Buckley Search Inc.

What Buckley Search Inc. does

Buckley Search Inc. is a privately held, boutique executive search firm founded in 1990 by Anna Buckley and Kevin Buckley and headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The company specializes exclusively in recruitment for the freight forwarding, customs brokerage, logistics, and supply chain sectors across North America, placing candidates into senior executive, middle management, supervisory, sales, and operations roles. Its customer base includes leading freight forwarders, customs brokers, 3PL firms, and Fortune 500 companies with logistics operations on both sides of the Canada-USA border.

The firm operates a deliberately human-driven recruitment process, explicitly avoiding AI in candidate pre-screening, and applies a multi-stage workflow: listening to client needs, drafting job postings, conducting direct outreach to known and unknown candidates, facilitating meetings, performing extensive verbatim reference checks with past direct superiors, and monitoring post-placement resignations and start dates. The underlying technology stack is minimal — a WordPress-based marketing site and a Shopify-hosted salary benchmarking product — with Sterling Backcheck used as a background-verification partner under PIPEDA. There is no proprietary software platform, AI tooling, or API surface; the firm's "technology" is its 35+ year methodology and proprietary compensation dataset.

Buckley Search generates revenue through retained and contingency-based executive search engagements, complemented by a confidential M&A introduction service that connects prospective buyers and sellers in the freight and customs industry under NDA, and an ancillary salary benchmarking service sold via a separate Shopify storefront. Distribution is entirely direct-to-employer sales with no channel partners, supported by content marketing across multiple blogs and brand reinforcement through unique Affiliate/Associate memberships in CIFFA and CSCB, the two leading Canadian industry associations, which no other recruitment firm holds.

Name

Buckley Search Inc.

Legal name

Buckley Search Inc.

Website

https://buckleysearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Buckley Search Inc. is a Canada-based boutique executive search firm founded in 1990, exclusively placing senior candidates across freight forwarding, customs brokerage, logistics, and supply chain roles throughout North America, supplemented by confidential M&A introductions and salary benchmarking services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), 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

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search (BPACAAAK)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Freight forwarding recruitment
• Customs brokerage staffing
• Logistics talent placement
• Supply chain recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search/Recruitment Services: Retained and contingency-based executive search services for freight forwarding, customs brokerage, logistics and supply chain sectors. Services include placing candidates in senior executive, middle management, supervisory, sales and operations positions. They also provide M&A search services introducing prospective buyers and sellers under NDA.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Buckley Search Inc. is a specialized executive search and recruitment firm that places candidates in senior executive, middle management, supervisory, sales, and operations roles exclusively within the freight forwarding, customs brokerage, logistics, and supply chain sectors across North America. The firm supplements its core recruitment services with confidential Mergers & Acquisitions introductions between buyers and sellers in the same industries, plus an industry salary benchmarking service operated since 1990.

Product overview

Buckley Search Inc. is a specialized recruitment services firm offering executive search, staffing, and M&A advisory services exclusively for the freight forwarding, customs brokerage, logistics, and supply chain industry. The core offering is recruitment placement services, supplemented by M&A search services, industry salary benchmarking tools, and educational resources. This is a service-based business, not a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the highest successful placement ratios in the industry

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• CSCB (Canadian Society of Customs Brokers)coreOthers · 1 January 1990Buckley Search Inc. is accepted as Affiliate/Associate Member of CSCB, the premier customs brokerage association in Canada. This unique dual membership distinguishes them from all other recruitment firms.
• CIFFA (Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association)coreOthersBuckley Search Inc. is the only recruitment firm accepted as Affiliate/Associate Member of CIFFA. This membership provides credibility and access to the leading freight forwarding association's network.
• Sterling BackchecksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading background check company used for candidate verification. Processes are compliant with PIPEDA and provincial privacy legislation. Provides forgery-proof results with next business day turnaround, customized consent forms, and optional 4-hour rush service.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• K2 Partnering Solutions: Global executive search and staffing firm with a dedicated supply chain, logistics, and operations practice. Directly comparable as a specialist recruiter placing senior talent in freight forwarding, logistics, and supply chain — though at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• GP Recruiting: Specialist logistics, transportation, and supply chain recruitment firm serving North American clients. Directly comparable as a niche vertical recruiter in the freight/logistics space.
• Logan Group International: Executive search firm focused on supply chain, logistics, and operations leadership placements. Comparable as a specialist recruiter serving the freight forwarding and logistics verticals.
• DSJ Global: Specialist recruitment firm focused exclusively on supply chain, logistics, and procurement roles. Comparable niche-vertical positioning to Buckley Search, placing mid-to-senior professionals across global logistics functions.
• Cameron-Brooks: Executive search firm specializing in supply chain, logistics, and operations leadership for US military veterans transitioning to private-sector roles. Comparable niche focus on senior supply chain/logistics placements.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Global staffing and recruiting firm placing finance, accounting, administrative, and operations professionals. Adjacent comparator as a broad staffing incumbent with some overlap in operations/logistics hiring.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm with a supply chain and logistics practice. Comparable as a senior-level executive search provider but operating across all industries at much larger scale.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm serving senior leadership across industries, including supply chain and operations. Overlaps with Buckley in senior executive placements but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a logistics specialist.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm placing C-suite and board-level executives across industries, including logistics and operations. Comparable senior-level placement function but with broader industry coverage and far larger scale.
• Hays: Global staffing and recruitment firm with dedicated logistics and supply chain practices. Comparable in placing supply chain and logistics professionals but operates across all sectors and geographies at far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/in/annabuckley2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Buckley Search Inc.