Maven - Design & Property Leadership Search

Name

Maven - Design & Property Leadership Search

Legal name

Maven

Website

https://mavenglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

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 services
• Leadership recruitment
• Architecture talent search
• Senior leadership search
• Design industry recruiting

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney, NSW

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retained Senior Leadership Search: Maven is retained by respected architecture and design practices to conduct exclusive senior leadership searches. Each search is retained, research-led, and personally run end-to-end by the founder. The firm works on a selective basis, taking on only a handful of searches at a time, representing practices seeking Principals, Directors, Sector Leaders, and Studio Leaders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Maven is a boutique, retained senior leadership search consultancy working exclusively in architecture, interior design, landscape, and urban design. The firm researches the entire relevant market — not just active job-seekers — to build a shortlist of 10–15 candidates per search, then extends a personalised, confidential invitation to each potential leader. Every search is retained by a single client practice and run personally end to end by founder Dean Dewhirst.

Product overview

Maven offers a single, integrated executive search service focused exclusively on senior leadership appointments within architecture and design. Their core offering is retained, research-led search for roles including Principals, Directors, Sector Leaders, and Studio Leaders. The service is built on confidential, relationship-based methodology rather than job advertising or database matching. Additionally, they have produced 'The 20 Stories series'—two published books documenting leadership journeys in Australian architecture—which reflect their deep industry knowledge and serve as a branded content extension of their consultancy practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Senior Leadership Search Services Retained, research-led executive search for senior leadership positions (Principals, Directors, Sector Leaders, Studio Leaders) exclusively in architecture, interior design, landscape, and urban design practices. Each search is personally run end to end by founder Dean Dewhirst.
• The 20 Stories Series Two published books documenting leadership stories from Australia's leading architecture and design practitioners. Includes 'From the Ground Up: 20 Stories of a Life in Architecture' (2014) and 'Chasing the Sky: 20 Stories of Women in Architecture'.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shortlists of 10–15 names from a market of hundreds, per search
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Signium: Global executive search firm with a real estate, design, and construction practice placing senior leaders. Comparable in serving senior mandates within design-led businesses, though with broader sector coverage than Maven.
• Page Executive: Global senior executive search firm with a real estate and design practice. Overlaps with Maven on Principal and Director-level mandates in architecture and design firms, with comparable retained search methodology but broader geographic and sector scope.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search firm with deep senior leadership and board placement strength. Competes with Maven for Principal and Director-level appointments in design-led businesses, though its portfolio is broader than architecture/design only.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated architecture, design, and built-environment practice. Operates at much larger scale than Maven across multiple senior leadership functions, but with less exclusivity on the design-professions niche.
• Korn Ferry: The largest global executive search and organisational consulting firm. Has a built-environment and design practice that places senior leaders, competing at the top of the architecture and design market where Maven also operates.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the largest global executive search firms, with a dedicated design and architecture practice serving senior leadership appointments. Comparable in the type of roles (Principals, Directors, Sector Leaders) but operates across industries and geographies.

Direct peers

• Cobalt Recruitment: Specialist recruitment firm with a strong built-environment, property, and design practice. Competes with Maven for senior appointments in architecture and design firms, with particular depth in property-adjacent leadership roles.
• Bespoke Careers: Specialist architecture, design, and property recruitment firm operating across multiple geographies. The closest direct competitor to Maven in terms of niche focus on architecture and design, although it operates at broader volume and mid-career levels rather than Maven's exclusive senior leadership focus.
• Watermark Search International: Specialist executive search firm focused on the architecture, design, property, and construction sectors. Highly comparable in niche focus and senior leadership mandate scope, particularly in Australia and the UK.

Regional players

• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with strong APAC and Australian presence, placing senior leaders across industries including property and design. Most directly comparable geographic peer through its Australian footprint, though it serves a much broader range of sectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maven

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Maven - Design & Property Leadership Search