For over 20 years, we’ve been delivering ground-breaking talent solutions that do not cost the earth. Not financially. Not literally.

A team of multi-national recruiters who match great talent with amazing purpose-led organisations. At ExecutiveSurf we have the tools and know-how and ultimately the right core values to achieve this.

Our Mission

We are the spark that creates the connection between extraordinary people who together do inspirational things. We make a positive lasting impact on peoples’ lives, the companies they work for and the planet we live in.

Our Vision

All in! Inspired Innovators matching Exceptional Talent with Purpose-driven Companies. At scale!

Our Culture

We work from a foundation of left-brain process, to give us the space to bring right-brain creativity into our days, specifically through empathy and understanding of cultural nuance. We embrace new technologies and new ideas, always keeping the wellbeing and long-term best interests of all at front and centre in everything we do.

Meet our Directors

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Rod Bailey

Chief Visionary Officer

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Florin Paduraru

Operations Director

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Ant Lester

Delivery Director

Meet some of our Team Leads

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Kevin Bouasy

Team Leader

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Margot Flaven

Team Leader

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Joao Santos

Team Leader

Meet some of our Innovators

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Marillion Garnier

Recruitment Consultant

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Merve Arslan

Marketing Consultant

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Micaela Condurso

Recruitment Consultant

Our History

2002
2002

ExecutiveSurf was founded in Milan, Italy with a mission to introduce the vast potential of the internet and communication technologies to the traditional conservative world of executive search.

2004
2004
Internationalisation: Our research hub and group headquarters was re-located to London kick-starting our global expansion
2014
2014

ExecutiveSurf boasted 12 offices and 3 research delivery hubs across the world, but we decided to pivot… Thanks to huge leaps forward in access to candidate data and communication tools, we took the bold decision to close our offices and become a virtual firm.

2020
2020

ExecutiveSurf is virtual, but our global capability grows to a team of researchers from 20+ different countries. As the Covid pandemic hits and the world embraces hybrid working, ExecutiveSurf is battle ready!

2021
2021

ExecutiveSurf launches Talent as a Service (TaaS) - a revolutionary billing model that links recruitment fees to the long-term successful tenure of placed candidates. TaaS becomes ExecutiveSurf’s most popular billing model.

Give Us A Call
0044 (0) 207 729 1837
Send Us A Message
info@executivesurf.com
Office Location

Unit 229 Canalot Studios, 222 Kensal Road, London W10 5BN

Get in touch!

Hello. We’re ExecutiveSurf, a next generation, no-frills headhunting firm operating across the world.

For over 20 years, we’ve been delivering ground-breaking talent solutions that have helped our clients and candidates with success that goes far beyond the initial hiring process.

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We will fight for a world where everyone feels safe, valued, able to grow, and be inspired by their role and the organisation that they work for. And that starts with us…
doing the right thing
Rod Bailey

Chief Visionary Officer

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  • Why did you join ES - Because I spotted a huge gap in the market for a no-frills search firm.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - I’m the Chief Vision Officer. I develop and nurture our Vision and I ensure everything we do is in service of our Cause
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - Is people a quality? I love and value our team. We’re all pulling together to build a fantastic place to work
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - You are enough!
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - I want to bring this brilliant thing we’re building to the whole world. That’s quite a lot!
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - At heart I’m a creative type. But I’m also passionate about people: what unites us and the subtleties that make us different. My job lets me combine those two things and get paid for it. What’s not to love?
  • Fun fact about you - I’m a punk at heart. In my musical taste and in my attitude. So f@ck you!!! 😉
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - Empathy. Empathy and more empathy. I’m pretty empathetic but I’ll never stop learning.
Florin Paduraru

