January is often seen as the natural starting point for a leadership search. Budgets are approved, strategy is set and the business is ready to focus on the year's commercial growth priorities. But for senior appointments, the businesses that move fastest in January are rarely those that begin their search in January. They have already done much of the groundwork by the time the new year starts.
The question for CEOs and leadership teams is therefore not simply "Do we need to hire in the new year?", but "What do we need to have in place now to make the right appointment early in the year?"
Why does a January search start too late?
A senior search takes time. Defining the role, agreeing the brief, mapping the market, approaching candidates, interviewing, negotiating and managing notice periods all sit between the decision to hire and the day a leader walks through the door.
For many senior roles, notice periods of three to six months are common. A search that begins in January may not produce a start date until well into the second quarter or later. By then, the business may already have lost months of momentum on the key priorities the hire was meant to address.
Starting before January gives the business a very different position. The brief is agreed, conversations with candidates are underway and the organisation is ready to move when the year begins.
What are the benefits of starting early?
1. You have time to define the role properly
The most common reason senior searches go wrong is not a lack of candidates. It is a lack of clarity about what the role needs to achieve.
Autumn is an ideal time to step back and ask whether the role is still the right one. Has the business changed? Are the boundaries between marketing, digital, customer, data and technology shifting? Does the next leader need to bring a different skill set from their predecessor?
Time spent on the brief at this stage saves time later.
2. You can reach candidates who aren't actively looking (referred to in the industry as “passive” candidates)
Many of the strongest senior leaders are not applying for jobs. They are in roles, delivering results and open to the right conversation, but only if it is approached thoughtfully.
These conversations take time. A leader who is considering a move will often want to meet more than once, understand the business in depth and think carefully about timing. Starting early allows those conversations to develop naturally rather than being compressed into a short time frame; passive candidates rarely like to be rushed through a process.
3. You avoid the January rush
The new year brings a surge of activity. For some businesses, this is the start of the new financial year and with it comes a fresh budget. Senior leaders return from the break with fresh perspectives on their careers, many use January to kickstart their job search or to double down on it with renewed focus.
Candidates are fielding more approaches, diaries are fuller and decision-making can slow as everyone tries to catch up at once.
A business that has already built its shortlist is far better placed than one starting from scratch in the same week as everyone else.
4. You can plan around notice periods and bonus cycles
Senior candidates often have bonuses, share schemes and other commitments that influence when they can realistically move. Many will not want to leave before year-end payments are received.
Understanding this early means the business can plan the timeline sensibly, rather than discovering late in the process that the preferred candidate cannot start until the summer.
5. You give the business time to consider interim cover
Sometimes the right permanent appointment will not be able to start for several months. In other cases, the business needs leadership in place immediately while the longer-term decision is made.
Starting early gives the organisation time to consider whether interim leadership could bridge the gap, so that priorities keep moving without forcing a rushed permanent decision.
6. You make a stronger case to candidates
The best candidates want to understand why the role exists, what the business wants to achieve and how success will be measured. A business that has done its thinking in advance can answer those questions with confidence.
That clarity makes the opportunity more compelling, it also signals the kind of organisation the candidate would be joining: one that plans ahead and makes decisions with purpose.
Which roles benefit most from an early start?
Almost any senior appointment can benefit, but early planning is particularly valuable where:
The role is critical to delivering the business plan and commercial targets for the year ahead
The talent pool is small or highly specialised
The candidate is likely to be in a senior role with a long notice period
The role is newly created, or the existing structure is changing
The business is PE-backed and delivering a value creation plan in a specific time frame
A current leader is planning to move on or retire
What should a business do now?
Before the year-end, CEOs and leadership teams should ask:
Which senior roles are critical to our commercial growth plans for the year ahead?
Do we know, or suspect, that any of these roles will become vacant?
Is the current role definition still right for where the business is going?
What would the ideal candidate need to have already achieved (what are our “non-negotiables”)?
How long are notice periods likely to be for this level of appointment?
Do we need interim leadership to bridge the gap?
What do we need to decide internally before we can begin?
These questions help determine not only whether to start a search, but when, and how to give it the best chance of success.
Planning ahead is a strategic choice
Starting a search early is not about acting hastily, it is the opposite; it gives the business the time to think carefully, speak to the right people and make a considered decision.
As Suzie Walker, MD & Founder of Suzie Walker Executive Search, says: “The businesses that make the strongest senior appointments in the new year are usually the ones that did the thinking in the autumn. They arrive in January with clarity, momentum and a shortlist, rather than a blank page."
The best time to begin your January leadership search is before January.
If your organisation is planning a senior appointment for the new year, we can help you define the brief, understand the market and start the right conversations now.
To find out how we can support you with senior leadership hires, connect with a Consultant
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a specialist headhunting firm dedicated to finding exceptional interim and permanent senior marketing, digital, and technology leaders for both B2C and B2B organisations. We partner with FTSE 350 and private equity–backed companies, recruiting for roles at Head, Director and Chief (C-suite) level.
If you’re ready to make your next move, we regularly post new opportunities on our LinkedIn company page. If you apply for a role on the platform, it requires a 1st connection for us to respond, so please make sure to connect with Suzie Walker. Our company page is also frequently updated with the latest hiring news, expert interviews, and candidate guidance, so well worth following.
