Harris & Co Executive Search

What Harris & Co Executive Search does

Harris & Co Executive Search is a privately held, UK-founded specialist executive search firm established in 2020 by Toby Harris. The company provides mid-management to senior-level talent acquisition services across three core verticals: Construction (covering Heavy Civil, Commercial, Renewables, Power Delivery, Data Centers, and Oil & Gas), Life Sciences (spanning Bio Pharma, Contract Research Organizations, and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations), and Finance (Full-Service Accountancy, Advisory Services, and Investment Banking). The firm operates with a proactive talent management methodology, engaging candidates up to a year in advance of market availability and sourcing primarily through referrals, headhunting, and proprietary relationship networks rather than through a technology platform.

The business operates through direct consultant-led client engagement, with selective client matching emphasizing values alignment. There is no proprietary technology platform; the service is delivered by trained search consultants organized into vertical practices led by sector heads. The company maintains offices in Leeds (headquarters), Nottingham, London, Fort Lauderdale, and Dubai, supporting client engagements across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Oceania. Documented case studies include an exclusive talent partnership with a multinational billion-dollar CDMO that produced 15+ placements in 2024, and a three-year exclusive engagement with a Series C biotech where placements supported growth from 10 to 150 employees.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a retained or contingency basis typical of executive search, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers, fee schedules, or revenue figures. The firm is bootstrapped with no external equity funding evidenced, and operates without patents, certifications, or formal partnerships on record. Distribution is entirely direct, supplemented by thought leadership content (company podcast, blog, LinkedIn) and conference participation at events including CPHI, DCAT, TIDES, JPM, and BIO.

Name

Harris & Co Executive Search

Legal name

Harris + Co

Website

https://harrisandcorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harris & Co Executive Search is a privately held specialist executive search firm founded in 2020 by Toby Harris, providing mid-management to senior-level recruitment across Construction, Life Sciences, and Finance sectors from offices in the UK, US, and Dubai.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare & Life Sciences Leadership Search (BPACAAAE), Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF), Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Talent acquisition
• Specialist recruitment
• Life sciences recruiting
• Construction recruiting

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Retainer & Contingency Fees: As a specialist executive search firm, Harris & Co generates revenue through recruitment fees. Executive search firms typically operate on retained search (upfront fee, exclusive mandate) or contingency search (fee upon successful placement) models. The firm focuses on mid-management to senior-level placements, indicating higher-value retained mandates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harris & Co is a specialist executive search firm that provides talent management and recruitment services for mid-management to senior-level positions across three core sectors: Construction, Life Sciences, and Finance. The firm adopts a proactive "talent management" approach, identifying and engaging exceptional candidates up to a year in advance of placement, and operates through direct consultant-led engagements rather than self-service platforms.

Product overview

Harris & Co is a specialist executive search firm offering talent management and recruitment services across three core sectors: Construction (encompassing Heavy Civil, Commercial, Renewables, Power Delivery, Data Centers, and Oil & Gas), Life Sciences (covering Bio Pharma, CRO, and CDMO), and Finance (including Advisory and Accounting). The firm operates as a services-based business rather than a software product platform, providing mid-management to senior-level placements primarily in North American, Australian, UK, European, and Middle Eastern markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Executive Search Services Specialist executive search and talent management services for the construction sector, covering mid-management to senior-level placements across Heavy Civil, Commercial, Renewables, Power Delivery, Data Centers, and Oil & Gas subsectors, primarily in North American, Australian, and Middle Eastern markets.
• Life Sciences Executive Search Services Specialist executive search services for the life sciences sector, providing talent solutions across Bio Pharma, Contract Research Organizations (CRO), and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMO) with global reach in North American, European, Australian, and Asia-Pacific markets.
• Finance Recruitment Services Executive search and recruitment services for the finance and accounting sector, covering Full-Service Accountancy (Audit, Assurance, Tax), Advisory Services (Forensic Consulting, Valuation, M&A), and Investment Banking (Capital Markets, Buy/Sell Side Advisory) placements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Placed over 15 key professionals including President & General Manager for a multinational billion-dollar CDMO in a single engagement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Klein Hersh International: US-based executive search firm specialized in the life sciences sector (biopharma, CRO, CDMO). Direct overlap with Harris & Co's life sciences practice, particularly the CDMO and biotech verticals, but with narrower geographic and vertical scope.
• CSG Talent: International recruitment firm with strong construction, infrastructure, and energy practices. Direct overlap with Harris & Co's construction vertical, particularly heavy civil, data centers, and oil & gas, at a comparable boutique scale.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search practice across life sciences, financial services, and industrial sectors. Broader incumbent with adjacent talent advisory and RPO services that go beyond Harris & Co's pure search focus.
• Robert Walters: Listed UK-based international recruitment group covering accounting/finance and broader professional hires. Comparable on the finance recruitment practice and UK headquarters base, though broader in scope than Harris & Co's executive focus.
• SThree (including Real Staffing / Real Life Sciences): Listed international specialist staffing group with dedicated life sciences and engineering/construction brands. Adjacent to Harris & Co on the life sciences side (CDMO/CRO/biotech) and on construction/infrastructure hiring, but operates at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Spencer Stuart: One of the leading global executive search firms, with deep sector practices in life sciences, financial services, and industrial/energy. Directly comparable on retained C-suite and senior leadership search, though serving larger multinational clients.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with dedicated life sciences, financial services, and industrial practices. Directly comparable senior-level retained search model across the same verticals Harris & Co serves, but at materially larger scale.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with sector practices spanning life sciences, financial services, and industrial/construction. Closely comparable to Harris & Co in target verticals and senior-level retained search model, but at significantly larger global scale.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable in C-suite retained search and consulting-led approach, though with a wider industry footprint than Harris & Co's three-sector focus.
• Odgers Berndtson: Mid-to-upper-tier international executive search firm with practices in life sciences, financial services, and industrial sectors. Comparable on retained mid-management to senior-level executive search, with a similar boutique-but-global profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harris-and-co-executive-search

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 Harris & Co Executive Search