Optima Search | Europe & America

What Optima Search | Europe & America does

Optima Search | Europe & America is a privately held, founder-owned boutique executive search firm headquartered in London, UK, founded in 2013 by Krzysztof Harazinski. The firm provides retained and exclusive search mandates for senior and executive-level placements across EMEA and the USA, with Germany representing approximately 35% of its business. Its core offering is executive and senior leadership recruitment for technology-driven companies, including SaaS, MarTech, cloud, data analytics, cybersecurity, digital health, and smart manufacturing, serving clients ranging from US-based firms expanding into Europe to European companies entering the US market. The firm's stated differentiators are a no-internal-sales-targets model, a quality-over-volume approach (typically 5 CVs per role), 85% project closing rate, 89% client referral rate, full CRM transparency, and a remote-first delivery model.

The service portfolio spans nine practice lines: Executive Search Recruitment, Mid-Management Search, Sales and Marketing Recruitment, Digital Recruitment Services, IT Recruitment, HR and Recruitment Consulting, Corporate and Individual Outplacement, Market Reports, and the Executive Leadership Table Talks community platform. The firm operates on a quote-based, per-engagement pricing model with multi-year client relationships, drawing on a curated network of 33,000+ candidates accumulated over 13 years. Distribution is sales-led direct engagement, supported by a multilingual website (English, German, French), LinkedIn, Twitter, and content marketing including a recruitment blog and webinars.

Optima Search is GDPR-compliant and registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ZA377703). It is entirely bootstrapped, with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors. The firm's client roster includes Salesforce, SAP, Snowflake, Hootsuite, Tableau, Akeneo, Emarsys, Teradata, Bloomreach, and Hyperoptic, among 60+ cumulative clients. The company is operationally lean and has signaled forward expansion through the addition of new sector verticals (AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital health, smart manufacturing) and the launch of the Executive Leadership Table Talks peer-networking platform.

Name

Optima Search | Europe & America

Legal name

Optima Search - Europe & America Ltd.

Website

https://optimaeurope.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Optima Search is a London-based boutique executive search firm founded in 2013, placing senior and C-suite leaders for technology and SaaS companies across EMEA and the USA on a retained or exclusive basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire (BPACAFAO)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Senior leadership recruitment
• Retained search recruitment
• Technology recruitment
• Boutique recruitment agency

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Recruitment: Retained or exclusive search mandates for senior and executive-level placements across EMEA and the USA. The firm works with a limited client portfolio to ensure focused attention on each search mandate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Optima Search | Europe & America is a boutique executive search and senior leadership recruitment consultancy that places C-suite and senior commercial leaders (VP Sales, Marketing Directors, Country Managers, etc.) for technology companies, SaaS scale-ups, and firms expanding across EMEA and the USA. The firm operates on a retained or exclusive basis with a limited client portfolio, emphasizing placement quality over volume, and delivers services primarily via a remote-first model with full CRM transparency.

Product overview

Optima Search | Europe & America is a specialist executive and senior leadership recruitment agency offering a unified portfolio of recruitment services. The core offering comprises Executive Search Recruitment for C-suite and senior leadership roles, Mid-Management Search, Sales & Marketing Recruitment, Digital Recruitment Services, and Information Technology Recruitment. Additional services include HR & Recruitment Consulting, Corporate and Individual Outplacement, and Market Reports. The company also hosts Executive Leadership Table Talks, an online community platform for executive peer networking. The services are delivered as a boutique consultancy model without internal sales targets, focusing on quality over volume with 85% successful project closing rate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Exec Leadership Table Talks: Online platform for executive leadership knowledge sharing and peer networking

Products and services

• Executive Search Recruitment

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% successful project closing rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers31 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

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with deep technology, digital, and media practices placing C-suite and board executives. Overlaps with Optima at the very senior end of tech leadership searches worldwide.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search practice covering technology, digital, and consumer industries. Competes broadly with Optima on senior executive mandates and serves many of the same enterprise clients.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with strong EMEA presence placing senior leaders across technology, consumer, and financial services. Comparable in serving enterprise clients across European geographies.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm serving CEO, board, and senior leadership across technology and consumer sectors. Competes with Optima on enterprise tech mandates but at much broader scale and full-service scope.

Direct peers

• Carter Murray: Executive search firm placing senior leaders across marketing, sales, digital, and HR functions globally. Comparable in its commercial-leader search focus and EMEA reach, especially for mid-to-senior roles in technology-driven businesses.
• Stott and May: Boutique UK technology recruitment firm specialising in mid-to-senior technology and digital hires. Overlaps with Optima in serving SaaS and digital clients across EMEA with a similar boutique delivery model.
• Progressieve: International executive search consultancy covering digital, technology, and commercial leadership roles across the UK, EMEA, and US. Directly comparable given cross-border focus on tech-sector senior placements.
• Erevena: UK-based boutique executive search firm focused on senior commercial and leadership placements in technology and digital businesses. Closely comparable to Optima in size, sector focus, and boutique positioning.
• Summerley Search: Boutique UK executive search firm focused on senior commercial and leadership hires in SaaS, eCommerce, and tech-enabled businesses. Comparable in boutique model and target market segment to Optima.

Regional players

• Robert Walters: UK-headquartered international recruitment firm placing mid-to-senior professionals across technology, sales, and marketing. Overlaps with Optima on tech commercial placements, primarily in the UK and broader European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/optimaeuro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/optima-europe

Compliance2 records

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 Optima Search | Europe & America