Novus Executives
Novus Executives is a boutique executive search firm operating as a specialist division of Leap29, providing retained and executive search for senior hires across the Legal and Alternative Investments sectors in EMEA, with particular depth in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersWilmslow, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Novus Executives does
Novus Executives is a boutique executive search firm founded in August 2021 that operates as a specialist division of Leap29 Global Recruitment Solutions, a UK private limited company headquartered in Wilmslow, Cheshire. The firm is narrowly focused on two sectors — Legal and Alternative Investments — and serves clients across the EMEA region, with particular depth in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Ireland. Its client base spans private equity funds, venture and growth capital investors, real assets and infrastructure funds, investment banks, corporate finance boutiques, sovereign wealth funds, and law firms (Magic Circle, Silver Circle, US, and regional practices) along with in-house legal teams at major corporates and sovereign institutions.
The firm delivers four core services: Executive Search, Retained Search, Candidate Assessment, and Diversity and Inclusion advisory. Sector specializations are organized into Legal (Private Practice law firm recruitment and In-House Legal recruitment) and Alternative Investment (Private Equity, Real Assets/Infrastructure & Energy, Venture Capital & Growth Equity, and Investment Banking & Corporate Finance). The operating model is relationship-led and consultative, with senior consultants engaged directly on every mandate, leveraging long-standing off-market networks and a 97% retained-search success rate across 500+ completed mandates. Geographic positioning is reinforced by a dedicated Middle East office in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, supporting Saudization mandates, giga-projects, and cross-border placements into GCC institutions.
The revenue model is professional services, with retained search as the primary stream and executive search as a secondary offering; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured on an engagement-by-engagement basis. The firm markets itself through LinkedIn, a sector-specialized website, recurring monthly newsletters (Infrastructure Investment Europe and Technology Investment & Advisory in Europe), and a news/insights blog. The team comprises six named consultants with 50+ years of combined search experience, led by Managing Director Nathan Ward, who also oversees Leap29. No external funding, M&A activity, or proprietary technology platform is disclosed.
Novus Executives firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Novus Executives
- Legal name
- Leap29 Global Recruitment Solutions
- Website
- https://novus-executives.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Novus Executives is a boutique executive search firm operating as a specialist division of Leap29, providing retained and executive search for senior hires across the Legal and Alternative Investments sectors in EMEA, with particular depth in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Novus Executives industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search / Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)
Keywords
Where Novus Executives is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmslow
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Novus Executives business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Retained Search: Retained search is the primary revenue stream, involving a customized, rigorous search methodology with detailed research & analysis, professional headhunting, competency-based interviews, and background checks. The firm commits to working with clients until the desired result is achieved.
- Executive Search: Executive search services for buy and sell-side professionals from Analyst to Partner level, including bespoke searches, candidate assessments, and Diversity & Inclusion support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Novus Executives product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Novus Executives is a boutique executive search firm providing senior-level recruitment and consulting services exclusively within the Legal and Alternative Investment sectors across the EMEA region. The firm delivers Executive Search, Retained Search, Candidate Assessment, and Diversity and Inclusion services through a relationship-led, consultative approach, working with investment firms, law firms, sovereign-backed platforms, and global institutions to place Analyst-to-Partner-level professionals.
Product overview
Novus Executives is a boutique executive search firm operating as a unified service offering across four core service lines: Executive Search, Retained Search, Candidate Assessment, and Diversity and Inclusion. The company specialises in two primary sectors - Legal (covering Private Practice & Law Firm Recruitment and In-House Legal Recruitment) and Alternative Investment (covering Private Equity, Real Assets, Venture Capital & Growth Equity, and Investment Banking & Corporate Finance). All services are delivered through a relationship-led, consultative approach with deep market expertise across EMEA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Search Professional and confidential executive search supporting partners in the recruitment of buy and sell-side professionals from Analyst to Partner level, including bespoke search solutions and market insights, for investment firms, sovereign-backed platforms, and global institutions.
- Retained Search Customised search strategy with rigorous methodology and headhunting process, incorporating detailed research and analysis, direct candidate sourcing, competency-based interviews, and background checks; the firm commits to working with clients until the desired result is achieved.
- Candidate Assessment Comprehensive evaluation of candidates based on skills, experience, track record, and functional and behavioural competencies, including rigorous competency-based interviews, background checks, and personality assessments.
- Diversity and Inclusion Support for businesses in creating opportunities that promote diversity and inclusion, using data insights to evaluate current diversity levels and constructing unbiased job criteria and assessment processes.
- Private Practice & Law Firm Recruitment Legal recruitment services supporting law firms ranging from leading local and regional practices to top-tier international firms including Magic Circle, Silver Circle, and US firms, with expertise across corporate, disputes, and project development practice areas.
