Why this exists

Interviews are controllable. Formal references are curated.
For senior hires and portable advisors, the real risk sits in the gap between narrative and reality — delivery, leadership impact, portability, and reputational issues that don’t show up in process.

This work gives you a clearer read before you commit.

What it covers

Discreet market conversations beyond formal referees around a person you are close to hiring — to separate:

• Results vs positioning

• Leadership impact vs interview performance

• Book claims vs portability reality

• Reputation vs noise

Who this is for

Leadership appointments: Market heads, desk heads, regional leaders, functional leaders.

What gets tested

• What they actually delivered: results vs narrative; growth, turnarounds, deals — what’s real

• How they lead: style, temperament, how they run teams; how they handle pressure

• How they operate: independence and readiness for the scope you’re hiring them into

• Team effect: do strong people stay; what happens one level down; retention and followership

• Reputation and politics: how they’re regarded internally and externally; anything that follows them

• How prior moves played out: ramp time, traction, what surprised the last employer

Client advisors and teams: Client advisors, relationship managers, and team lifts.

What gets tested

• Book reality and portability: how much is real, how it was built, what typically moves, concentration risk

• Delivery track record: new client acquisition vs servicing; how peers rate performance

• Relationship depth: stickiness; who follows them and why

• Reputation: standing with peers, competitors, former colleagues; recurring issues

• Team dynamics (for lifts): who drives outcomes, who follows whom, weak links, who is the glue

• How prior moves played out: what actually transferred, ramp time, any surprises

What you receive

• A clear, usable readout of strengths, gaps, and risk flags

• Practical implications for scope, compensation shape, guardrails, onboarding, and retention

• A simple decision view: proceed / proceed with guardrails / pause

How it’s handled

• Discreet, professional outreach designed to minimise noise

• No fishing expeditions: scoped to the decision you’re making

• Sources are not limited to names supplied by the candidate; they are selected for relevance and proximity to the work

• Clear boundaries: no employer-confidential information is sought or used

• Referees are approached only when authorised, and only within the agreed access and disclosure rules

How it’s priced

Fixed fee, scoped to complexity. Typical turnaround is 5–10 working days, depending on geography and seniority.

When to use it

• Offer-stage or near-offer senior hires

• Team lifts / portability-sensitive moves

• Cross-border hires where context is hard to verify

• Situations with conflicting internal views or unusually high reputational risk.