Talent & Trust

What Talent & Trust does

Talent & Trust is a privately-held French boutique executive search firm founded in 2012 by Sylvain Bonnin and Dominique Galet, both previously senior executives at a major Anglo-Saxon recruitment firm. The firm specializes in direct-approach recruitment (headhunting) for IT and Digital leadership and mid-to-senior management positions, serving large enterprises, mid-market companies, IT services/consulting firms, software publishers, and startups in the French market. Its service portfolio comprises three interconnected offerings: a core Boutique Executive Search practice, the W&TRUST Coaching add-on for career development and talent coaching, and the Women & Trust sub-brand initiative launched in 2017 to promote gender diversity in IT/Digital management.

The firm's business model is professional services-based, generating revenue through placement fees structured as a percentage of the recruited candidate's annual compensation. GTM is enterprise field sales via direct client engagement and partnership-based relationships, with no formal channel partners. The firm operates from offices in Levallois-Perret and Paris (registered address), maintaining a deliberately boutique scale with the two founding partners personally leading the 700+ recruitment missions completed since 2005. There is no technology platform, no AI/ML capability, no disclosed headcount beyond the two partners, no external funding, and no parent company structure.

The company is founder-owned with no institutional investment, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity. Geographic focus is exclusively domestic France. The competitive advantage rests on deep sector specialization (15+ years of IT/Digital recruitment expertise), a branded diversity initiative, and a personalized partnership model, though the firm operates in a highly competitive French recruitment market against larger pan-European and Anglo-Saxon search firms.

Name

Talent & Trust

Legal name

Talent & Trust

Website

https://www.talentandtrust.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Talent & Trust is a French boutique executive search firm founded in 2012, specializing in direct-approach recruitment for IT and Digital leadership positions. It serves large enterprises, consulting firms, software publishers, and startups, with complementary coaching and gender-diversity (Women & Trust) services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAAAK

Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPAHACAE

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

Keywords

• Executive search services
• IT recruitment firm
• Digital talent acquisition
• Career coaching services
• Headhunting consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Recruitment Services: The firm generates revenue through professional recruitment services, placing candidates in permanent positions within IT and Digital sectors. The business model is project-based, charging fees for successful placements of mid to senior-level executives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Talent & Trust is a French boutique executive search firm specializing in the recruitment of senior IT and Digital profiles. The firm provides tailored direct-search missions for enterprises, consulting firms, software publishers, and startups, complemented by a diversity-focused "Women & Trust" initiative and W&TRUST Coaching career coaching services.

Product overview

Talent & Trust operates as a boutique executive search firm offering a unified service portfolio centered on IT and Digital recruitment. The core offering is Boutique Executive Search (executive recruitment via direct approach), complemented by the Women & Trust sub-brand initiative focused on promoting women in technology, and W&TRUST Coaching add-on service for career development and talent coaching. The three offerings are interconnected: the coaching service supports both general candidates and specifically women under the Women & Trust initiative, while the core recruitment service benefits from this differentiated talent pool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women & Trust: An initiative launched in 2017 to promote the place of women among technology and digital sector actors, helping companies with their transformation projects and diversity objectives in management and leadership positions.

Products and services

• Boutique Executive Search Direct-search recruitment service for senior IT and Digital profiles, aimed at enterprises, consulting firms (ESN), software publishers, and startups across France.
• Women & Trust Diversity and inclusion program dedicated to advancing women in IT and Digital leadership positions, integrated with the firm's executive search practice.
• W&TRUST Coaching Career coaching service for IT and Digital professionals, designed to support candidates at every stage of their career trajectory.

Quantifiable outcome

• When diversity is well-managed, profitability increases by 5 to 15% according to IMS-Entreprendre 2010 study

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Michael Page: Global executive search and recruitment firm with a strong IT/Digital practice in France. Competes with Talent & Trust for mid-to-senior IT leadership roles but operates at much larger scale and broader functional coverage.
• Hays: Global recruitment group with a dedicated technology practice in France covering permanent and contract IT hires. Overlaps with Talent & Trust on enterprise and consulting-firm mandates but at much greater scale.
• Manpower France: Large global staffing firm with a dedicated IT/Digital division in France. While more focused on volume staffing, it overlaps with Talent & Trust on enterprise IT/Digital hiring mandates.

Direct peers

• Robert Walters: Specialist professional recruitment firm with a dedicated IT/Digital practice in France, placing mid-to-senior technology professionals via direct approach. Closely comparable business model to Talent & Trust's boutique executive search.
• Fed IT (Fed Group): French recruitment group with a dedicated IT division focused on IT/Digital talent placement. Operates in the same boutique-to-mid-market segment and competes directly for similar client mandates in France.
• Approach People Recruitment: International headhunting firm with strong presence in France specializing in IT, digital, and engineering talent. Direct competitor for mid-to-senior IT/Digital executive search mandates.
• Walters People: French arm of the Robert Walters group focused on intermediate-to-experienced professional recruitment, including a dedicated IT/Digital practice. Competes for similar mid-level tech mandates as Talent & Trust.

Emerging players

• Astek: French technology services and engineering group that recruits heavily for IT/Digital projects and leadership roles. Partial overlap with Talent & Trust's enterprise and ESN client segments.
• Octopus HR: French HR consulting and recruitment boutique with IT/Digital practice exposure. Comparable in boutique positioning to Talent & Trust and competing for similar mid-cap enterprise mandates.

Regional players

• SpenglerFox: Executive search firm with European presence and strong IT/Digital leadership practice. Comparable in executive search methodology and senior placement focus, though it operates across multiple European markets rather than France alone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=4cyvmF7GD8o

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Talent & Trust