MAZI

What MAZI does

MAZI (legal entity MAZI PEOPLE LTD) is a UK-incorporated, remote-first executive search firm that specializes exclusively in placing Chief People Officers and senior People Leaders into high-growth, entrepreneurial technology businesses. The firm was founded by Sim Lamb, a search specialist with more than 20 years of experience who has personally facilitated over 150 CPO placements across her career, and operates alongside co-founder Ross Seychell (former senior HR leader at King, Wise, and Personio) and a small leadership team of approximately 7 core members plus broader staff totaling 13. MAZI serves disruptive startups and scale-ups across EMEA (UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) and the United States, with named engagements spanning HR software (Personio), health/wellness tech (ZOE, GetHarley), logistics (Forto), commerce (commercetools), fitness (Glofox), cargo (CargoOne), crypto/fintech (Elliptic), food delivery (Deliveroo), energy (OVO Energy), and VC firms (Dawn, Albion, Synova, Stride).

The firm's core product is bespoke retained executive search for CPO and VP People roles, with a relationship-led methodology that leverages the proprietary MAZI CPO Collective — a curated private community of approximately 200 senior People Leaders launched in 2019 and subdivided into the MAZI CPO Lab (early-career CPOs) and MAZI CPO 100 (experienced CPOs). The community is governed by an advisory board of CPOs from companies including Flo Health, HV Capital, Vinted, Northzone, Balderton, Sequoia, Index, and DeepL. MAZI does not disclose or utilize any proprietary technology platform; operations are relationship-based with a Webflow-hosted website, a LinkedIn presence, and a Typeform application flow for community membership. There is no app, API, AI/ML product, or data flywheel described.

Commercially, MAZI operates a sales-led, professional services model. Revenue is generated through retained search fees that are quote-based and not publicly disclosed, structured around multi-year client engagements rather than transactional pricing. GTM is purely direct and referral-driven — no intermediaries, paid acquisition channels, or self-serve product — with brand presence concentrated on LinkedIn and word-of-mouth through the founder's network and the CPO Collective. The firm is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional funding, acquisitions, or parent company.

Name

MAZI

Legal name

MAZI PEOPLE LTD

Website

https://mazipeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MAZI is a UK-based, remote-first executive search firm specializing exclusively in placing Chief People Officers at growth-stage tech companies across EMEA and the US, operating alongside a curated community of 200+ CPOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Chief people officer recruitment
• Talent acquisition
• Headhunting services
• Senior people leadership

Headquarters

HQ city

Remote-first

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search and Placement Services: Retained search fees for placing Chief People Officers and senior People Leaders with innovative companies. The firm matches top-tier CPO talent with growth-stage businesses seeking people leadership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

MAZI is an executive search firm specializing in placing Chief People Officers (CPOs) and senior People Leaders with high-growth entrepreneurial businesses across EMEA and the US. The firm combines retained executive search services with a curated community (MAZI CPO Collective) of more than 200 CPOs, providing ongoing mentorship, networking, and development for People Leaders throughout their careers.

Product overview

MAZI is an executive search firm specializing in CPO (Chief People Officer) recruitment for high-growth startups and scale-ups. The company operates a single integrated service combining direct executive search with a community-led model. The core offerings include CPO Executive Search Services for placing People Leaders, and the MAZI CPO Collective ecosystem comprising three tiers: the main MAZI CPO Collective community for all members, the MAZI CPO Lab for early-career CPOs, and the MAZI CPO 100 for senior CPOs. The community launched in 2019 and has grown to approximately 200 members globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MAZI CPO Collective: A private curated community for Chief People Officers (CPOs), VP People and top level HR Leaders to connect, collaborate, and grow. The collective provides networking, curated events and resources, and specialized groups for members at different career stages.

Products and services

• CPO Executive Search Services Retained executive search and recruitment services connecting high-growth startups and scale-ups across EMEA and the US with Chief People Officers and senior People Leaders. The firm focuses on disruptive, high-growth entrepreneurial businesses in the tech ecosystem, leveraging the deep network of the MAZI CPO Collective to identify and place exceptional people leaders.
• MAZI CPO Collective A private curated community for Chief People Officers (CPOs), VP People, and top-level HR Leaders to connect, collaborate, and grow, featuring networking opportunities, curated events, specialized subgroups, and an exclusive online hub. The collective has grown to approximately 200+ members globally and is governed by an Advisory Board of CPOs from leading European technology and investment firms.
• MAZI CPO Lab A focused group within the MAZI CPO Collective for early-stage or first-time CPOs, VP People, and top-level HR Leaders, offering mentorship, development programs, and peer group support to navigate the unique challenges of early leadership.
• MAZI CPO 100 A specialized group within the MAZI CPO Collective for experienced CPOs solving complex organizational challenges, providing a collaboration space with top leaders on high-level strategy and transformative initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ people leaders successfully placed
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MAZI CPO Collective CommunitycoreOthers · 1 January 2019The MAZI CPO Collective is a curated private community for Chief People Officers, VP People, and top-level HR Leaders launched in 2019. It has grown to 200+ members globally and offers networking, curated events, specialized subgroups (CPO Lab, CPO 100), and an online hub. Governed by an Advisory Board including CPOs from Flo Health, HV Capital, Vinted, Northzone, Stride, Albion Ventures, Rimes, Synova, Balderton Capital, MONY Group, RLDatix, DeepL, Index Ventures, Beam, and Sequoia Capital.
• Altima (John Watkins)minorOthersJohn Watkins, Chairman, is also Founder and CEO of Altima, a global CFO Specialist search firm. His experience and philosophy align with MAZI's vision, providing complementary expertise in senior finance leadership search.
• Kate Blunt (The Recruitment Swiss Army Knife)minorOthersKey ally with over 15 years in leading agency recruitment, recommended for challenging briefs where clients don't know who to call. Represents complementary specialist recruitment expertise.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Hydrogen Group: Specialist talent and executive search firm with strong exposure to the European tech and scale-up ecosystem. Comparable in serving venture-backed clients for senior leadership roles, with partial overlap in CPO and People Leadership mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a strong CHRO/CPO practice. Comparable for senior People Leadership placements but operates across all C-suite roles and geographies with a much larger partner bench.
• Signium: Global executive search firm with a dedicated People & HR practice. Comparable in placing senior People Leaders, particularly across European and international markets, but operates as a generalist multi-practice firm.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search business and dedicated HR Officer practice. Competes for CPO mandates at scale as part of a broader portfolio including consulting and RPO services.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated People & Social Impact practice. Competes for similar CPO mandates but as part of a much broader portfolio including CEO, CFO, and board searches worldwide.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the largest global executive search firms with a dedicated HR Officer Practice. Directly comparable in placing CPOs into large and growth-stage companies, but operates at a different scale and as one of many practice areas.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a dedicated HR Officers practice. Comparable in People Leadership placements, particularly for large-scale-ups and enterprise clients, but broader and more globally distributed than MAZI.
• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with a dedicated HR Practice. Comparable in placing senior People Leaders across growth-stage and enterprise clients, especially in EMEA, but with a broader C-suite portfolio.

Direct peers

• Altima: Global CFO specialist executive search firm founded and led by John Watkins, MAZI's Chairman. Closely comparable niche specialist boutique model with a single functional focus, serving growth-stage tech companies on a single C-suite role.
• Riviera Partners: Tech-focused executive search firm placing C-suite and senior leaders (including People leaders) at venture-backed and growth-stage technology companies in the US and EMEA. Directly comparable in target client and niche specialist positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mazipeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 MAZI