The best CEO recruiting firms look for leaders who can adapt to changing market conditions and understand how technology is changing their industry.
Hiring a CEO is an important decision. According to Staffing Advisors, finding the right CEO can take 4 to 8 months, depending on the company's needs and complexity of the role.
What is a CEO Recruiting Firm?
A CEO recruiting firm is an executive search business that helps organizations identify and assess chief executives. These firms work with boards and business owners. Recruiting companies act as an intermediary, managing communication and protecting the confidentiality of both sides.
How These Firms Were Chosen
The firms in this list were selected based on their experience in CEO and executive search, board search, and succession planning. All firm information comes from each firm’s website and published case studies, reviewed in 2026.
The 10 CEO recruiting firms are listed in alphabetical order.
[Table 1]
Best CEO Recruiting Firms
1. Boyden
Boyden has a dedicated CEO & Board Services practice that covers CEO recruitment, board appointment, and board effectiveness reviews. It advises boards on CEO selection and succession planning, considering the company’s priorities. With offices across multiple countries, Boyden brings together professionals with diverse perspectives.
Best for: Companies looking for CEO recruitment, board advisory, and succession planning.
When to partner: When the board needs to appoint a new CEO or plan for an outgoing CEO’s departure.
2. Christian & Timbers
Christian & Timbers specializes in CEO executive search for technology and AI. The firm evaluates the products candidates brought to market, the technical decisions they made, and the teams they built.
Christian & Timbers has more than 40 years of experience in the recruiting field. According to its website, the firm has completed more than 5,000 searches for senior leadership positions. The company reports an average search time of 72 days.
A good example of its work is the CEO search for Interos. The firm recruited Ted Krantz as Interos's new CEO. His appointment was announced in April 2025. According to C&T’s case study, Interos reported 50% growth in ARR and a 60% improvement in gross margins.
Best for: Technology and AI companies looking for CEOs and other senior executives.
When to partner: When a business needs a CEO with a record of building and scaling technology or AI companies.
3. Egon Zehnder
Egon Zehnder helps companies recruit CEOs and other senior executives. Its consultants consider each executive’s track record, leadership skills, and ability to take on new responsibilities.
The firm works with boards to choose potential successors within the company and prepare for the transition to a new CEO. Egon Zehnder offers leadership development programs to help CEOs improve their skills.
Best for: Companies that want to identify CEO candidates from their own team and compare them with external candidates.
When to partner: If the company needs to choose its next CEO and considers internal and external candidates.
4. Heidrick & Struggles
Heidrick & Struggles combines executive search with leadership development and digital transformation services. The firm provides interim executives to fill leadership roles while companies search for permanent replacements. It helps businesses develop their leadership teams and plan for CEO succession.
Best for: Companies seeking CEOs and interim executive support.
When to partner: When the board needs an interim CEO in place while the search for a permanent leader runs.
5. H.I. Executive Consulting
H.I.E.C. specializes in executive search for digital and technology-driven businesses. Its offices span North America, Europe, and Asia. Its sector focus includes AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, and digital infrastructure. The firm also works with private equity-backed companies.
Best for: Technology-driven companies, including software, cybersecurity, data analytics, and digital infrastructure.
When to partner: When companies need to enter a new market and look for a qualified executive.
6. Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry operates globally, offering executive search and organizational consulting. Besides finding leaders, it advises companies on succession planning and leadership development. Its CEO search process uses a database of CEO assessments to help boards compare candidates and identify the skills needed for the role.
Best for: Businesses that need executive search, leadership assessment and broader organizational consulting.
When to partner: When boards need to assess whether an internal candidate is ready to become CEO.
7. NU Advisory Partners
NU Advisory Partners combines executive search with leadership advisory services. Its consultants assess candidates’ ability to create business value and manage operational challenges. The firm helps companies find leaders who can support their growth plans.
Best for: Companies looking for retained executive search combined with leadership advice.
When to partner: When a company needs to recruit a senior executive who has experience growing a business.
8. ON Partners
ON Partners is a retained executive search firm focused on high-growth sectors, including software, AI, and consumer technology. Every search is led by a senior partner from start to finish.
The firm also recruits for technology roles in cybersecurity and data analytics. ON Partners works with private equity-backed, venture-backed, and publicly traded companies.
Best for: High-growth companies, including private equity-backed and venture-backed businesses.
When to partner: The founder is stepping aside and the company needs a CEO who can take over right away.
9. Russell Reynolds Associates
Russell Reynolds helps companies find CEO candidates, including experienced leaders, rising stars, and transformational leaders from adjacent industries. The firm uses data-backed assessments and psychologist interviews to understand how candidates lead, make decisions, and handle challenges.
Best for: Businesses that want to assess how CEO candidates would handle real business challenges before making a decision.
When to partner: When a company needs a CEO who brings a fresh perspective from another industry.
10. Spencer Stuart
Spencer Stuart specializes in CEO searches, succession planning, leadership transitions, and board recruitment. The firm advises boards on governance and effectiveness. Its executive assessments look at how candidates lead, what motivates them, and how well they fit the company’s culture and needs.
Best for: Companies seeking CEO search combined with succession planning and board advisory.