Operations Director

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  • Why did you join ES - I resonated a lot with the principles ExecutiveSurf was promoting when I joined: humanity, fairness, market disruption.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - Basically making sure that the team has the tools they need to do their job easily and efficiently. And then a bit of research :)
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - Transparency, Innovation and Humanity
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - I always wonder "what could go wrong" about any task I undertake so I can already think about a solution, an improvement.
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - Become a joint-CEO and share the great things we do with more clients and candidates.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - The fact that every day is different: the challenges I get, the people I speak to, the tasks I work on, they always change
  • Fun fact about you - I collect stamps. 10k of them
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - My technical acumen and sometimes my gut-feeling
Ant Lester

Delivery Director

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  • Why did you join ES - I joined to be part of an organisation delivering a quality service to its clients all over the world.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - As Head of Delivery, I look after the Team Leads and Researchers and provide daily support, structure and training.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - We are an open and honest organisation, we believe in our “Just Cause’ and helping other organisations achieve their goals by finding them the best possible talent.
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - Keep high levels of open and honest communication with key stake holders.
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - As a Director in the business, I would like to see the business continue to scale and change the image of the industry
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - I love my team, they are diverse and interesting group of people with different ideas and beliefs. I thoroughly enjoy seeing them grow in the business.
  • Fun fact about you - I am a keen sportsman and very active individual
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - Communication and project management
Kevin Bouasy

Team Leader

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  • Why did you join ES - I got seduced by the multicultural environment ES was offering and the inspiring vision of the Managing Directors. This human-scale company was a perfect setting to upskill in the recruitment industry.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - I am currently supporting international organisations to recruit talents globally by ensuring a high-quality candidate experience throughout the hiring process. My role also includes client relationship management, process improvement and team management.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - Transparency - adaptability - diversity & empathy.
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - Keeping a positive attitude will help you succeed!
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - Help ES to grow and scale with purpose. I would see myself dedicating most of my time with Key Account Management duties.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - The chance to engage with remarkable talents and guide them towards life-changing opportunities.
  • Fun fact about you - I made the Sun headlines when I was managing Ice Attractions for a major UK-based theme park. 🧊⛸️
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - Interpersonal communication skills and teamwork!
Margot Flaven

Team Leader

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  • Why did you join ES - I started recruitment by chance, I was not specifically looking to build a career in the industry, but I loved the international part of the company and, as I am quite outgoing, I though that would suit me well.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - My role involves recruiting candidates, training internal resources, managing research and clients by developing professional relationships and participating in improvements and projects.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - I like the honesty and transparency relationship we maintain with our clients, behaving like a team rather than a deal, and build long-term relationships.
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - Celebrate the small wins.
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - I would like to develop my skills in account management and eventually manage a big team.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - I love being able to meet interesting people and learn new things on a daily basis, have the opportunity to work on various projects, and being able to switch between different languages.
  • Fun fact about you - I know tongue twisters in several languages that I don’t speak, which I’ve been repeating for over 10 years, but I don’t know what they mean. I even know entire songs by heart in Swedish and German.
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - According to my colleagues, I am a multitask champion.
Joao Santos

Team Leader

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  • Why did you join ES - Opportunity to work in a multicultural environment and team, work across different geographies and sectors (never boring) and use my native language.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - A mix of research, project and team management. I am in contact with both candidates and clients.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - Company's just-cause and flexibility, team environment and feeling heard (your opinions matter).
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - "Do not judge a book by it's cover."
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - Continue to Grow and develop myself, not just in terms of seniority but also skills and knowledge. Help the company grow.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - Variety (days can be very different from each other). Also the opportunity to work not only with a very multicultural team but also candidates and clients.
  • Fun fact about you - Although I lived in Europe all my life, I have visited more countries outside Europe than Europe itself.
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - Empathy, adaptability and time management.
Marillion Garnier

