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Top Recruitment Agencies: Executive Search in the UK

55 recruitment agencies ranked by rating, review volume and listing quality.

Between them, the 55 recruitment agencies on this page cover permanent recruitment (35), temporary staffing (17), contract recruitment (16) and construction and property recruitment (12). They also list work in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and New York City. 55 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.

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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

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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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360 Search
Finance and Accounting Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in Liverpool and London
Financial services recruiter in Dublin, Liverpool and London hiring for insurance, pensions, compliance and finance teams
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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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Ably Resources Ltd
Energy Recruitment · Also in Glasgow
Ably Resources Ltd runs a specialist recruitment business alongside crew management and oilfield service work.
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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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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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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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Alexander Daniels Global
IT and Tech Recruitment · Manufacturing Recruitment · Engineering · Also in Detroit and Birmingham
Birmingham recruiter for Industry 4.0 employers, filling permanent roles in 3D printing, robotics, automation and software
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Annapurna Recruitment
Permanent Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Interim Management · Also in Bermondsey and London
Annapurna Recruitment is a search and staffing business concentrating on Europe and North America.
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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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AquacultureTalent
Permanent Recruitment · Manufacturing · Retail · Also in Bath and Glasgow
Executive search firm hiring senior leaders and specialists for aquaculture, seafood, fisheries and feed companies worldwide
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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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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.
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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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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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Capstone Recruitment, now Aurex Group
Construction and Property Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in Hong Kong and Houston
Capstone Recruitment, now Aurex Group, is a recruitment company that finds staff for the real estate, infrastructure and natural resources sectors.
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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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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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Core-Asset Consulting
Finance and Accounting Recruitment · IT and Tech Recruitment · Office and Admin Recruitment · Also in Edinburgh
Core-Asset Consulting recruits for financial and professional services employers in the UK and Ireland, ranging from large global groups to boutique firms.
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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.
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Corvus People
Also in Belfast
Corvus People is a people consultancy set up in Belfast in 2011 that covers recruitment and human resources.
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CSC Recruitment
Construction and Property Recruitment · Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) · Also in London
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Detail2Recruitment
Office and Admin Recruitment · Permanent Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Also in London
Detail2Recruitment is a recruitment business in Altrincham that fills permanent, contract and executive roles across the UK and internationally.
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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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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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Every other way we rank recruitment agencies — by what they do and where they are.

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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

Hanson Regan

360 Search

3Search

Ably Resources Ltd

Acorn by Synergie

Adam Appointments

We Are Adam

Alexander Daniels Global

Annapurna Recruitment

Approach Personnel

AquacultureTalent

Artisan People

Bain and Gray

Bespoke Careers

Bright Purple

Capstone Recruitment, now Aurex Group

Career Moves Group

Carlyle Associates

Core-Asset Consulting

Cork Griffiths

Corvus People

CSC Recruitment

Detail2Recruitment

Eden Scott