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Top Recruitment Agencies: Executive Search in the UK

33 of 53 recruitment agencies ranked on evidence in the Q4 2026 edition.

Between them, the 53 recruitment agencies on this page cover permanent recruitment (34), contract recruitment (16), temporary staffing (16) and construction and property recruitment (11). They also list work in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and New York City. 53 of them have written a profile you can read before you get in touch.

We list 55 recruitment agencies in the UK listed for executive search. The order comes from what each firm publishes and what has been verified about it, never from payment — at the top right now: Hanson Regan, 360 Search and 3Search.

Before you shortlist, check

Searches completed at your level, with clients you can speak to
The fee, and how much is due before a hire is made
Who actually runs the search, day to day
Off-limits terms: which of their clients they will not approach

TrustList ranking

Q4 2026 edition

33 of 53 recruitment agencies ranked on evidence held on 12 October 2026: client reviews, vetting, awards and facts each business states on its own website, which we read and date. Nobody pays to be placed.

Positions are fixed for the quarter; the next edition is due in January 2027.

How this is ranked About this edition

All recruitment agencies 33 ranked SMEs 33 ranked

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3Search
Driving and Logistics Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in Austin and New York City
3Search places people into the commercial teams that drive a company's growth, a group of functions it labels the "Revenue Engine".
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Why #1: Founded 2014 · professional accreditation · Founder-led, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Acorn by Synergie
Construction and Property Recruitment · IT and Tech Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Also in Bristol
Acorn by Synergie places temporary, permanent and contract workers through a branch network across England and Wales.
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Why #2: Founded 1992 · ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials · Placed below first here: a listing leads at most 5 rankings, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Hanson Regan
IT and Tech Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in Bromley and London
Hanson Regan finds technical specialists for organisations running large business systems, with SAP as its main area.
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Why #3: Founded 2006 · ISO 9001, ISO 27001, professional accreditation · Placed below first here: a listing leads at most 5 rankings, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Fawkes & Reece
Construction and Property Recruitment · Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) · Permanent Recruitment · Also in Southampton and Cardiff
UK construction recruiter placing permanent, freelance, trades and executive staff across building, housing, rail and infrastructure
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Why #4: Founded 2001 · Team of 180+, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Eden Scott
Energy & Natural Resources · Accounting & Finance · Food & Drink · Also in Glasgow and Aberdeen
Scottish recruitment agency placing permanent, contract and temporary staff across many sectors, including the public sector
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Why #5: Founded 2003 · Team of 40+, as stated on its own website, read 29 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Ethos BeathChapman
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Accounting & Finance · Interim Management · Also in Asia and London
Ethos BeathChapman is an executive recruitment firm founded in Sydney in 2005.
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Why #6: Founded 2005 · Team of 150+, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Artisan People
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in London
Artisan People is a recruitment group, founded in 1984, that supplies both temporary and permanent staff.
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Why #7: Founded 1984, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Harper Recruitment Group
Construction and Property Recruitment · Finance and Accounting Recruitment · IT and Tech Recruitment · Also in Derby and Nottingham
Harper Recruitment Group is a recruitment agency founded in 1987 and based in Nottingham.
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Why #8 (shared): Founded 1987, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Express Recruitment Agency Nottingham
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Office and Admin Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Also in Leicester and Derby
Express Recruitment is a recruitment agency based in Nottingham and Derby, serving the East Midlands. It has provided temporary and permanent staffing solutions since 1987.
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Why #8 (shared): Founded 1987, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Elizabeth Michael Associates
Construction and Property Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in Nottingham
Elizabeth Michael Associates is an independently owned recruitment business that has traded since 1991.
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Why #10 (shared): Founded 1991, as stated on its own website, read 29 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Career Moves Group
Finance and Accounting Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in London
Career Moves Group is a London recruitment agency and talent acquisition partner with more than 35 years in the business.
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Why #10 (shared): In business 35+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Bright Purple
IT and Tech Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in Aberdeen and Edinburgh
Bright Purple recruits technology and change specialists, working from its headquarters in Edinburgh.
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Why #12 (shared): In business 30+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Goodman Masson
Construction and Property Recruitment · Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) · Accounting & Finance · Also in Clerkenwell and London
Goodman Masson is a recruitment company that hires for finance, technology and specialist roles.
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Why #12 (shared): In business 30+ years, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Cork Griffiths
Permanent Recruitment · Interim Management · Headhunting · Also in London
Cork Griffiths is a UK executive search firm that finds directors, senior managers and non-executive directors for its clients.
Write a review
Why #14 (shared): In business 25+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Kintec Recruitment Ltd
Construction and Property Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in New York City and Manchester
Kintec Recruitment Ltd is an international recruitment company set up in 2001. It specialises in technical and engineering-related hiring, and lists offices on several continents.
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Why #14 (shared): Founded 2001, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Humres Technical Recruitment Limited
Construction and Property Recruitment · Also in Sheffield and London
Humres Technical Recruitment Limited is a UK recruitment consultancy focused on the construction and built environment sector.
Write a review
Why #14 (shared): In business 25+ years, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Carlyle Associates
Permanent Recruitment · Financial Services · Series · Also in Edinburgh and London
Independent executive search and senior interim firm working from Edinburgh and London for UK boards and leadership teams
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Why #17 (shared): Founded 2002, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Intelligent People
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in Nice and London
Intelligent People is a specialist recruitment and executive search agency with more than 24 years of experience.
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Why #17 (shared): In business 24+ years · Boutique, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Adam Appointments
Also in Edinburgh
Adam Appointments recruits exclusively for corporate governance roles and describes itself as a recruitment and talent advisory team.
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Why #19: Founded 2003, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Bespoke Careers
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Also in Los Angeles and Austin
Bespoke Careers recruits for the architecture and design sector, placing staff with practices, studios and product suppliers. Chief executive Lindsay Urquhart set it up in 2004.
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Why #20: Founded 2004, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Jo Holdsworth Recruitment Leeds
Office and Admin Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in Leeds and Lisbon
Jo Holdsworth Recruitment Leeds is a commercial recruitment agency based in Leeds and known across Yorkshire, with reach across the UK. It began in 2005.
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Why #21 (shared): Founded 2005, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
We Are Adam
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · IT and Tech Recruitment · HR Recruitment · Also in Stockport and Altrincham
"We Are Adam" is the trading name of Adam Recruitment Limited, an executive search and selection consultancy with offices in Manchester and London.
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Why #21 (shared): Founded 2005, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Approach Personnel
Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Manufacturing Recruitment · Also in Nottingham
Approach Personnel is an independently owned UK recruitment business that has been trading since 2007.
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Why #23: Founded 2007, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Bain and Gray
Office and Admin Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in London
Bain and Gray is a boutique recruitment agency in London that fills personal assistant, executive assistant and wider business support jobs.
Write a review
Why #24: Founded 2009 · Boutique, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.

