What Elevate Partners does

Elevate Partners is a Dublin-headquartered boutique recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on the financial services sector. Founded in 2018 by Kevin Menton, Diarmuid Clancy and Stephen Gilmore, the firm operates from offices in Dublin (Mount Street Upper) and London (Mayfair, opened April 2022), and reports a cumulative reach of 1,095 clients across 3 continents built on a database of 38,997 screened financial services candidates. Its service portfolio spans permanent contingency recruitment, retained and executive search, and temporary/contract staffing, supported by add-on services including talent mapping, psychometric testing, CV workshops and career guidance. Vertically, the firm covers ten specialist areas: Accounting & Finance, Asset & Wealth Management, Aircraft Leasing, Energy & Infrastructure, ESG & Sustainability, Investment Banking, Private Credit & Private Equity, Real Estate, Risk & Compliance, and Technology.

Revenue is generated on a per-placement contingency basis for permanent roles, on retained fees for executive search, and on transaction fees for temporary/contract staffing; ancillary services (talent mapping, psychometric testing) are billed as professional services engagements. The go-to-market is consultative and relationship-driven, delivered through direct client engagement by the 10-person team (three founding directors, one associate director, sector heads and consultants) rather than through any proprietary technology platform. Marketing is built around content (annual sector-specific salary surveys, news & insights blog), a 71,093-follower LinkedIn presence, and CSR initiatives such as Movember and the Women in Finance Charter, which support the firm's reported 42.3% female placement rate.

Operationally, Elevate Partners is an owner-managed, bootstrapped private limited company incorporated in Ireland with no institutional investors, no parent entity, and no disclosed funding. There is no proprietary technology stack; the value proposition rests on industry expertise, candidate network, consultant relationships, and execution credibility (the firm claims a 98.7% success rate on retained assignments). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement, consistent with the bespoke nature of senior financial services search.

Name

Elevate Partners

Legal name

Elevate Partners Limited

Website

https://elevatepartners.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elevate Partners is a Dublin- and London-based boutique recruitment consultancy founded in 2018 that places permanent, contract, and executive talent across ten financial services verticals, serving 1,095 clients across 3 continents from a 10-person owner-managed team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Recruitment: Contingency-based placement fees for sourcing high-calibre professionals for permanent roles across financial services sectors including investment banking, asset management, risk and compliance, and accounting and finance.
2. Retained & Executive Search: Retained search fees for identifying and securing senior-level leadership talent. Process includes detailed role scoping, stakeholder consultations, market mapping, and competency-based interviews to deliver C-suite and specialised leadership roles.
3. Temporary & Contract Staffing Solutions: Flexible temporary and contract recruitment solutions covering short-term projects, maternity leave, and peak workload periods. Dedicated contract recruitment team ensures fast turnaround and ongoing support.
4. Talent Mapping: Market analysis and competitor benchmarking services providing insights into talent landscapes to support strategic workforce planning and future hiring pipelines.
5. Psychometric Testing: Scientifically validated assessments measuring candidates' cognitive abilities, personality traits, and job-related competencies to support data-driven hiring decisions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Elevate Partners is a Dublin-based boutique recruitment consultancy that places permanent, temporary, contract, and executive-level candidates into financial services organisations. Its core services cover permanent recruitment, retained and executive search, temporary and contract solutions, and talent mapping, with supplementary candidate support such as psychometric testing, CV workshops, and career guidance. The firm serves clients across accounting and finance, asset and wealth management, aircraft leasing, ESG and sustainability, energy and infrastructure, investment banking, private credit and private equity, real estate, risk and compliance, and technology.

Product overview

Elevate Partners operates as a boutique recruitment consultancy offering a suite of talent solutions tailored to the financial services sector. The core portfolio comprises Permanent Recruitment, Retained & Executive Search, and Temporary Solutions, supported by ancillary services including Talent Mapping, Psychometric Testing, CV Workshops, and Career Guidance. The company specialises across ten sectors: Accounting & Finance, Asset & Wealth Management, Aircraft Leasing, Energy & Infrastructure, ESG & Sustainability, Investment Banking, Private Credit & Private Equity, Real Estate, Risk & Compliance, and Technology. Founded in 2018, the firm connects exceptional talent with industry-leading opportunities, serving clients across Dublin and London with a reach extending to three continents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Recruitment Full-time permanent placement service for financial services employers across accounting, asset and wealth management, aircraft leasing, ESG, energy and infrastructure, investment banking, private credit and private equity, real estate, risk and compliance, and technology roles.
• Retained & Executive Search Senior-level confidential search service for financial services organisations, with a 98.7% record on retained assignments, targeting C-suite, partner, and other senior hires.
• Temporary & Contract Solutions Interim, temporary, and contract staffing service providing financial services clients with flexible workforce solutions across the same sub-sectors covered by permanent recruitment.
• Talent Mapping Proactive market intelligence service that maps relevant passive talent pools within financial services sub-sectors, supporting clients' workforce planning and pipelining for future hiring needs.
• Psychometric Testing Candidate assessment service using psychometric instruments to evaluate suitability for financial services roles, supporting both client hiring decisions and candidate development.
• CV Workshops Structured CV preparation service for financial services candidates, helping them present experience and credentials effectively for roles across the firm's covered sub-sectors.
• Career Guidance Advisory service guiding financial services professionals on career direction, market positioning, and progression opportunities within the sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.7% record on retained assignments
• +2 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays: Global publicly-listed recruiter with extensive UK and Ireland operations and a substantial banking and financial services practice — competes across overlapping service lines but at much broader scale.
• Robert Walters: Global publicly-listed recruitment firm with a major financial services practice across the UK and Ireland — a scaled incumbent competing for the same financial services mandates but at significantly larger scale.
• Reed: UK-headquartered family-owned recruitment group with deep financial services coverage in the UK and Ireland — comparable on service mix but with materially greater scale and brand reach.
• Michael Page: Global publicly-listed recruiter with dedicated UK and Ireland financial services and accounting coverage — overlaps directly with Elevate's permanent and senior hiring mandate but as part of a multi-sector portfolio.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with one of the leading financial services practices — competes for senior financial services mandates at a larger scale and more international footprint, representing a ceiling competitor.

Direct peers

• Goodman Masson: London-based specialist financial services, investment banking and accounting recruitment firm — directly comparable on the UK executive search and permanent placement focus.
• Sigmar Recruitment: Irish-headquartered multi-sector recruitment firm with strong financial services exposure across permanent, contract and executive search — closely comparable on geography, scale and service mix.
• CPL Resources: One of Ireland's largest recruitment and workforce solutions groups, with a dedicated financial services practice and UK presence — comparable as a domestic competitor with broader scale and similar sector focus.
• Morgan McKinley: Ireland- and UK-headquartered specialist financial services recruitment firm operating across banking, asset management, risk and compliance — a directly comparable boutique-to-mid-market competitor with similar sector specialisation and geography.

Emerging players

• Lincoln International: Boutique investment banking and private equity advisory firm that also runs senior financial services talent initiatives — adjacent rather than direct, but draws from the same candidate pool and competes for senior mandates at the intersection of banking and PE.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Elev8Partners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elevate-partners-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/elevatepartners.ie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Elevate Partners