- In-House Legal Recruitment Legal recruitment services partnering with sovereign wealth funds, Saudi giga-projects, oil & gas majors, energy and power developers, family offices, sports and entertainment organisations, and regulatory bodies.
- Private Equity Recruitment Mid-market specialist recruitment for private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds, asset managers, family offices, and PE-backed companies driving growth in M&A, Finance and Strategy positions.
- Real Assets Recruitment Specialist recruitment in Infrastructure and Energy sectors covering sub-sectors including Digital Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, Social Infrastructure, Transportation, Power & Utilities, and Healthcare Infrastructure.
- Venture Capital & Growth Equity Recruitment Specialised recruitment services for venture capital and growth equity investors focusing on technology verticals, serving early and growth stage investors including VC funds, family offices, strategic investors, and asset managers.
- Investment Banking & Corporate Finance Recruitment Recruitment services spanning large mid-market investment banks, boutique corporate finance advisors, and start-up advisory firms, delivering across M&A, Corporate Finance, Capital Markets and Debt Advisory.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% retained search success rate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Novus Executives
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Novus Executives technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Novus Executives partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Leap29 Global Recruitment SolutionscoreNovus Executives is part of Leap29 Global Recruitment Solutions (Registration 03899908). Leap29 is a global recruitment solutions firm, and Novus Executives operates as its specialist division focused on Legal and Alternative Investments executive search across EMEA. Managing Director Nathan Ward oversees operations of both Novus Executives and Leap29.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Novus Executives competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Laurence Simons: Boutique legal-sector executive search firm with significant Middle East practice, recruiting partners and senior in-house counsel. Direct overlap with Novus's Legal practice across UK, MENA, and international law firm mandates.
- Odgers Berndtson: International mid-market executive search firm with strong UK and EMEA presence and a dedicated Financial Services and Private Equity practice. Closely comparable boutique-to-mid-market model targeting the same senior investment and legal leadership mandates.
- Edwards Gibson: UK and Middle East specialist legal recruitment firm focused on partner- and senior-level placements at international and regional law firms. Overlaps with Novus's Legal Private Practice search offering.
- Selby Jennings: Specialist financial services recruitment firm focused on investment, trading, and alternative-investment hires across EMEA. Competes with Novus on PE, VC, growth equity, and investment banking mandates, often at slightly more junior seniority.
Broad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Large diversified talent and executive search firm with a significant Financial Services and Legal vertical. Addresses the same senior hiring needs of investment firms, sovereigns, and major law firms, but as one of many practice areas.
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory with deep alternative-investment and in-house functional leadership practices. Competes with Novus for senior PE, VC, and senior in-house mandates across EMEA.
- Spencer Stuart: Top-tier global executive search firm with a strong Private Equity, Investment, and Financial Officer practices. Directly competes for senior alternative-investment and in-house leadership mandates, including across EMEA and the Gulf.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search leader with established Financial Services and Legal practices across EMEA. Comparable to Novus in serving senior mandates at investment firms, sovereign institutions, and major law firms, but operates at much larger scale across all sectors.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with one of the strongest dedicated Financial Services and Private Equity practices. Overlaps with Novus on Partner-level and senior leadership searches for investment firms and in-house legal/compliance leadership.
Emerging players
- Harrison Byrne: Emerging boutique executive search firm focused on alternative investments and financial services in EMEA. Comparable emerging boutique model targeting senior hires at PE, VC, and credit funds, similar to Novus's profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Novus Executives social profiles
Digital presenceNovus Executives compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Novus Executives financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Novus Executives leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Novus Executives funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Novus Executives 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 Novus Executives
What does Novus Executives do?
Novus Executives is a boutique executive search firm providing senior-level recruitment and consulting services exclusively within the Legal and Alternative Investment sectors across the EMEA region. The firm delivers Executive Search, Retained Search, Candidate Assessment, and Diversity and Inclusion services through a relationship-led, consultative approach, working with investment firms, law firms, sovereign-backed platforms, and global institutions to place Analyst-to-Partner-level professionals.
Is Novus Executives a public or private company?
Novus Executives is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Novus Executives founded?
Novus Executives was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Novus Executives based?
Novus Executives is headquartered in Wilmslow, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Novus Executives make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retained Search is the primary driver. The others are executive Search.
Who are Novus Executives's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Laurence Simons, Odgers Berndtson, Edwards Gibson and Selby Jennings. Broad incumbents are Korn Ferry, Egon Zehnder, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles and Russell Reynolds Associates. Harrison Byrne is listed as an emerging player.
Does Novus Executives have an API?
No public API is recorded for Novus Executives.
What industry is Novus Executives in?
Novus Executives's product category is Executive Search / Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAF, Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt), with a secondary code of BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops). Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.