What We Do

Retained Executive Search – Driving Superior Client and Career Performance Since 1989

For 35 years, Kensington International has partnered with lower-mid to middle market private equity firms and a select group of mid and large cap corporate clients to identify, recruit, assess and select results-oriented senior leaders for our clients. These are executives who represent the top tier of talent in their respective field. 

We understand the importance of strong leadership and how it is many times the difference maker in the level of success our clients achieve. For our private equity clients, the leadership entrusted to guide a portfolio company with significant dollars at stake, is critical and often, will make or break the investment.  For our corporate clients, this level of talent will impact the strategic direction of the enterprise for many years as these leaders navigate in many instances, through multiple roles and divisions.

Overall, the combined experience of our Consultants and staff means Kensington has established a strong track record of success and a reputation that demonstrates we will deliver the best possible outcome on behalf of every client, on each search.

Our Model

Customer Focused

Our model and culture are built with a focus on serving our clients with exceptional hands-on, “white-glove” executive search services. We strive to be great listeners who truly understand each client’s business model, strengths, challenges and opportunities – all of which can be leveraged through the addition of the leaders we help to identify and recruit. We over communicate during a search process so that clients always have a clear picture of the status of a search. Every customer matters and every search is treated with extreme care.

Disciplined Research and Process Driven Approach

Research is the foundation of what we do. Our business model is built around utilizing a disciplined research approach, experienced staff and technology to help uncover the proven leaders of today and those of tomorrow, who are standing out in their companies today. For our private equity clients, many company targets and their senior leaders are not as easily identifiable as those in the Fortune 500 thus it requires laser focused research to uncover these companies and their leaders. Throughout a search process and for all of our clients, our research is shared, and can provide valuable market data and in some cases, competitive intelligence to our clients.

Flawless Execution

In today’s world, technology has made it easy to be lazy. To recruit the top quartile of leaders in a given industry requires flawless execution on any search assignment. Our experienced team doesn’t simply send out a few emails to prospective candidates and wait to hear back; we are diligent in our outreach, spending the vast majority of our time on the phones, talking to potential candidates and networking sources in an effort to leave no stone unturned.

Leadership Assessment Capabilities

We believe that it’s critical to go beyond a standard interview to get to know a candidate. As part of our standard search process, we embed a formal leadership assessment process that allows us to gain a clear understanding of the leadership behaviors that a candidate possesses and mapping those behaviors against the current organization – all in an effort to better understand the potential fit. While all search firms employ the traditional “gut feel” assessment and selection process, the use of this validated tool is a true differentiator in our search process.  In the end, clients have a clear understanding of each candidate’s overall experience, skills, abilities, motivating factors and leadership behaviors.

Boutique Firm Approach

As a boutique firm, we are nimble and able to work in ways large, global search firms are unable to. Our Consultants are actively engaged in every element of the search engagement. Clients get a highly experienced and capable team executing every search assignment. Our size and relationship commitments mean we can assure each and every client that we are free from the “off-limit” issues that our large search competitors face in many instances – which is why we are a preferred partner of choice in the markets we serve. On the other side of that coin and when working especially with larger-cap clients – if we work for one division, we are working for the entire enterprise. 

Global Reach

Agilium Worldwide

Since 2000, Kensington has provided executive search services outside the United States through its partnership in Agilium Worldwide Search Partners.  Agilium Worldwide is a worldwide strategic alliance of independently owned and operated executive search firms. Bound together by style, energy level, approach and adherence to the code of ethics and professional guidelines as defined by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), member firms have created a seamless network of search firms operating across six continents and 30+ different countries.

Testimonials