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How is this ranking worked out?

The order comes from what each firm publishes and what has been verified about it, and never from payment:

Profile completeness: the details a buyer needs to judge a firm — what it does, who it serves, how it prices, who it has worked for
Earned trust: verification, awards and the other checks a firm has actually passed
Client reviews, where they exist: the rating is smoothed, so one five-star review cannot outrank a firm with a hundred good ones, and volume counts with diminishing returns

Client reviews are still rare across this catalogue, so on most lists today the order is set by the first two. A firm near the top is the best-documented and best-verified one we hold, which is not the same claim as the best one to hire. Use the list to build a shortlist, then check the firms yourself.

Sponsored listings are labelled and shown apart from this list. How rankings work

Only firms whose profile names the UK are counted here, so a firm that lists a town but no country is not yet included.

Where else can I look?

The same list for the USA: executive search in the USA (169).

Other specialisms in the UK: permanent recruitment (90) · temporary staffing (63).

Every recruitment agency in the UK: the full list.

Every category in the UK: the UK country page.

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Everything here links back to the same verified catalogue. Pick your next stop.

Top Recruitment Agencies: Executive Search in the UK

3Search

Acorn by Synergie

Hanson Regan

Fawkes & Reece

Eden Scott

Ethos BeathChapman

Artisan People

Harper Recruitment Group

Express Recruitment Agency Nottingham

Elizabeth Michael Associates

Career Moves Group

Bright Purple

Goodman Masson

Cork Griffiths

Kintec Recruitment Ltd

Humres Technical Recruitment Limited

Carlyle Associates

Intelligent People

Adam Appointments

Bespoke Careers

Jo Holdsworth Recruitment Leeds

We Are Adam

Approach Personnel

Bain and Gray