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Selective Search Brief a search
Executive search · Est. 2005

Placing elite sales leaders globallyBuilt on judgement,
not algorithms.

Boutique executive search for senior technology sales professionals across the UK, US, EMEA, UAE and APAC. We find the people who aren't looking and open the first conversation in complete confidence.

New 2026 CRO salary benchmark →
500+Senior placements
2005Established
5Global markets
100%Technology sales
Live search · Map140 leaders mapped
Passive leader identifiedVP Sales EMEA · Cloud security · Not on the market
Search file · ConfidentialExample CRO search
  1. Day 01Brief taken with the CEODone
  2. Day 05Market mapped · 140 leadersDone
  3. Day 12Brokered conversations · 18In progress
  4. Day 18Shortlist presented · 4Next
  5. Day 35Offer accepted 
Choose your route

One specialist network. Two confidential conversations.

Every serious enquiry is handled personally by an Executive Partner. Nothing is shared, logged or passed on without your say-so.

For employers

Launch a critical search

A 15-minute confidential briefing on a leadership appointment, a market map or an international expansion.

  • CRO, VP Sales, RVP and country leader searches
  • Market maps and talent intelligence before you hire
  • UK, US, EMEA, Gulf and APAC coverage
Book the briefing
For senior sales leaders

Join the private network

Introduce yourself in confidence and hear about senior roles first, including the many that are never advertised.

  • Discreet, candidate-led approaches to the companies you choose
  • No CV goes anywhere without your permission
  • A sounding board for the next move, whenever it comes
Introduce yourself

Others send CVs and flashy bios. We deliver the hire.

500+ senior leaders placed since 2005Every mandate delivered within its agreed timelineOne free replacement since 2005No fee ever refunded

Clients & markets

Trusted by technology leaders.

A selection of the organisations we search for. Many more remain confidential, by design.

Existing clients
Databricks
Zendesk
BAE Systems
Target markets · organisations we track, not current clients
Anthropic
NVIDIA
HubSpot
Palantir
CELONIS
WIZ
Track record

Leaders we have placed.

A selection of retained senior appointments. More than 500 leaders placed since 2005. Every mandate delivered on time, and leaders who have gone on to win tens of millions in new business.

Retained search

Tata Consultancy Services

Head of BPO

A board-level leader for one of the world’s largest business process outsourcing operations, trusted with growth across a global client base.

✓  Appointed within the agreed timeline
Retained search

Capgemini

Global Sales Leader

Senior global sales leadership for a world-leading consulting and technology group, spanning complex, multi-country client relationships.

✓  Appointed within the agreed timeline
Retained search

Atos

Global Head of Strategic Deals

A leader to shape and win the firm’s largest, most complex pursuits worldwide, at board level with the world’s biggest buyers.

✓  €2bn+ order entry delivered
Retained search

BAE Systems

UK Managing Director

A defining leadership appointment for a FTSE 100 defence and security group, in one of the most sensitive markets in the country.

✓  Tens of millions in new business won
Retained search

Zendesk

UK Head of Sales

Build, lead and scale the UK revenue organisation for a global software leader.

✓  Appointed within the agreed timeline
Retained search

Global technology services group

UK Head of Sales and 100+ senior hires

An 18-year retained search partnership with a £15bn+ global technology services group, building its sales leadership across the UK and Europe.

✓  £2.9m in search fees · hundreds of millions in revenue won
Retained search

Insight

EVP Sales, EMEA

Lead revenue across Europe, the Middle East and Africa for a global technology infrastructure and solutions provider.

✓  Tens of millions in new business won
Retained search

US global software vendor

Global Chief Revenue Officer

A board-level appointment to own worldwide revenue across the Americas, EMEA and APAC.

✓  Appointed within the agreed timeline
Retained search

Private equity-backed scale-ups

Multiple retained leadership searches

Revenue leaders appointed to drive the next stage of growth for investor-backed technology businesses.

✓  Appointed within the agreed timeline
How a Selective search works

The best leaders are never on the market.

Senior people can't risk being seen applying for roles. So we go to them, quietly, and broker the first conversation on their terms.

01 · BRIEF

The brief

A confidential call with an Executive Partner. The role, the market, and what success looks like in the first year.

02 · MAP

The map

Every credible leader in your market, mapped. Including the ones who would never answer an advert.

03 · APPROACH

The approach

A discreet, brokered conversation. Their customer relationships and reputation stay protected.

04 · APPOINT

The appointment

Shortlist, interviews, offer and the first 90 days. We stay close long after the start date.

PartnershipWe work alongside your Talent Acquisition team, never around them. One brief, one point of contact, one shared shortlist.
Global reach

UK · US · EMEA UAE · APAC

Deep networks across five regions, with a fast-growing US practice on both coasts. Wherever your next leader is, we're already talking to them.

United Kingdom

London

--:--
London and nationwide
United States

New York

--:--
East and West Coast
EMEA

Amsterdam

--:--
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Gulf

Dubai

--:--
UAE and the Gulf region
APAC

Singapore

--:--
Singapore and Asia Pacific
Client and candidate voices

Trusted by leaders across the industry.

Senior people talk to each other. Most of our work comes from referral.
Read all 51 LinkedIn recommendations

Pete understands this and puts his clients before the pursuit of fees. He is a great sounding board and a wealth of knowledge in all things sales and sales leadership.
John M.Partner and Sales Leader, Cyber Security
Pete was monumental in placing me in my current role. I valued him as a mentor. Sharp, savvy and an expert at his craft.
David M.North America Leader, Risk and Compliance
No gap-filling interviews, no making up numbers. Comprehensive, honest and structured. He does exactly what he says.
Bill H.Head of Channel Growth, International
51
LinkedIn recommendationsWritten publicly by sales leaders, clients and candidates over two decades. Unedited.
Read all 51
Led personally

Every search is led by an Executive Partner.

Recruiting technology sales leaders since 1993 and running Selective Search since 2005. Your Executive Partner leads every search personally, from the first brief to the first 90 days. Clients get one senior partner who knows the market, the people and the politics.

500+ senior placementsICF PCC executive coachHenley Business SchoolUK · US · EMEA · Gulf · APAC
Our partners

The partners behind Selective Search.

Selective Search, Selective Coaching, Selective Nutrition and Selective Sales Agents share one senior partnership and one standard of judgement.

Peter Davies, Managing Partner

Peter Davies

Managing Partner

Executive search for senior technology sales leaders since 1993. ICF PCC executive coach, trained at Henley Business School.

Emily Dixon, Managing Partner

Emily Dixon

Managing Partner

15 years in executive search. Coach trained at the University of Southampton, with a first-class BSc in Applied Human Nutrition. Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr).

Start in confidence

Ready to make your next move?

Whether you're hiring a CRO or considering your own next move, the first conversation is private and without obligation.

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