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Retained Executive Search · United Kingdom

The hire that changes the company.

A1 Elite runs retained searches for senior operating roles inside ambitious UK companies. Founder hires, MD-level, fractional leadership, the chair seat that matters.

Small shortlist. Long-cycle relationships. We work for the company, on a brief that's actually been pressure-tested before we open the search.

Brief a search → How it works
7+
Active mandates
90 days
Typical shortlist
100%
Retained only
Discreet
By design
From the practice

How we search.

The search

Four kinds of hire. All retained.

No contingency. No CV-bombing. Each engagement is a single mandate, run to a brief.

Search 01

Founder hire

The hire that lets the founder hand off — MD, CEO, GM. We map the operating gap before we map the candidate pool. Brief pressure-tested with two reference operators.

8–12 week shortlist
Search 02

C-Suite

CFO, CTO, CRO, COO, CCO. Searched against the company's actual phase, not the title. Senior people who've shipped the exact transition you're in.

10–14 week shortlist
Search 03

Fractional / Interim

Where a full-time hire is the wrong answer. Embedded experts, paid by the day, with skin in the company. Often a bridge to a permanent hire later.

2–4 week start
Search 04

Chair · NED

Real seats, not optical ones. Specific to the next 18-month decision the board has to make. Pulled from operating networks, not the conference circuit.

Network-driven
Process

Three phases. One shortlist.

Brief + pressure-test

Two weeks to set the brief. We interrogate the role description, talk to two reference operators, agree the success bar in writing before the search opens.

Search + outreach

Long-list to short-list inside the operating network. Direct, named outreach — never job boards. Candidates briefed properly before they ever meet you.

Shortlist + close

Three to five candidates, fully referenced, presented with our point of view. We stay through offer, onboarding, and 90-day check-in.

Active mandates

A small live list. Updated weekly.

Senior operating roles in retained search right now. Not job board listings — brief summaries for candidates inside the network.

Live · MD

Founder MD · UK construction SaaS

£20m+ ARR, profitable, founder-led. Stepping back to chair. Need an operating MD with B2B SaaS or construction-tech background.

London / hybrid · Retained
Live · CFO

CFO · UK B2B services

PE-backed, post-acquisition integration. Need experienced CFO who's run an exit before. Hybrid London / Manchester.

Hybrid · Retained
Live · Chair

Non-Executive Chair · cleantech

Series-B cleantech, sector-experienced chair needed for next funding round. Quarterly commitment.

Remote · Network-only

Candidates inside the operating network — apply directly.
Companies looking to brief a search — request a conversation.

The shortlist was four people. Three of them I'd never heard of. The one we hired had walked the exact same transition twice before. The brief work upfront was the difference.

Founder · UK B2B SaaS, retained for founder MD hire 2026

Questions

Common questions before retaining.

Why retained-only?
Contingency search is a CV race. Retained means we're paid to run the brief properly — pressure-test, long-cycle outreach, real references, longer shortlist process. Different work, different outcome.
What does a search cost?
Retainer in three stages tied to engagement, shortlist, completion. Typical range: £25k–£60k all-in depending on seniority and complexity. Quoted at the brief stage.
How long does a search take?
8–14 weeks from signed brief to offer. Fractional/interim placements faster (2–4 weeks). Chair / NED searches are network-driven and harder to time.
Do you replace if a hire doesn't work out?
Yes. Standard 12-month replacement guarantee on all permanent senior hires. We also stay through the 90-day check-in to surface integration issues early.
What sectors do you cover?
UK B2B services, SaaS, fintech, cleantech, construction-tech, regulated industries. We turn down mandates outside our operating network rather than learn on your dime.
Engage

Brief a search.

Tell us the seat. We'll reply within 48 hours with a candid view on fit before any fee conversation.

Reviewed personally · Reply within 48 hours · NDA on first call
Retained executive search

The best candidates never apply. We go and find them.

A1 Elite runs a 90-day retained search across the UK and EU executive market — pre-vetted, on-thesis, with structured 30/60/90 onboarding once they land.