Mark Johnson, founder of Johnson Executive Search, on the transformation of senior leadership hiring — and why retained search is more important than ever.
The executive search landscape has shifted
Mark Johnson has spent 20 years in executive search. He's placed CEOs, CFOs, and board members at some of the UK's most recognisable companies. And he's never seen the market change as quickly as it has in the last three years.
"The pandemic accelerated everything. Remote working, candidate expectations, the role of the board in ESG — it all moved simultaneously. Clients who hadn't adapted were suddenly struggling to attract the leaders they needed."
Why retained search matters more than ever
Johnson is a firm believer in the retained model — and he argues it's more relevant now than at any point in his career.
"When you're searching for a CEO or a CFO, you're not looking for someone who applied to a job ad. You're finding someone who's happily employed and doesn't know they're being considered. That requires a completely different relationship with the client — and a completely different level of investment."