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 this is (and isn’t)

A focused decision check using targeted market conversations with people close enough to the work to be informative. It is not investigative due diligence and it is not a background-check service.

What it covers

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, product and solutions leaders, regional leaders, functional leaders.

• Client advisors and teams: client advisors, relationship managers, and team moves.

What gets tested

Leadership appointments

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

• How they lead: style, temperament, team leadership, handling pressure

• Operating maturity: independence and readiness for the scope you’re hiring them into

• Team effect: retention and followership; what happens one level down

• Reputation and politics: how they’re regarded internally and externally; recurring themes

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

Client advisors and teams

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

• Delivery track record: 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 moves): who drives outcomes, weak links, who is the glue

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

What you receive

• A clear 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

• A brief confidence view (how strong the signal is and why)

Governance and boundaries

• Low-noise, professional outreach scoped to the decision you’re making

• No fishing expeditions

• Sources are selected for relevance and proximity to the work (not limited to candidate-supplied names)

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

• Formal referees are approached only when authorised, within 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 moves / portability-sensitive decisions

• Cross-border hires where context is hard to verify

• Conflicting internal views or unusually high reputational risk