HW Group
We are a multi-service search firm who specialise in recruitment for Executive, Interim and Emerging Leaders.
Founded in 2005 with the aim of disrupting the traditional executive search and interim management market we have now grown to a business that appoints talent across 6 continents and over 80 countries within the FMCG, Retail, Financial Services, and Technology and Digital sectors.
Our mission has always been to create a dynamic and entrepreneurial human capital organisation that had the commerciality to truly understand the needs of its clients and candidates, as well as the tenacity and determination to deliver on every single brief. This is still our mission today, and since 2005 we’ve continued to grow by attracting clients who value our fresh approach.
We engage and hire talented and experienced senior managers, executives and NED’s with PLCs, large private companies, SMEs and private equity-backed organisations.
Fast forward to today and we’ve become a collective of talent solutions specialists united behind one vision – to engage and hire the right people who can help businesses around the world solve complex technical, commercial, functional and leadership challenges.
How we operate on a global scale
HW Group partners with international clients by operating globally to service local markets. Working with English speaking clients, the search process is carried out in the UK and remains exactly the same as for any UK-based project.
Over the last 20 years, we have worked in over 80 countries and 6 continents and built a reputation for delivering exceptional candidates no matter where in the world they are needed.
Our Services
Our end-to-end talent solutions encompass everything from Executive Search and Interim Management for C-Suite and Leadership roles, through to recruitment for Emerging Leaders in Consumer, Retail, Financial, Digital, Private Equity and Technology businesses.
Championing Diversity
Candidates with diverse perspectives usually lead to better, richer, and longer-lasting hires. It’s why our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is central to delivering best-in-class talent solutions for our clients. And why we have such an important role to play as agents for positive, anti-discriminatory change in global workplaces.
All members of the team have been through formal DE&I training, this is an ongoing commitment to ensure that we remain educated and current with improved awareness and understanding.
We recognise that for both our own organisation and that of our clients, it goes way beyond legal and ethical obligations. It fosters improved decision making, provides psychological safety, supports talent attraction and retention, and drives business performance in a more ethical and sustainable way.
We incorporate diversity and inclusion initiatives at every stage of the hiring process for our clients, such as implementing the broadest set of search criteria possible and conducting blind CV presentations to reduce unconscious bias. We also challenge our client’s perspectives on hiring to encourage diversity and find the best talent possible, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, ability or background.
69%
Diversity Success Rate in 2021
75%
Diversity Success Rate in 2022
63%
Diversity Success Rate in 2023
Equality, diversity and inclusion is an area that we are always looking to improve in, so we’re regularly active at conferences and events that champion diversity in the workplace. We consult with a number of industry leader groups, such as ‘Women in Manufacturing’, whenever we’re searching for candidates, and have built successful relationships with organisations such as the Executive Leadership Council.
Delivering exceptional candidates that add value through their diverse perspectives, representation and background remains an essential part of how we operate and is reflected in every shortlist we present.
Over the last three years within the Chair/NED practice, we have achieved a diversity success rate of 69% in 2021, 75% in 2022 and 63% in 2023.
Environmental, Social and Governance
Organisations are faced with new challenges every day when it comes to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) standards. More and more companies are now recognising that in contrast to long-held beliefs, prioritising ESG performance is no longer an equivocal issue to remaining profitable long-term. It’s imperative. As such, the demand for sustainability leaders and talent has boomed.
Companies that aren’t making ESG a core part of their business strategy have already started to face a range of profit-threatening issues. These include a failure to attract investors, a drop in customer confidence and increasing government sanctions for environmentally harmful business practices. Not to mention the increased difficulty of attracting and retaining world-class talent.
We help our clients hire experienced and passionate leaders who can embed meaningful strategies that prioritise ESG across the business. Not only helping the organisation to do its part and mitigate potential profit-threatening issues but utilising ESG as a tool to enhance business performance and ensure the organisation’s future profitability.
51%
of S&P 500 companies use ESG metrics in their incentive plans
74%
of S&P 500 companies discussed ESG with shareholders in the last 6 months
