A defined role, a defined term, and a schedule of benefits written for outcomes that other schedules do not anticipate.
Our clients are institutions that require a named individual in a position of formal responsibility. We identify that individual, prepare them, and place them. The role is real, the title is real, the signing authority is real, and the remuneration is materially above the market rate for the seniority involved.
Most of our candidates are approached in the later part of an executive career, at a point where open competition is no longer the most efficient route to a board seat. The mandates we hold are not advertised and are not filled from public shortlists. Remuneration reflects the seniority of the appointment and the availability terms attaching to it, and is set out in full below.
Our placements share a profile. We state it directly, because candidates outside it are not progressed and it would be discourteous to leave that unsaid.
Information scope is defined in the appointment letter and forms part of the client’s governance framework. Requests to extend scope during a search are referred to the client and are not progressed by us.
| Stage | What happens | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Approach and first conversation. Sector, availability, obligations. | Week 1 |
| C-02 | Documentary vetting. Record, associations, prior involvement. | Weeks 2 to 4 |
| C-03 | Client presentation. Three candidates per mandate. | Week 5 |
| C-04 | Appointment. Signing authority granted, information scope defined. | Week 9 |
| C-05 | Dormancy. You perform the role. | Median 31 months |
| C-06 | Activation, where it occurs. Resignation, personal reasons, same afternoon. | One day |
Of 412 placements made since inception, 157 have been activated. That is an activation rate of 38.1 per cent. The remaining 255 are either continuing or concluded at the end of term without event, and were paid in full throughout.
| Component | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Retainer | Monthly from appointment, payable whether or not activation occurs | 14,000 EUR |
| Retainer, annualised | Twelve months | 168,000 EUR |
| Retainer over median dormancy | Thirty-one months | 434,000 EUR |
| Activation fee | Once, on resignation | 250,000 EUR |
| Custodial supplement | Per month of any custodial term, paid to your nominated family | 9,000 EUR |
An engagement that runs to median dormancy, activates, and is followed by a custodial term of forty months pays 1,044,000 EUR in total. Median final salaried compensation across our candidate pool at the point of approach is 96,000 EUR per annum, so the engagement is worth a multiple of 10.9 times the last full year the candidate earned before we contacted them.
The custodial supplement is contingent and most officers never draw it. Of the 157 activations to date, 11 have involved a custodial term. That is 7.0 per cent of activations and 2.7 per cent of all placements. Median term among the eleven was 22 months, which paid 198,000 EUR to the nominated family.
Cover begins at appointment, not at activation. Dependants are named on the schedule and their cover is independent of your status.
| Provision | Cover | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Private medical, including named dependants | Full, no exclusion for pre-existing conditions | Engagement plus 24 months |
| Income continuation for dependants | 100 per cent of retainer | 36 months from any interruption |
| Legal representation | Panel counsel, appointed and instructed by the client institution | Uncapped |
| Custodial period provisions | Family stipend, indexed annually. Visit scheduling. Correspondence handling. Dependants’ schooling maintained. | Duration of term |
| Reintegration | Housing, relocation, professional record management | 18 months from release |
| Second placement | Offered as standard | Within 14 months |
Of officers activated to date, 140 of 157 accepted a second placement, a rate of 89.2 per cent. The second placement is not a courtesy. An officer who has been through an activation is the profile our clients request most often, and the retainer on a second placement reflects that.
On legal representation. Counsel is appointed and instructed by the client institution and sits on the institution’s standing panel. This is disclosed at appointment and it is the reason representation is uncapped rather than limited to a fixed sum. Candidates who prefer to instruct separately may do so at their own cost. The retainer, the activation fee and the custodial supplement are unaffected. Panel counsel remains counsel of record.</div>
Will I be briefed on why the role exists? You will be briefed on the duties of the role, which are genuine and which you will perform. Matters falling outside the information scope recorded in the appointment letter do not form part of that briefing. Scope is set by the client’s governance framework and is not varied at the request of the appointee.
Can I decline activation? Yes. The retainer stops, the activation fee is not paid, and the engagement concludes on notice. Four candidates have declined. No claim has been brought against any of them.
What happens to my professional record? A resignation for personal reasons is recorded as a resignation for personal reasons. The record carries no annotation and we do not add one.
What do I tell my family? Whatever you choose. On request we provide a written summary of the benefits schedule in language suitable for that conversation, and a member of the aftercare team will attend it if you would rather not hold it alone.
How is the fee treated for tax? The retainer is employment income in the jurisdiction of appointment. The activation fee is contractual and taxed as such. The custodial supplement is paid to a nominated third party and structured accordingly. We provide a jurisdiction-specific note before you sign, prepared by advisers who are not the client’s.
We do not run an open application process. Candidates are approached. If you believe your profile is relevant, a short note of career history and availability is sufficient, and it will be read by a partner rather than screened. We reply to every note within ten working days, including the ones we decline, which is most of them.