When to partner: When boards need help to navigate a CEO appointment and support the new leader.
The Future of CEO Recruitment
CEO recruitment is changing in 4 ways: data-driven assessment, demand for AI expertise, closer attention to CEO transitions, and more diverse shortlists. Turnover adds pressure. Challenger, Gray & Christmas tracked 2,032 CEO exits in 2025, including a record 446 at publicly traded companies.
1. Data-Driven CEO Candidate Assessment
Executive search firms use data to compare how candidates handle business challenges. They don't rely only on interviews and résumés.
Korn Ferry’s CEO study compared assessment results and company performance at 111 publicly traded companies. The firm found that companies led by CEOs with high assessment scores saw 109% more annual growth in market value over 4 years than those led by CEOs with low scores. This suggests that data can help boards choose a qualified CEO.
2. Growing Demand for CEOs with AI expertise
AI is changing business. Companies need CEOs who can keep up with new technology and identify practical applications for AI. They must understand both the opportunities and the risks before adopting new tools. Boards often lack this expertise themselves. In Russell Reynolds Associates’ Global Leadership Monitor for H1 2026, only 29% of leaders said their board has the right expertise to advise on AI implementation. That gap puts more of the AI agenda on the CEO.
3. Cultural Integration and CEO Transitions
A CEO position comes with significant responsibilities. A new CEO needs time to get to know the company, work with the existing team, and build trust. Recruiting firms look at how candidates lead, collaborate with others, and guide a company through change.
4. Greater Focus on Diversity in CEO Hiring
Boards are widening CEO shortlists beyond the traditional candidate pool.
Spencer Stuart's 2024 research found that women accounted for 16% of newly appointed CEOs at major U.S. public companies that year, while representing 8% of all active CEOs in its study.
The Impact of Choosing the Right CEO
Choosing a CEO is a major decision for the board and the company. The right leader can turn a struggling business into a successful one with talent, ambition, and vision.
A strong leader can help a business grow, navigate challenges, and achieve its goals. Recruiting firms help companies identify candidates with the experience, skills, and leadership qualities the role demands.
What to Ask Before Hiring a CEO Search Firm
Before signing with a search firm, the board should ask:
- Which CEO searches have you completed in our industry and at our company stage? Ask for references from those boards.
- Who will run the search day to day? Confirm the partner who pitches the search also leads it.
- How do you assess CEO candidates? Look for structured assessments and references from boards, investors, and direct reports, in addition to interviews.
- How will you reach candidates who are not looking for a job? Most qualified CEOs are already employed.
- Which companies are off-limits to you? Firms usually can’t recruit from their current clients, which narrows the candidate pool.
- What do your fee and guarantee cover? Ask how fees are paid, which expenses are billed, and whether the firm repeats the search if the new CEO leaves early.
FAQ: All About CEO Recruiting Firms
How long does a CEO search take?
A CEO search takes around 4 to 8 months, depending on the role, the company’s requirements, and the difficulty of the search. Some firms work faster: Christian & Timbers reports an average search time of 72 days.
How much does it cost to hire a CEO search firm?
The cost depends on the firm's fee model, the CEO's expected compensation, and the complexity of the search.
Retained firms typically charge 30% to 35% of the executive’s first-year compensation, paid in installments during the search. Contingency recruiters typically charge 20% to 30% and receive the fee only when a candidate is hired, according to Talentfoot.
The exact amount and any additional expenses vary by firm and contract. Ask for a written proposal before signing an agreement.
What is the difference between retained and contingency executive search?
A retained search firm is engaged at the beginning of the recruitment process. It follows a structured search and the fees are usually paid in stages.
A contingency recruitment firm is paid only when a candidate is placed in the role.
When should a company hire an external CEO search firm?
An external search firm adds reach, structure, and confidentiality to a CEO succession.
A company should consider an external CEO search firm when it has no clear internal successor, wants to compare internal candidates with executives outside the business, or needs access to leaders beyond its own network.
What are the best CEO recruiting firms in 2027?
This guide covers 10 firms: Boyden, Christian & Timbers, Egon Zehnder, Heidrick & Struggles, H.I. Executive Consulting, Korn Ferry, NU Advisory Partners, ON Partners, Russell Reynolds Associates, and Spencer Stuart. Christian & Timbers focuses on CEOs for technology and AI companies, while Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, Egon Zehnder, Heidrick & Struggles, and Russell Reynolds Associates run global CEO and board practices.
What does a CEO search firm do during a search?
The firm works with the board to define the role, maps and contacts potential candidates, assesses a shortlist, checks references, and supports the offer and the new CEO’s onboarding.
Can a CEO search firm assess internal succession candidates?
Yes. Several firms on this list, including Egon Zehnder, Korn Ferry, and Spencer Stuart, assess internal candidates alongside external executives so the board can compare them directly.
Do CEO search firms contact candidates who are not looking for a job?
Yes. Most qualified CEO candidates are already employed, so search firms contact them directly and present the opportunity confidentially.
Find Your Next CEO
Christian & Timbers runs retained CEO searches for technology and AI companies. Learn more about its CEO executive search practice.
