Our approach
To date we have worked with over 100 companies, ranging from scale-ups to FTSE 350 and global private equity-backed brands.
Our client base is diverse in size and sector reach. They are ambitious, innovative and growing at a pace.
We recruit interim and permanent senior leaders for marketing, digital and technology roles in B2C and B2B FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies.
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a firm of specialist headhunters with an expert team recruiting interim and permanent senior leaders for B2C and B2B marketing, digital and technology roles in FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies.
We are experts in building high-performing senior leadership teams. We recruit roles for Senior Manager, Head of and Director to C-suite levels. Our consultants have a deep level of expertise in both the skill areas and sectors we recruit for.
We cover functional Senior Manager, Head of and Director to C-suite levels on both a permanent and interim basis. Salaries range from £80,000-£500,000 base (plus attractive executive benefits packages) or day rate equivalent (typically between £500-£2000 per day). Interim contracts vary in length, from 3-12 months+.
We are enablers of growth through the recruitment of high-performing senior leadership teams
Suzie Walker Executive Search is consistently successful in delivering high-performing senior leadership teams. We have a gift for getting the right personality, team and culture ‘fit’ between clients and candidates.
A trusted executive search firm, we are experts in advising on team dynamic and balance to maximise value and output, thus accelerating change.
We are passionate about what we do and confident in our abilities to deliver. Our approach is flexible, thorough, honest and transparent and we will always provide regular updates and feedback to clients and candidates throughout the process. Our agile and creative approach ensures we unearth inspirational and innovative leaders from around the world. We work at pace and each assignment is tailored to our clients’ specific needs.
We are also happy to provide advice as to what level an organisation should recruit at and which sectors should be represented on the target list and can often conduct bench-marking exercises to help with this process.
Whether you are a client looking to hire new talent into your organisation or a professional searching for your next challenge, it is our job to work with you as a business partner to achieve a successful outcome.
We invest time at the beginning of a search to really understand what a client needs in terms of candidate profile and to learn about the culture of the organisation. This enables us to both represent the client effectively in the external market and assess cultural fit issues when discussing the role with potential candidates. It is our belief that a strong shortlist will be comprised of candidates who are both a strong technical fit for the role and a strong cultural fit for the organisation.
While we are thorough and structured, we are also agile and collaborative; we recommend meeting benchmark candidates as early indicators.
We are a driven, hard-working team.
Expertise
We grow by building long-term relationships through openness, honesty and integrity. We seek to give every client the benefit of our expertise. In turn, we aim to treat every candidate professionally, with care and respect.
With exceptional research expertise, in depth sector and functional knowledge and enthusiasm for what we do, we have developed an extensive market network and database along with the reputation as a highly regarded specialist executive search firm. Our search methodology is rigorous and candidates go through several stages of screening interviews, culminating in a face-to-face competency-based assessment.
Our team is driven and comprises senior search practitioners, with specialist headhunter marketing and digital expertise; known for their extensive networks and industry insight. We are creative and bring fresh perspectives, we love feedback and we use the insights gained to broaden our knowledge base and challenge our thinking.
Flexibility
Our relationships make us who we are. Our success is grounded in meaningful, deep-seated and long-standing relationships.
We recognise that changes to the role specification can arise during an assignment and one advantage of being an agile business is that we are able to adapt easily and promptly without compromising on timelines. We are a fast growing business and are recognised as one of the Top 10 Executive Search Firms for senior marketing and digital roles, in the UK.
Our clients vary in size from scale-ups to FTSE 350 corporates and private equity-backed businesses.
Our success rate speaks for itself and we are proud to be one of the fastest growing executive search firms in the marketing and digital space.
Over 90% of our work comes from ongoing clients or referrals because we invest fully in understanding our clients and their businesses, taking pride in our role as their executive search partner. We take the time to invest in our candidates, to understand what really motivates them.
It is all about ‘fit’. We have clients who we have worked with for years, who have moved companies and taken us with them, they trust us, they know we ‘get’ them – their expectations, working methods, which personalities will fit the best. It is like putting together a high-performing sports team, it is challenging, exciting and oh so rewarding, as it comes together.
The adage that ‘you are only as good as your last placement’ rings true, we want to get it right – our reputation, repeat business and positive word of mouth depends on it.
How can we help you? (we are, after all, a service company).
Shouldn’t the term headhunting imply that we would scour the globe for the perfect head?
At Suzie Walker Executive Search, our consultants would rather think outside of the box for different solutions. Are there other sectors, geographical markets, skill mixes or personality types that would result in a more high-performing team?
What is our ‘wild card’ candidate? We like to push the boundaries - seeing the opportunity, being bold and brave, whilst making decisions based on deep knowledge and expertise.
The wild card candidate, thrills, delights and excites.
Our Ethos
Honest
– in our feedback - be that in client structures and plans or to candidates, we ‘treat people as you would wish to be treated.’
Commercial
– we have a business background, we understand shareholder value and the key deliverables.
Professional
– we are a professional services firm, the recruitment equivalent of a McKinsey, OC&C etc.
