I see the mandate underneath the brief and the trajectory underneath the resume. When they match, everything else follows.

Most searches treat candidates as ingredients. I disagree. They're the purpose of the search, the ones who create value after the hire.

When clients come to me, the brief usually lists everything: brand, performance, transformation and AI strategy. I start with what's underneath: the pressure, the gap, the problem that actually needs solving.

When I talk with candidates, I do the same thing in reverse. I'm listening for trajectory, what they're building toward, not what they've accumulated.

I spent twenty years building marketing organizations at Wired magazine, Razorfish and Sapient for Fortune 500 transformation work. I recruit for roles I've held. I shifted to executive search after recognizing the problem firsthand: recruiters couldn't find the hybrid leaders I needed to build my teams. Was Senior Partner at Korn Ferry, then built TMG so the person doing the diagnostic work is the same person talking to candidates. Buy the partner, get the partner.

I work across PE portfolios, Fortune 500 brands and agencies and move talent between them. The same ecosystem I worked in before. That's why I know where to look.

Outcomes-focused. Tenure ~2x benchmark. Promotions ~2x average. Every client since 2014 has come through referral.

Kristian Schwartz,
Founder, Partner