“KiTalent’s team stand out for their enthusiasm, competence, effectiveness and professionalism. They’ve demonstrated great ability in understanding our specific needs and proposing the best candidates.”
Talent Acquisition DirectorGenerali Group
International Management & Executive Search
Executive search for the management hires that matter most.
Senior management and specialist leadership searches where technical depth, cultural judgment and cross-border reach all matter, run with executive-search discipline.
Validated shortlist in 7 to 10 working days on suitable mandates.Proof-First available with no upfront retainer.Retained search available for confidential and mission-critical work.
Senior management, specialist leadership
Country managers, heads of function, technical leads, the center of our practice.
Four hubs, in-market
Turin · Nicosia · Almaty · New York. Each search runs in the market it serves.
Three buying routes
Proof-First for new partnerships. Retained Search for confidential mandates. Talent Mapping First before a role opens.
“We’ve created a real partnership, based on cooperation and mutual trust, clear and effective communication. They provide attentive high-quality service.”
Talent Attraction DirectorBulgari (LVMH)
“Reliable and dynamic professionals with a strong background and a very active network, which allows them to move quickly and stay current with market trends.”
Talent Acquisition PartnerZurich Insurance Group
In practice.
Three recent searches, told plainly. Each links to the full case file with method, metrics and what we got wrong on the first pass.
Insurance · IT / PL
Insurance · Italy / Poland
Cross-border insurance talent for relocation to Italy
Ten Polish-speaking insurance specialists sourced for relocation to Italy after an internal process had stalled. Brief recalibrated, candidates calibrated for relocation appetite, shortlist landed inside three weeks.
10 hires · cross-border relocation
Financial Services · DE
Financial Services · Germany
Financial controllers in Berlin, after two agencies failed
Two Financial Controllers placed in six weeks and below budget by recalibrating the role and running a direct search after two agencies had been unable to close.
2 hires · 6 weeks · under budget
Real Estate · multi-sector
Real Estate · Multi-sector
Building a new business division from concept
Eight adjacent sectors mapped, 100+ interviews completed and a new operating division built through targeted leadership search and structured candidate calibration.
8 sectors · 100+ interviewsWhere we earn our keep.
Across the searches above and the hundreds we do not publish, four families of mandate recur. They are the work we are built around, not always board-level, but the kind where the wrong hire slows a market launch, weakens a technical function, breaks a team or leaves a strategic country uncovered.
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01 Mandate family
Technical and specialist leadership
When the recruiter has to read the role, not just the title.
Senior technical leads, software architects, actuarial and risk leaders, investment and portfolio managers, regulatory specialists, industrial automation directors, data infrastructure leaders. The brief is wrong, and the shortlist is wrong, when the consultant cannot read the role.
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02 Mandate family
Culture-critical leadership hires
Right on paper, wrong in the company is the failure we work to prevent.
We calibrate leadership style, decision rights, stakeholder context, team maturity and operating environment before outreach begins. The shortlist is built to introduce candidates who can succeed inside your organization, not only ones who match the job description.
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03 Mandate family
Cross-border and multi-market searches
Most mandates involve language, relocation or regulatory complexity across borders.
Our markets coverage and four hubs in Turin, Nicosia, Almaty and New York are designed so each search runs in-market with sector-native consultants, rather than out of a single head office. Compensation, mobility and employer-brand reality are tested early.
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04 Mandate family
Senior management as the core, selected executive search where it fits
Country managers, heads of function and selected C-suite mandates for clients we know well.
Country managers, heads of function, department directors, senior technical leads and specialist leaders are the center of our practice. We also run selected C-suite, board, succession and confidential mandates, especially for clients where we already understand the sector, culture and leadership context.
Three buying routes, one search standard.
Every mandate follows the same operating discipline: role calibration, market mapping, direct headhunting, structured assessment, evidence-based shortlist delivery and post-placement follow-up. The commercial model changes according to the risk profile of the role and how your organization buys search.
The shared six-stage process
- Role calibration
- Market mapping
- Direct headhunting
- Structured assessment
- Evidence-based shortlist
- Post-placement follow-up
Proof-First Search
For new partnerships, time-sensitive searches and risk-sensitive mandates.
- No upfront retainer
- Validated shortlist in 7 to 10 working days
- Interview fee, then a placement fee on hire
- Shortlist evidence and market feedback before any major fee commitment
Retained Search
For confidential, mission-critical, C-suite, board and succession mandates.
- Standard retained structure with milestone fees
- Off-limits protection and exclusivity
- Deeper stakeholder calibration and assessment sequence
- Same six-stage process, same weekly visibility
Talent Mapping First
For roles that are not open yet, market-entry decisions, compensation questions and succession planning.
- Target-company and candidate universe map
- Compensation, mobility and availability signals
- Feasibility recommendations before the brief is final
- Converts naturally into search when the mandate is approved
Where we are the right firm, and where we are not.
