Executive sales recruitment
Executive sales recruitment for technology businesses.
Selective Search is a specialist executive sales recruitment consultancy. Since 2005 we have headhunted Chief Revenue Officers, VPs of Sales, Sales Directors and Managing Directors for SaaS, AI and enterprise technology companies across the UK, US, EMEA and the Gulf, approached in confidence and assessed on evidence.
- ✓Retained search for TCS, Capgemini, Atos, BAE Systems and Zendesk
- ✓More than 500 senior leaders placed since 2005
- ✓Every mandate delivered within its agreed timeline
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
Why a specialist
Senior sales hires are too costly to get wrong.
Sales leadership only
We recruit senior sales and revenue leaders and nothing else. That focus means we already know who is winning in your market, and why.
Leaders who never apply
The best senior sellers are busy beating their number. We approach them quietly, in confidence, on your behalf.
Evidence, not CVs
Quota attainment, pipeline built and teams developed: every shortlisted leader’s record is tested, not assumed.
Specialist sales executive search for technology companies
Most sales executive search firms divide their attention across every function and sector. Selective Search does one thing: retained technology executive search for the people who lead revenue, from Chief Revenue Officers and VPs of Sales to Sales Directors and Heads of Sales, across SaaS, cloud, AI and enterprise software. Since 2005 we have completed 500+ senior placements across the UK, US and Middle East, with every mandate delivered on time.
Our sales executive headhunters work from a long-built network of proven sales leaders, most of whom are not on the market and would never answer an advert. Every approach is confidential, every shortlist is assessed by an Executive Partner, and every appointment is supported after the hire.
Recruiter, agency or search firm?
Choosing executive sales recruiters for a senior hire.
Executive sales recruiters, sales headhunters and executive search firms are often spoken of as one thing. They work in different ways, and for a senior sales leader the difference decides who you get to meet.
| Contingent recruitment agency | Retained executive search | |
|---|---|---|
| How candidates are found | Adverts, databases and people already looking | A full map of your market and direct, confidential approaches to leaders who are not looking |
| Who you meet | Whoever is available now | The strongest leaders in your market, whether or not they are on the move |
| Focus | Several agencies racing to send CVs | One partner-led team working only for you |
| How candidates are judged | CV and interview | Evidence: number against quota, pipeline discipline, forecast accuracy and the teams they have built |
| Confidentiality | Roles are often advertised | Discreet from the first call to the signed offer |
| Fees | Paid only if a hire is made | Agreed before the search begins, for a committed, end-to-end search |
| Best for | Volume and junior hires | Chief Revenue Officer, VP Sales, Sales Director, Head of Sales, Chief Customer Officer and Managing Director appointments |
Selective Search is a retained executive search firm that recruits senior sales leaders and nothing else. See how a search runs.
Roles we recruit
Every senior sales leadership role.
Chief Revenue Officer
The senior revenue leader, accountable for the whole number.
Head of Sales and Sales Director
Hands-on leaders who build and run winning teams.
Chief Customer Officer
Retention and expansion leaders who grow existing revenue.
Executive search in Dubai
Senior sales leadership across the UAE and the Gulf.
How a retained search works
Four steps. Complete confidence.
The brief
A confidential call with an Executive Partner: the role, the market and what success looks like in year one.
The map
Every credible leader in your market identified, not just the ones who are looking.
The approach
A discreet, brokered first conversation, on the candidate’s terms.
The shortlist
A small number of assessed, interested leaders, presented with evidence.
Track record
Leaders we have placed.
Insight
EVP Sales, EMEA✓ Tens of millions in new business wonCapgemini
Global Sales Leader✓ Appointed within the agreed timelineZendesk
UK Head of Sales✓ Appointed within the agreed timelineWhy employers choose us
The executive sales headhunters boards call back.
Partner-led, start to finish
An Executive Partner takes your brief, runs the search and stays with you to the signed offer. Your search is never handed down to a junior researcher.
Fewer companies off-limits
Our client list is deliberately small, so we can approach the leaders you want, including those at competitors, in complete confidence.
Judged on the numbers
We test quota attainment, pipeline coverage, forecast accuracy and the teams each candidate has built. How we verify a sales leader’s numbers →
Pay intelligence built in
Our 2026 research shows what it really takes to land your preferred candidate, before an offer is lost. See the CRO salary benchmark →
UK, US, Europe and the Gulf
Searches run from the UK across the US, EMEA, the Gulf and APAC. US searches · Executive search in Dubai
A record that holds
More than 500 senior sales leaders placed since 2005, every mandate delivered within its agreed timeline. Read 51 recommendations from leaders we placed →
Who we work with
Executive search for sales, wherever the number is set.