Driven
– and we are on track to becoming the ‘go to’ headhunter for senior marketing, data, digital and tech roles.
FAQs
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An executive search firm (often called a headhunter) specialises in identifying, approaching and securing senior-level and C-suite talent.
Unlike contingency recruiters, we proactively map the market, discreetly approach high-performing leaders (many of whom are not actively job-seeking), and manage the full process from briefing to appointment.
Our focus is on long-term cultural and strategic fit, not just filling a vacancy.
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Contingent recruitment works on volume and speed - often for mid-level roles.
Executive search is bespoke: it involves deep market research, direct outreach to leaders, and a retained partnership model.
For senior appointments, such as Head of Marketing, Marketing Director, Performance Marketing Director, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), or Chief Digital Officer, executive search delivers far greater quality, discretion and alignment for long term success.
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You should engage an executive search partner when:
The role is critical to business growth or transformation.
You need access to passive, high-calibre talent.
Confidentiality is important (e.g. replacing an existing incumbent).
You want rigorous assessment of leadership, culture and strategic fit.
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Our retained executive search process typically takes 28 days from briefing to shortlist.
Interim placements are significantly quicker, as we maintain active networks of proven interim leaders ready to deploy. We’re typically briefing to offer within 7-10 days and have been known to be as quick as 72 hours.
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We specialise in recruiting senior interim and permanent marketing, digital and technology leaders at Head of, Director and Chief of level for:
FTSE 350 companies
Private equity-backed businesses
Privately owned companies
High-growth and transformation-driven organisations in scale-up phase
Roles typically include Head of Marketing, Head of Brand, Head of Performance Marketing, Marketing Director, Performance Marketing Director, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chief Customer Officer, Chief Digital Officer, and other leadership positions.
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Interim executives are experienced leaders who step in to manage change, turnaround or transformation on a fixed term contract, which are typically 6/9/12 months in duration. We do also provide interim support for a 3-month duration, and this is to provide senior expertise while a permanent search is underway. Our senior marketing and digital interim professionals can also support during periods of sickness or maternity/parental leave.
Permanent recruitment focuses on long-term strategic leadership.
We advise clients on which model best suits their situation - and maintain networks for both.
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We start with a deep dive with the client to understand both the technical requirements of the role and to gain an understanding of the optimal cultural and chemistry fit.
Following that in-depth briefing session, we then create a target list of sectors and companies of interest and identify the relevant individuals. As a specialist search firm, we own one of the largest databases of senior marketing and digital professionals.
The strength of our brand and network affords us a high level of engagement from the identified candidates.
Our consultants then undertake a two-stage interview process. One focussing on technical fit, using competency-based interview questions and the second focussing on culture and chemistry fit.
We put circa 45 candidates per role through this two-stage process, and our MD & Founder meets with the final shortlist prior to client interview to ensure a high level of accuracy, which supports our 100% success rate.
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Executive search typically operates on a retained model, where the client pays in three stages – authorisation to proceed, delivery of shortlist, and acceptance of offer.
For the purpose of invoicing, we pick the mid-point of the salary banding and then adjust in the third stage invoice to reflect the actual salary offered, to ensure transparency.
Interim placements are charged either on a day rate or fixed-term contract basis according with the client’s requirements.
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Senior leaders rarely respond to job adverts - the best talent is usually passive.
Our specialist firm provides discretion, reach and credibility, representing your brand in a way that attracts and engages top performers.
Our consultants have high levels of expertise, specifically in senior marketing and digital roles, enabling us to achieve a 100% success rate with our hires.
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Our specialist team have deep expertise in hiring senior marketing and digital leaders across FTSE 350, private equity-backed and privately owned companies.
We have an exceptionally strong brand and network within the senior marketing and digital community, hosting regular in-person events, webinars and our hugely successful Q&A series where we interview senior leaders within this community.
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Yes. We recruit roles in the UK, Middle East and the US, with the main hubs being London, Dubai and New York.
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Simply contact us to book an initial and confidential introductory call. As a business, we are then keen to meet in person, ideally at your offices, to gain a deep understanding of the technical requirements of the role, as well as the culture and chemistry fit.
A letter from our MD & Founder, Suzie Walker
Welcome. I founded Suzie Walker Executive Search in 2009 because I passionately believe in supporting talented people to reach their full potential and to shape the future of business.
Deep-rooted values underpin everything we do here: our expertise, our success in commercial delivery and our social purpose.
Our belief in limitless possibility ensures that senior leadership roles are filled to deliver growth and to achieve positive change.
And, the world is changing. As an executive search firm, we have become ever more conscious of our environmental, social and governance (ESG) proposition, which underpins our activities, and our plans for the future. More than ever, our team, clients and candidates are pursuing purpose to ensure a better world for all.
Our belief in limitless possibility means that we are always ready and willing to change. Ambitious targets provide a clear vision for our future: achieving a net-zero climate impact, building inclusive executive boards and senior leadership teams, and ensuring high standards of accountability as a business.
As a certified Women Owned business, we are particularly passionate about the impact we can have on helping women and women of colour achieve senior leadership roles.
We look forward to working with you, helping and supporting you to achieve your goals.
