and identifying success predictors, CAT™ (Cultural Assessment Tool™) for cultural fit assessment, and PFI™. The company also offers Executive Search services, Consulting focused on promotion decisions, and Interview Training workshops. The portfolio is unified around the FIT™ framework, with all tools and services designed to improve predictive hiring accuracy for leadership roles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FIT (Forbes Identification of Talent): A strengths-based hiring system grounded in over a decade of empirical and academic research, designed for predictive hiring.
• SPG (Success Profile Generator)
• CAT (Cultural Assessment Tool)

Products and services

• Executive Search
• Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% search completion ratio - all assignments completed successfully
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stott and May: Executive search and talent advisory firm with a strong technology and transformation practice. Comparable as a boutique-to-mid-market retained search competitor serving technology leadership mandates.
• True Search: Executive search firm specializing in placements for venture-backed technology companies. Comparable as it serves similar VC-backed tech clients at leadership level, positioning similarly as a specialist boutique within retained search.
• Riviera Partners: Boutique retained executive search firm focused on technology companies at VP and C-suite levels. Closely comparable to The Forbes Group in target customer (tech), level (VP/CXO), and boutique positioning, with similar reliance on proprietary assessment methodology.
• DHR International: Retained executive search firm with a dedicated technology practice competing for CXO-level technology hires. Comparable in service offering and target buyer, though operating with a larger global footprint than The Forbes Group.

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Large global retained search firm with a strong technology, media, and telecommunications practice. Comparable as a direct competitor for technology CXO/board mandates, but operates at much greater scale across multiple verticals.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global retained executive search firm with a dedicated technology and CEO/board practice. Comparable because it competes for the same technology VP/CXO mandates The Forbes Group services, but with broader geographic reach and significantly larger bench.
• Korn Ferry: One of the largest global executive search and organizational consulting firms, with deep technology-officer and board practices. Comparable because it competes for senior leadership mandates in technology, but is several orders of magnitude larger and broader in portfolio.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global retained executive search firm with an established technology officers practice. Comparable as it targets the same VP/CXO technology leadership mandates, but with much larger scale and cross-industry coverage.
• Egon Zehnder: Privately held global retained search firm with a strong technology and digital practice. Comparable as a competitor for executive-level technology searches, but with broader international coverage and deeper sector breadth.

Emerging players

• IQTalent Partners: Talent partner combining on-demand recruiting and executive search with technology-enabled workflows. Comparable in serving technology clients for senior hires, but differentiates via a tech-enabled platform approach versus Forbes Group's traditional boutique model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 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 The Forbes Group