Saying so within the first call saves everyone time.
Talk to us when the search needs executive-search discipline.
- Technical or specialist mandates
- Culture-critical leadership hires
- Cross-border and multilingual roles
- Searches stalled through standard channels
- Confidential or off-limits assignments
Pass on us when a different route will solve it.
- Volume or junior hiring
- Administrative roles
- Briefs well-served by in-house TA
- Job-board friendly searches
Watch · 2 min
How we complement great internal recruitment teams.
A worked example of the four areas where we add the most value, and how a single strategic search can deliver close to a million dollars in net value to the business.
Performance, defined.
Every claim links to how it is measured.
- 7–10 days To a validated shortlist on mapped senior-management mandates
- 96% One-year retention: hires still in role after twelve months
- NPS 72 Twelve-month rolling client satisfaction survey
- 8+ years Average length of an active client relationship
Eight sectors, across four hubs.
Sector-native consultants calibrated against the real difficulty of each market. Search execution anchored close to where candidates compete — not run from a single head office.
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Financial Services & Professional Services
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AI, Technology & Digital Infrastructure
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Industrial Manufacturing & Robotics
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Energy, Natural Resources & Infrastructure
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Mobility, Aerospace & Defense
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Healthcare & Life Sciences
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Consumer, Retail & Hospitality
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Real Estate & Built Environment
Explore market →
Four hubs. In-market execution.
The same search standard, anchored close to where senior candidates actually compete — with native-language calibration and on-the-ground references.
Europe HQ
Turin
European HQ and origin of the firm. Core coverage across Italy, Southern Europe, industrial markets, financial services, legal, consumer and luxury-linked mandates.
Explore Turin
Mediterranean & MEA
Nicosia
Mediterranean, Middle East and strategic-accounts hub. Confidential, multilingual searches connected to Cyprus, GCC, energy and cross-border corporate structures.
Explore Nicosia
Central Asia
Almaty
Central Asia and Asia-facing hub. Supports searches across Kazakhstan, CIS, Asian growth markets and multilingual, relocation-led assignments.
Explore Almaty
Americas
New York
Americas hub for North American searches and international mandates involving US-based leadership, investors, regional headquarters and cross-Atlantic coordination.
Explore New YorkFrequently asked questions.
What roles does KiTalent typically fill?
The center of our practice is senior management and specialist leadership: country managers, heads of function, department directors, senior technical leads, risk and investment leaders. We also run selected C-suite, board, succession and confidential mandates for clients where we already understand the context.
How is KiTalent different from a standard recruitment agency?
We start with continuous market mapping and direct headhunting, not applicant flow. The process is built for passive senior candidates, with technical and leadership assessment, weekly visibility and shortlist evidence. The difference is most visible when the role is technical, culture-critical, cross-border, or has already failed through standard channels.
How is KiTalent different from a large retained search firm?
Large retained firms are strongest at board and C-suite advisory work. We are built around the senior-management and specialist mandates that international companies need filled repeatedly across markets, sectors and functions, with executive-search discipline, retained search for confidential work and Talent Mapping First when the role is not ready to launch.
Do you only work on the Proof-First model?
No. Proof-First Search is one buying route. We also run retained searches for confidential, mission-critical, executive, board, succession and ongoing leadership programs, and talent mapping when the role is not ready to launch.
What is Proof-First Search?
Proof-First Search is our risk-reversed engagement model. No upfront retainer, a validated shortlist delivered in 7 to 10 working days, an interview fee only when the shortlist is strong enough to validate, and a placement fee on hire. It is designed for new partnerships and time-sensitive mandates where the client wants to see evidence of the work before any major commercial commitment. Full details on the Proof-First page.
What is retained search?
Standard retained executive search with milestone fees, off-limits protection and a dedicated search team. We use this model for confidential, mission-critical, C-suite, board and succession mandates where exclusivity, deeper advisory involvement and process discipline matter most. The operational standard is the same as Proof-First: continuous market mapping, direct headhunting, structured assessment and weekly visibility.
How quickly can you deliver candidates?
Most senior-management mandates receive a validated shortlist within 7 to 10 working days, because we map markets continuously rather than reactively. Confidential, niche or board-level searches may require a longer mapping and assessment sequence.
Do you assess culture fit?
Yes. We treat culture fit as a structured calibration of leadership style, decision rights, stakeholder context, team maturity and operating environment, not as personality matching. The work happens before outreach, not after the shortlist.
Where do you operate?
Cross-border is the default rather than the exception. Most mandates involve at least one international element, and our hubs in Turin, Nicosia, Almaty and New York allow each search to run in-market.
Discuss a search.
Tell us the role, the market and what makes the search difficult. We will tell you whether the mandate is best run as Proof-First Search, retained search, or a preliminary talent map.
For confidential briefs, use the secure mandate form so the request reaches the right search route.