Our Services
Confidential Executive Search & Advisory
We approach search differently. The work is observational before it is operational. We map before we contact, and we contact before we shortlist.
Four practices, built around the appointments that don't belong on the open market. Privately held, PE-backed, VC-funded, and founder-led companies across South East Queensland.
Highly discreet search for roles remunerated at $200,000 and above, from Head Of and GM-level through to C-suite and Board appointments. We specialise in searches where the incumbent is still in-role, the company isn't publicly hiring, or the appointment is too sensitive for the open market.
- C-suite: CEO, COO, CTO, CIO, CPO (Chief People Officer), CAIO, CTAO
- Board and Non-Executive Director appointments
- GM and Head Of-level leadership roles
- CCO and digital/transformation leadership roles
- Head Of and Director-level strategic appointments
Deliverables
- • First candidate profiles within 7 days
- • Comprehensive market mapping report
- • Structured assessment and vetting
- • Reference and background verification
- • Interview coordination and offer negotiation
- • 30/60/90 day post-placement check-ins
Know your market before you hire. Detailed mapping of the talent landscape: who's where, who's performing, and which candidates might align with your organisation's future direction.
- Sector-specific talent mapping
- Competitor organisation analysis
- Succession pipeline identification
- Target candidate profiles and availability
- Market readiness and timing assessments
Use Cases
- • Planning succession 12-24 months ahead
- • Expanding into new markets or sectors
- • Building talent pipelines proactively
- • Understanding competitor structures
- • Board-level workforce planning
Real market data on executive compensation. Understand what it takes to attract, retain, and motivate top talent across Brisbane's technology, digital, people and operational leadership sectors.
- Base salary by role and seniority
- Short and long-term incentive structures
- Equity and partnership pathway benchmarks
- Benefits and perks comparisons
- Market movement and trend analysis
Sectors Covered
- • Technology: CTO, CIO, VP Engineering, Head of Data
- • AI & Transformation: CAIO, Head of AI, Head of Transformation
- • Operations: CEO, COO, CCO, GM, Managing Director
- • People & Talent: Chief People Officer, Head of TA, VP People & Culture, CTAO
- • Cross-sector executive comparisons
Discreet, board-initiated leadership transitions for privately held and PE-backed companies. When a senior executive needs to move on without market noise, we find them a new role while protecting both reputations.
- Confidential career transition support
- Active opportunity identification
- Discreet introductions through our network
- Reputation-preserving exit management
- Reduced reputational and brand risk
When It Works
- • Leadership changes post-M&A or restructure
- • Strategic pivots requiring new capabilities
- • Performance transitions at senior level
- • Board-initiated succession scenarios
What Sets Us Apart
Four commitments that hold across every search
The best executive candidates in 2026 aren't sitting on LinkedIn waiting to be found. The leaders running significant private, PE-backed, and scale-up businesses are rarely visible on public directories.
Our 17 years of relationships across Australia's private and PE-backed landscape give us access to candidates who don't respond to InMails, don't have updated profiles, and don't engage with recruiters they haven't met.
Why This Matters
- • Access to candidates invisible to the open market
- • Relationships built over 17 years, not 17 months
- • Intelligence-led search, not database-led
- • Candidates who are performing, not just available
Every single candidate who engages with us receives direct, personalised feedback on their application. Not an automated email. Not a template. A genuine, considered response from the consultant managing your search.
A candidate who receives a thoughtful "no" today may be the perfect hire for your next appointment, or may recommend someone who is.
What This Protects
- • Your employer brand in a small, connected market
- • Future candidate relationships for upcoming roles
- • Referral networks that only exist through trust
- • The integrity of every search we conduct
Speed is critical in executive search. Within the first week, our clients understand what the market response is: which candidates are engaged, what the initial appetite looks like, and whether the positioning resonates.
The best candidates move quickly. If your search process takes 6-8 weeks to produce a first shortlist, you've already lost the candidates who would have made the biggest impact.
Why Speed Matters
- • Validates your brief and compensation framework early
- • Secures top talent before competitors engage them
- • Gives your board confidence the search has momentum
- • Enables course corrections before time is wasted
Confidentiality isn't a checkbox. It's the foundation of every search we conduct. No job advertisements. No LinkedIn posts. No industry whispers.
We operate with coded candidate files, restricted knowledge circles, and secure communication protocols. We treat every search with the same discretion a doctor affords a patient.
Our Protocols
- • Zero market visibility: no ads, no posts, no whispers
- • Coded candidate files until you authorise disclosure
- • Restricted knowledge circles you control
- • Patient-doctor level discretion on every engagement
Our 7-Step Search Process
Deep-dive into your needs, culture, and success criteria
Comprehensive research prioritising passive talent
Personalised approaches via our trusted network
Structured interviews and thorough vetting
Candidates presented with full confidence
Coordination, debriefs, and negotiation
Offer support and 90-day check-ins
Leadership Practices
CTO • CIO • VP Engineering • Head of Data & AI
We know the people who build and scale platforms. Leaders who understand both technical excellence and commercial reality.
Learn more →CAIO • Head of AI • Head of Transformation • Chief Digital Officer
Executives who lead AI adoption and automation strategy, and know which parts of the operating model actually need to change.
Learn more →CEO • COO • CCO • GM Operations • MD
We know the people who run businesses. Operators and strategists for founder-led, PE-backed, and family owned companies.
Learn more →Chief People Officer (CPO) • Head of TA • VP People & Culture • CTAO
The leaders building executive teams, shaping culture, and driving talent strategy.
Learn more →What Clients Say
"They found us a CIO in six weeks who had exactly the platform experience we needed. The shortlist quality was exceptional. We could have hired any of them."
"What impressed me was the discretion. A highly sensitive leadership transition handled without a single market rumour. That takes genuine relationships."
"We'd been searching for a CTO for months through other channels. Lex Gordon found us someone we didn't know existed, and they started in seven weeks."
Ready to Start a Search?
Submit a brief or start a conversation. We'll respond the same business day.
What do Brisbane executives actually earn?
Salary benchmarks, executive movement data and career trajectory notes from Brisbane's senior technology market.
480+
Executives Tracked
12
Role Categories
3yr
Trend Data
Complimentary access · No paywall · OTP-verified for senior leaders