Recruitment Consultant

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  • Why did you join ES - I decided to join executive surf when I understood that I wanted to start my career in recruitment, Executive Surf caught my attention due to its good reputation. This is my first recruitment experience and it was definitely a good choice! I feel now very comfortable with my job and the company itself.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - In my role as an International Recruitment Consultant at Executive Surf, I am dedicated to finding the finest talent for our clients' organizations. I engage in discussions with clients to understand their specific requirements and identify the qualities they seek in prospective employees. Armed with this valuable information, I embark on an extensive search to discover potential candidates who align perfectly with the desired role.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - The key qualities I have developed in Executive Surf and that I value the most are time management since I have multiple searches and clients at the same time, and (although it might sound strange) also emotional intelligence. I believe recruiters develop emotional intelligence by empathizing with candidates, effectively addressing concerns, and making well-informed decisions based on both qualitative and quantitative factors.
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - Trust the process
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - I wish to develop myself further within this industry while growing with the company and making the company grow with my work as well.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - I find great joy in connecting with people from around the world and helping both clients and individuals find the right fit. It's fulfilling to assist those who are unhappy in their current jobs and guide them towards opportunities that align with their ambitions and bring them professional satisfaction.
  • Fun fact about you - I am a huge fan of both Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - I believe the skills I use the most are communication, negotiation and relationship building.
Merve Arslan

Marketing Consultant

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  • Why did you join ES - Collaborating with others has always been important to me, and this position provides an ideal opportunity to connect with individuals, engage in conversations, and gain insights into diverse roles and their functioning. However, what truly attracted me was the exceptional team I work with. The work environment struck the perfect balance between a relaxed atmosphere and high productivity, making it an irresistible choice for me to join.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - As a recruitment consultant, my responsibility lies in sourcing ideal candidates who align seamlessly with specific positions and possess relevant expertise. This entails reaching out to potential candidates, engaging in conversations to understand them better, and ultimately persuading them to take on the journey of filling those roles.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - At ExecutiveSurf, there is an environment of open communication where every individual's voice and opinion are equally respected and valued. There is a sincere desire among the team to continuously improve and enhance our organisation, which I value dearly.
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - Honesty is key! Always communicate and always be honest. Whether this is with my colleagues or candidates, I work with.
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - I absolutely love being creative, and one of my big dreams is to spice up ExecutiveSurf's marketing by creating all sorts of awesome content to share. One thing I'm super passionate about is making videos, and I'd be thrilled to produce more videos that highlight this incredible company and what we're all about.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - Having conversations with all sorts of people and writing reports on them. (As someone who loves writing, I enjoy it, but I do wish we could add a bit more creativity to our writing style).
  • Fun fact about you - I can do a killer Shakira impression (when I am in a good mood).
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - Clear communication and time management.
Micaela Condurso

Recruitment Consultant

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  • What does your role in ES consist of - I loved the idea of the Company Culture, and how we want to make a positive impact in the recruitment industry, recognising the value of each of our candidates and clients.
  • What does your role in ES consist of - I am a Senior Recruitment Consultant, which means that my goal is to deliver ground-breaking talent solutions for our clients, through a clear honest, and transparent process.
  • What key qualities do you value about ES - I value the recognition of our potential, the appreciation of our work and the implementation of the revolutionary idea of TaaS.
  • What is a piece of advice you carry with you on your day-to-day - Do your best, don’t get comfortable, and always compete with yourself, and you’ll achieve your goals.
  • Career path and ambitions for the future - I want to lead and guide a team,  making sure that all their needs are met and pushing them to excel in their potential within the company.
  • What do you love the most about what you do? - I love giving people a new growth opportunity in their careers, caring for their interests and making sure it benefits them and their clients.
  • Fun fact about you - I am a bit of a control freak, and it doesn’t matter how tired I am, I gotta go to the gym after work :)
  • What skills do you use the most on a workday? - Adaptability, thinking outside of the box, and good people skills when speaking with new candidates daily
cause-rotated-pink

Our Cause

We will fight for a world where everyone feels safe, valued, able to grow, and be inspired by their role and the organisation that they work for. And that starts with us…

Doing the right thing
We will fight for a world where everyone feels safe, valued, able to grow, and be inspired by their role and the organisation that they work for. And that starts with us…
Doing the right thing
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cause-rotated-pink

Our Cause

We will fight for a world where everyone feels safe, valued, able to grow, and be inspired by their role and the organisation that they work for. And that starts with us…

Doing the right thing
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