Red Executive Search Gmbh

What Red Executive Search Gmbh does

Red Executive Search GmbH is a Düsseldorf-based executive search boutique (GmbH) founded by three managing shareholders — Alexandra Dohmgans, Jan-Michael Engel, and Constantin von Rundstedt — all of whom have personal backgrounds as shareholders or operators in family businesses. The firm specializes in retained executive search and advisory board (Beirat) placements for German family-owned companies (Familienunternehmen) across mechanical and plant engineering, industrial and production goods, textiles, and trade/FMCG. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is a pure professional services product, delivered via discreet direct approach ("diskret Direktansprache") by the partner team and a research consultant (Tim Ebert), with 1-10 total employees.

The firm's business model is a standard retained search fee structure: clients pay approximately one-third of the annual salary of the placed executive, with a minimum fee of €30,000 plus expense allowance and supplementary diagnostic fees. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, driven by the partners' personal networks, referral, and thought-leadership content via the company blog ("Der eigene Senf"). The firm reports self-published KPIs of >80% five-year placement retention, ~95% assignment fill rate, and 75% repeat/follow-on mandates — figures that, while unaudited, indicate a durable, relationship-driven book of business concentrated in DACH/Germany.

There are no external investors, no subsidiaries, no public funding rounds, no disclosed revenue, and no acquisitions, partnerships, or formal alliances in the input data. Marketing is limited to a corporate website, the blog, and direct partner engagement; there is no app, no API, and no AI/ML capability referenced anywhere in the source material. The operating perimeter is single-country (Germany/DACH), and the ownership is tightly concentrated among the three managing partners with no institutional capital.

Name

Red Executive Search Gmbh

Legal name

RED Executive Search GmbH

Website

https://red-search.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Red Executive Search GmbH is a Düsseldorf-based executive search boutique that places C-suite executives and advisory board members for German family-owned businesses across engineering, industrial, textile, and consumer goods sectors on retained mandates.

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)

akta.pro secondary industries

Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search (BPACAAAK), Consumer & Retail Leadership Search (BPACAAAG)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Advisory board placement
• Family business recruiting
• C-suite headhunting
• Succession planning search

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Retainer: Fee structure based on one-third of the annual salary of the placed position, with a minimum of 30,000 euros. Additional expense allowance and supplementary service fees may apply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Red Executive Search GmbH provides retained executive search services focused on placing senior executives, key leadership personnel, and advisory board (Beirat) members in German family-owned businesses. The firm uses discreet direct outreach to identify candidates and assesses them for cultural fit, entrepreneurial maturity, and long-term suitability. Mandates cover C-suite placements, advisory board composition for succession, digitalization, and international expansion scenarios, and span industries including mechanical and plant engineering, industrial and production goods, textiles, and trade/FMCG.

Product overview

Red Executive Search GmbH operates as a specialized executive search firm offering two core services: Executive Search for placing key leadership positions in family-owned businesses, and Advisory Board Mandates for assembling advisory boards. The company is led by a team of four partners (Constantin von Rundstedt, Jan-Michael Engel, Alexandra Dohmgans, and Tim Ebert) who work with family enterprises across various industries including machinery, manufacturing, textiles, and retail/FMCG. The offering is structured as a unified service rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% placement retention beyond 5 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pedersen & Partners: Global executive search firm with strong presence in DACH and a focus on family-owned and founder-led businesses. Comparable in size and client profile to RED, with a particular emphasis on industrial and consumer sectors.
• Heidrick & Struggles: International executive search firm with an established German presence and dedicated CEO & Board practice. Competes for senior leadership placements and advisory board composition in family-owned and listed companies.
• Egon Zehnder: One of the world's leading executive search and board advisory firms, with deep expertise in family-owned and founder-led businesses across DACH. Directly competes with RED for senior placements at German family enterprises and advisory board mandates.
• Kienbaum: Germany's largest domestically rooted executive search and HR consulting firm. Closest geographic and cultural peer to RED, with comparable mid-sized family business clientele and board advisory offerings.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with substantial German operations and a recognized board practice. Directly competes for C-suite and Beirat mandates in German family-owned enterprises, though at a larger scale.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with active DACH operations targeting senior leadership and board mandates. Directly comparable in search methodology and client profile, particularly for succession-driven family business engagements.
• Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with a strong German practice placing C-suite and board-level leaders. Highly comparable to RED in its focus on senior mandates and direct outreach methodology, though broader in industry and geographic coverage.
• Alexander Hughes: International executive search firm with European roots and strong family-business heritage. Competes with RED for C-suite and board mandates, particularly in succession and family governance contexts.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Large global staffing and talent solutions firm with executive search capabilities. Overlaps with RED on senior placements but is significantly broader in scope, including temporary staffing and broader HR solutions.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a significant executive search practice. Overlaps with RED in C-suite and board placements but operates at much broader scale across industries and HR consulting services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redexecutivesearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Red Executive Search Gmbh