Founders and CEOs
SaaS and AI scale-ups appointing a sales leader to take the business to its next stage, whether a first VP Sales or a Chief Revenue Officer. SaaS sales executive search →
Investors and their portfolios
Private equity and venture investors who need a proven revenue leader in a portfolio company, quickly and quietly. Investors and portfolio talent →
Global technology groups
Enterprise technology and services companies hiring EMEA and global sales leadership. We have run retained searches for TCS, Capgemini, Atos and BAE Systems.
Not ready to start a search? A fixed-fee Sales Leadership Market Map shows you who is out there first.
Insurance, Insurtech & Financial Services
Insurance and financial services are being rebuilt by AI, and the software vendors leading that change need sales leaders who understand both the technology and the buyer. Insurance, insurtech and financial services software is one of our core specialisms, and multiple global software vendors in the sector trust us with their senior sales hires. From core insurance platforms to financial crime and AI-driven risk technology, we know who is winning in this market, who is ready to move, and how to bring them to your table, confidentially.
Questions
Frequently asked.
What does an executive sales recruitment consultant do?
An executive sales recruitment consultant finds, approaches and assesses senior sales leaders on behalf of a client. At Selective Search that means mapping your whole market, approaching proven leaders in confidence, testing their track record and managing the process through to offer and the first 90 days.
Which sales leadership roles do you recruit?
Chief Revenue Officers, VPs and SVPs of Sales, Heads of Sales, Sales Directors, Chief Customer Officers and Managing Directors, for SaaS, AI and enterprise technology businesses.
Where do you recruit senior sales leaders?
Across the UK, the US, EMEA, the Gulf and APAC, for scale-ups, private equity-backed businesses and global enterprises.
How is retained executive search different from contingent recruitment?
Retained executive search is a dedicated, exclusive process. We map the entire market and approach leaders who are not looking, rather than forwarding CVs from people who have answered an advert.
Is the process confidential?
Completely. Many searches are for roles that have not been announced, and we treat client and candidate confidentiality as non-negotiable.
Should we use an executive sales recruiter or an executive search firm?
For a senior sales leader, an executive search firm. The leaders worth hiring are rarely looking, so someone has to map the market and approach them in confidence. A recruiter working from adverts and databases will mostly show you who is available, not who is best.
How much does executive sales recruitment cost?
For a retained search, the fee is agreed with you before the search begins, so there are no surprises later. We explain exactly how it is structured on a short, confidential first call with an Executive Partner.
How long does it take to hire a senior sales leader?
The timetable is agreed with you at the brief and depends on the role, the market and notice periods. Every Selective Search mandate has been delivered within its agreed timeline.
What makes a good executive sales recruitment consultant?
Specialism and evidence. A good consultant works only on sales leadership, knows who is winning in your market and judges candidates on their numbers rather than their CV. Ask how they verify quota attainment, and how many companies they cannot approach.
What should we prepare before briefing a sales leadership search?
The scope of the role, the number it will own, your stage and growth plan, and a realistic package. Our CRO salary benchmark helps you set the package before you go to market.
What makes a specialist technology executive search firm different?
A generalist firm searches from a database; a specialist executive search firm for technology searches from relationships. Because we focus solely on sales leadership in technology, we already know who is winning, who is ready to move and who will suit your stage of growth. That shortens the search and lowers the risk of a costly senior mis-hire.
Do you handle executive sales recruitment in London?
Yes. We run executive sales recruitment for technology businesses in London and across the UK, from venture-backed SaaS and AI scale-ups to the UK offices of global groups. Every search is retained and confidential, led by an Executive Partner, and draws on our own network of proven sales leaders rather than adverts. The same approach runs across the US and the Middle East.
When does a technology company need executive search for a sales leader?
When the hire will own the number. Technology executive search makes most sense for a Chief Revenue Officer, VP Sales, Sales Director or Head of Sales, where the right leader is usually succeeding elsewhere and not looking. A retained, confidential search maps the whole market, approaches those leaders discreetly and tests their record before you meet them. Selective Search has run technology executive search for senior sales leaders since 2005, with 500+ senior placements across the UK, US and Middle East.
How should we compare sales executive search firms?
Ask four questions. Does the firm specialise in sales leadership, or recruit across every function? Will an Executive Partner run your search personally, from the brief to the signed offer? Where do its candidates come from: its own network and direct, confidential approaches, or adverts? And can it show a record of delivery? Selective Search has completed 500+ senior placements since 2005 across the UK, US and Middle East, with every mandate delivered on time.
Do you offer technology executive search?
Yes. We specialise in technology executive search for sales leadership: Chief Revenue Officers, VPs of Sales and Sales Directors across software and SaaS.
Do you recruit sales leaders for insurtech and financial services software?
Yes. Insurance, insurtech and financial services software is one of our core specialisms. Multiple global software vendors in the sector use us to hire senior sales leaders, from Sales Directors and VPs of Sales to Chief Revenue Officers.
Confidential briefing
Have a critical sales appointment to make?
A 15-minute confidential call with an Executive Partner. No obligation.