Partners At Work B.v.

What Partners At Work B.v. does

Partners at Work B.v. is a privately held Dutch executive search boutique founded in 2003 by Josephine van der Vossen and headquartered in Baarn, Netherlands. The firm provides retained executive search, executive coaching, leadership and team assessments, and governance advisory services for boards (executive and non-executive) and senior management across both profit and non-profit sectors in the Netherlands. Its core positioning is diversity-led executive placement, anchored by the Talent Motivation Analysis (TMA) psychometric methodology (mapping 22 motivations, 44 talents and 53 competencies), a 'Governance as a Tool' advisory service, and team/self-evaluation offerings for boards and supervisory directors. The firm also operates the 'Partners at Interim' sub-brand for interim executive placements in healthcare, education and media, and has added a 'Duurzaam leiderschap' (sustainable leadership/ESG) service line.

The business operates on a professional services revenue model with quote-based retained search fees (engagement fee plus success fee), supplemented by fees from coaching engagements, TMA assessments and governance advisory mandates. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales: partners engage boards, supervisory boards and senior management of Dutch institutions, supported by media presence (Financial Investigator, FD, Management Scope), industry events, and an alliance network (Talent naar de Top, Women Inc., SER topvrouwen, WIFS, Governance University, Kearney). The firm is signatory to the Dutch Executive Search Code and has twice been awarded the Executive Search Diversity Award.

Customer base is concentrated in Dutch institutions across financial services (FMO, Triodos, APG, PFZW), healthcare (Radboudumc, GGz Centraal, Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis, Philadelphia Zorg), education (SURF, ROC TOP), NGOs (Oxfam Novib, Rode Kruis, Diabetes Fonds) and a small number of corporates (Nedap). Current active partners are Josephine van der Vossen, Govine van der Plas, Nicolette van Helsdingen and Marie-Sophie Prins; the firm is founder-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company or subsidiaries. A notable leadership event in April 2025 was the death of co-owner Ingrid Reichmann, who had served from 2005 to 2025.

Name

Partners At Work B.v.

Legal name

Partners At Work B.v.

Website

https://partnersatwork.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Partners at Work B.v. is a Baarn, Netherlands-based executive search boutique founded in 2003, providing retained executive search, executive coaching, governance advisory, and team assessments for boards and senior management, with a recognized focus on diversity placements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Management Consulting Services (54161), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership team assessments
• Executive coaching services
• Board placement services
• Diversity recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Baarn

HQ country

Netherlands

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 Services: Retained search mandates for executive, non-executive board positions and top management levels. Fee structure typically includes engagement fee and success fee upon placement completion.
2. Executive Coaching: Coaching services for leaders transitioning into new executive or non-executive roles, particularly focused on first 100 days.
3. Talent Motivation Analysis (TMA): Psychometric assessment services for candidates and organizations, including team evaluations and individual development analysis.
4. Governance Advisory: Governance advice with systemic view including board composition, risk management, culture and behavior assessment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Partners at Work is a boutique executive search bureau that conducts retained executive search mandates and (team) assessments for boards (executive and non-executive), directors, and top management levels in both the private and non-profit sectors. The firm places senior executives and board members with a distinctive focus on diversity, uses the certified Talent Motivation Analysis (TMA) psychometric methodology for candidate and team evaluation, and complements search with executive coaching for leadership transitions.

Product overview

Partners at Work is an executive search bureau offering a portfolio of talent acquisition and development services. The core offering is Executive Search for placing senior leaders at board and top-management levels. This is complemented by Executive Coaching for leadership transitions, the Talent Motivation Analysis (TMA) psychometric assessment tool, Governance as a Tool advisory services, and Team Assessments. The firm also operates a separate brand, Partners at Interim, providing interim executive and board-level placements primarily in healthcare, education, and media sectors. The portfolio is unified around the firm's focus on diversity placement and leadership assessment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Retained executive search mandate for placing C-level professionals, board members (executive and non-executive), supervisory directors and senior management in profit and non-profit organizations, with a candidate presentation standard of 50% female and 50% male candidates with comparable abilities and experience.
• Executive Coaching Coaching service for leaders transitioning into new executive or non-executive roles, focusing on the first 100 days and personal professional development for executives and boards.
• Talent Motivation Analysis (TMA) Certified psychometric assessment methodology mapping 22 drivers, 44 talents and 53 competencies of candidates, used in recruitment procedures, team evaluations, individual development analysis, and 360-degree feedback for management teams and boards.
• Governance as a Tool Governance advisory service with a systemic view covering management composition, risk management, culture, behavior, and reputation assessment for boards and supervisory bodies.
• Team Assessments Assessment services for evaluating management teams, boards, and supervisory directors, including self-evaluations used to inform board composition, team development and executive placement decisions.
• Partners at Interim Interim management service providing experienced directors and board members for healthcare, education, and media sectors, particularly for transition, crisis, merger, or reorganization situations.

Quantifiable outcome

• On average place about 60% female and 40% male candidates every year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Talent naar de TopcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic alliance with leading Dutch diversity network organization promoting women in leadership positions
• Women Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with network organization supporting women in business and leadership
• SER topvrouwencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAlliance with Social and Economic Council's women in leadership initiative
• Van Gogh Museum (Sunflower Circle)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport of Van Gogh Museum's Sunflower Circle donor program
• Governance UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with governance education and training institution for board development
• KearneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting Executive Women Event and joint thought leadership on diversity in leadership
• WIFS (Women in Financial Services)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with network promoting women in financial services sector
• VIIPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlliance partner supporting diversity initiatives
• CFA InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with global investment professional organization

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Amrop: Global executive search partnership headquartered in Europe, focused on board and C-suite placements across sectors. Comparable on executive-level search, partnership model and European footprint.
• Van der Laan & Company: Dutch boutique executive search firm with an explicit diversity focus, co-founded in 2011 by Nicolette van Helsdingen (who later joined Partners at Work). Closest comparable on niche, geography and methodology.
• Signium International: Global boutique executive search firm with strong European presence and a partnership-led model focused on senior leadership and board mandates. Directly comparable in scale and positioning to Partners at Work.
• Top of Minds: Dutch executive search firm focused on senior management and board-level placements for mission-driven and corporate organizations. Comparable on geography, boutique scale and senior mandate focus.
• Boyden: Global boutique executive search firm with a partner-led model and deep experience in board and CEO placements. Closely comparable on boutique global structure and senior-level mandate focus.

Regional players

• YER Nederland: Dutch recruitment and interim management firm with executive-level search capabilities and a strong presence in the Netherlands. Comparable on geography and parts of the service portfolio, particularly the interim management overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: One of the world's largest executive search firms, with deep board and CEO practice and growing diversity focus. Competes for the same Dutch C-suite and supervisory board mandates, but at much larger scale.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search leader with a renowned Board Practice and active DE&I agenda. Overlaps with Partners at Work on board and C-suite search for Dutch corporates and institutions.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organizational consulting firm combining executive search with assessment, coaching and advisory services — a direct overlap with Partners at Work's bundled offering, but at vastly greater scale.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with strong presence in financial services, healthcare and board advisory — three of Partners at Work's core verticals. Competes for larger and international mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partners-at-work

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Partners At Work B.v.