How searches ran.

Case studies,
per practice.

It's never a straight line: briefs that change, candidates who say no, and hypotheses that don't pan out. What matters is that the search closes anyway.

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The write-ups

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Consumer

Giving a $20B Live-Shopping Platform's German Business Its First Marketing and Launch Leaders

Between May and September 2026, The Big Search ran two parallel searches for the German business of a $20B US live-shopping marketplace and made three hires: a Head of Marketing, a Head of Launch and a Category Lead.

2 searches 608 mapped first shortlist 16 days from kick-off

People

Hired as VP, Promoted to Chief People Officer: A People Leader Who Had Already Run the Next Stage, for a VC-Backed Industrial IoT Company

Between August and November 2023, The Big Search found a VC-backed German industrial IoT software company, with more than half its revenue in the US, a People leader who joined as VP and became Chief People Officer 20 months later.

1 search 82 mapped first shortlist 39 days from kick-off

DeepTech

From University Spin-Out to IPO Readiness: Building the CEO, Sales and Finance Leadership of a VC-Backed Dutch Sensing Company

Between September 2023 and October 2026, The Big Search placed the CEO, the VP Global Sales and the CFO of a VC-backed Dutch fibre-optic sensing company preparing for a possible IPO.

3 searches 606 mapped first shortlist 74 days from kick-off

Consumer

Two Leadership Gaps, One Record Year: Building Product and Cross-Border Logistics Leadership for a European Curated Auction Marketplace

Two parallel mandates at a curated auction marketplace coming off a record year: a Chief Product Officer to own the next phase of the platform, and a VP of Shipping to build cross-border logistics capability.

2 searches 369 mapped first shortlist 21 days from kick-off

DeepTech

Hiring a CEO Who Could Speak Both Science and Scale for a Deep-Tech Life Sciences Instrumentation Company

A commercial-stage life sciences instrumentation company, led since its early days by a founder-style CEO, needed a successor fluent in both the science and the business.

1 search 93 mapped first shortlist 21 days from kick-off

People

From a Chief People Officer Brief to a Chief Operating Officer: Placing a Leader Whose Scope Outgrew the Job Title

Three months after closing its growth round, the company retained The Big Search to find a Chief People Officer.

1 search 73 mapped first shortlist 19 days from kick-off

People

Building the People Foundation for a PE-Backed DACH SaaS Platform

We partnered with a DACH PE-backed software company to hire a CHRO.

1 search 60 mapped first shortlist 21 days from kick-off

Consumer

Two Leadership Gaps, One Family-Owned Platform: Hiring Operational and Commercial Leadership for a European B2B Mobility Payments Group

How The Big Search filled two leadership gaps at a European B2B mobility payments platform.

2 searches 184 mapped first shortlist 4 days from kick-off

SaaS

From Series A to Scale-Up: Placing the Chief Financial Officer to Professionalise Finance at a French Cybersecurity Company

A VC-backed European cybersecurity SaaS company needed a CFO who could build investor-grade finance infrastructure and lead its buy-and-build roadmap to €100M ARR. The Big Search delivered in 46 days.

1 search 89 mapped first shortlist 2 days from kick-off

SaaS

Three Hires: How a Founder-Led Platform Got PE-Ready in Under a Year

How a PE-backed e-commerce SaaS platform rebuilt its C-suite in 14 months: three executive searches, 551 candidates mapped, one board-ready leadership team.

3 searches 551 mapped first shortlist 2 days from kick-off

SaaS

Opening a New Region: Placing the General Manager Who Could Build the Commercial Foundation From Zero

In October 2024, The Big Search partnered with a PE-backed platform expanding into a major German-speaking European region to find its first General Manager.

1 search 183 mapped first shortlist 31 days from kick-off

Consumer

Operationalising the Buy-and-Build: Placing the COO at a Growth Equity-Backed German Property Management Platform

In October 2025, The Big Search partnered with a growth equity-backed buy-and-build property management platform operating across 15+ locations to place its first Chief Operating Officer.

1 search 99 mapped first shortlist 14 days from kick-off

DeepTech

From Lab to C-Suite: Building the Manufacturing and Finance Leadership for a VC-Backed Fusion Pioneer

Between July 2024 and April 2026, The Big Search partnered with a Munich-based fusion startup to build two of its most critical C-suite appointments.

2 searches 454 mapped first shortlist 7 days from kick-off

SaaS

From Founder-Led Growth to Commercial Scale: Building the Marketing and Customer Success Leadership at a Private Market Intelligence Platform

Between May 2024 and December 2024, The Big Search partnered with this private market intelligence platform to place two commercial leaders.

2 searches 322 mapped first shortlist 37 days from kick-off

SaaS

From Market Leader to Commercial Machine: Installing the Revenue Architecture for a €100M+ PE-Backed Automotive SaaS Business

The company was entering a new chapter: consolidating its market leadership and building the commercial organisation required to defend and grow it.

1 search 181 mapped first shortlist 50 days from kick-off

DeepTech

From DeepTech Pioneer to Commercial Scale: Hiring the Operational Leader for a VC-Backed DeepTech Company

The mandate was to hire a COO/President capable of building the operational and commercial backbone of a fast-scaling DeepTech business.

1 search 156 mapped first shortlist 22 days from kick-off

Consumer

Building the Digital Transformation Leadership Team at a €1.3B Revenue European Consumer Retail Group

Between November 2024 and June 2025, The Big Search was engaged to build three of the most critical leadership roles in a retail company’s digital transformation agenda.

3 searches 506 mapped first shortlist 30 days from kick-off

SaaS

From €50M to €100M ARR: Building the C-Suite Team That Enabled Scale for A Private Equity-Backed B2B SaaS Company

We partnered with a Private Equity-backed European energy intelligence platform to build two critical leadership pillars: a Chief Technology Officer to unify the platform and a Chief Revenue Officer to scale commercial performance.

2 searches 205 mapped first shortlist 24 days from kick-off

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