SIXTEEN

What SIXTEEN does

SIXTEEN is a London-headquartered, founder-led retained search and talent consultancy specialising in the creative and technology industries. Founded in 2019 and operating with approximately 10 employees, the firm delivers six core service lines — Permanent Appointments, Executive Search, Retained Search, Talent Strategy, Curated Networks, and Freelance / Interim Support — across creative, production, marketing, technology and design disciplines. The customer base spans global luxury and fashion houses (Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Prada, Estee Lauder, Self-Portrait), advertising holding companies (Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe, WPP), production and post-production studios (Studio RM, Imagine, David Sims, Mert & Marcus), and technology/retail clients (Amazon, Adidas, Curio, Depop, The Guardian, Flight Story). Internationally, the firm operates from offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and San Francisco, enabling cross-border placements such as the Studio RM build across London, New York and Paris and the relocation of a COO from Amsterdam for Publicis Production.

Name

SIXTEEN

Legal name

Sixteen

Website

https://sixteen.agency

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SIXTEEN is a boutique retained search and talent consultancy founded in 2019, serving fashion, luxury, beauty, advertising, production studios and technology companies. Operating from London with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and San Francisco, the firm places permanent, executive and fractional creative talent internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Talent Consultancy

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Speakers, Hosts & MC Talent Management (HSACAHAC)

Keywords

• Creative talent recruitment
• Executive search services
• Retained search consultancy
• Creative industry staffing
• Talent placement agency

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retained Search & Talent Placement: SIXTEEN operates on a retained search model, partnering with studios, agencies, and cultural businesses internationally to secure exceptional craft talent and support the growth of long-term creative teams. Revenue is generated through successful placements of permanent hires and ongoing talent partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SIXTEEN is a retained search and talent consultancy that partners with studios, agencies, and cultural businesses internationally to place exceptional craft talent and build long-term creative teams. The firm delivers permanent appointments, executive search, retained search, talent strategy consulting, curated freelance and fractional networks, and interim support across creative, production, marketing, technology, and design disciplines. It operates as an embedded talent partner rather than a transactional recruiter, serving enterprise clients in fashion, luxury, beauty, advertising, and creative technology.

Product overview

SIXTEEN is a search and talent consultancy operating as a single unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company offers six core service offerings: Permanent Appointments, Executive Search, Retained Search, Talent Strategy, Curated Networks, and Freelance/Interim Support. These services are delivered across five key disciplines: Creative, Production, Marketing, Technology, and Design. SIXTEEN primarily serves the creative and technology industries, placing talent with fashion brands, luxury houses, advertising agencies, production studios, and cultural businesses globally. The offering is a people-based consultancy service focused on matching exceptional talent with organizational needs, supported by a Job Board for public job listings and a Stories section showcasing client case studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Appointments Full-time talent placement service for hiring permanent staff across creative, production, marketing, technology, and design disciplines for brands, agencies, and studios.
• Executive Search Senior and leadership-level recruitment service for C-suite and executive positions, focused on strategic hires across creative, advertising, and technology businesses.
• Retained Search Exclusive search partnership model where SIXTEEN is retained by clients on an ongoing basis to fill specific critical roles and serve as an embedded talent partner.
• Talent Strategy Strategic consultancy service to help organizations plan and build their talent acquisition frameworks, team structures, and creative department roadmaps.
• Curated Networks Access to a vetted network of exceptional freelance, fractional, and contract talent for special projects and ongoing needs across creative disciplines.
• Freelance / Interim Support Flexible staffing solutions providing access to freelance and interim professionals for short-term or project-based requirements across creative, production, and marketing functions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Placed COO within 8 weeks for Publicis Production (relocated from Amsterdam)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Studio RMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio RM engaged SIXTEEN to guide and broker hiring across their international operation (London, New York & Paris studios). SIXTEEN handles hiring across board level, new business, colour, production and marketing. The partnership opened a third site with RM in Paris in 2024 and continues to steer talent internationally for the studio which has seen YoY growth, awards, and double-digit headcount growth.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a dedicated media, entertainment, and communications practice. Directly comparable in executive search capability for creative-industry clients, but as part of a much broader cross-industry practice.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with significant executive search and talent advisory offerings. Comparable on Sixteen's talent strategy and executive search services, though at vastly larger scale and broader industry coverage.
• Robert Half International: Large public staffing firm with a dedicated creative/marketing arm (Creative Circle). Comparable as a competitor in the broader creative staffing space, but operates from a much wider portfolio of staffing services rather than specializing in the creative talent niche Sixteen serves.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable on Sixteen's executive search service line (e.g., C-suite placements for Publicis Production and Flight Story) but operates across all industries and verticals rather than creative-only.

Direct peers

• Profiles (Profiles International): Boutique US staffing firm specializing in creative, marketing, and interactive talent placement. Overlaps directly with Sixteen's core disciplines (creative, production, marketing) and similar mid-to-senior focus, with comparable customer segments across agencies and brands.
• Artisan Talent: Creative staffing and recruiting firm placing designers, art directors, copywriters, and digital talent into agencies and in-house creative teams. Closely comparable in service mix (contract, freelance, full-time) and target customer segments.
• Creative Circle (CC): Creative, marketing, and digital staffing agency placing contract and full-time talent into agencies, brands, and tech companies. Direct competitor in placing the same creative, production, and marketing roles Sixteen targets for similar client types.
• Aquent: Large creative-industry staffing firm placing designers, marketers, and creative technologists into brands and agencies globally. Operates a near-identical business model to Sixteen (talent placement into creative organizations) but at materially greater scale, making it the closest direct comparable on offering and customer base.
• Salt (Salt Recruitment): Global recruitment consultancy with dedicated digital, marketing, and creative practices placing mid-to-senior talent across agencies and brands. Overlaps Sixteen's retained search and senior placement work in the same disciplines.

Regional players

• Adam Recruitment: Creative and marketing recruitment agency with strong UK presence placing talent into advertising, design, and digital agencies. Comparable on agency-side placement work but primarily UK-focused, whereas Sixteen operates across multiple geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sixteen-agency

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 SIXTEEN