We help awesome tech startups
hire awesome people. watch our video to find out more

Executive search, purely done

Our Company

We are an international, executive search firm focused on helping technology companies grow their business in EMEA and APAC.

We don't pretend to have a revolutionary way of helping you win the "War for Talent" and out of respect for our customers and ourselves, we don't use unqualified superlatives to describe what we do. We don't over complicate what we do and we don't get distracted by new fads and trends in talent management.

The essence and strength of our firm is in our passion and approach to executive search and the way in which we deal with our clients and candidates. That is why you should work with us.

If you insist on comparing us to other search firms, there are some things we'd like to say about ourselves:

Executive search, purely done. To us, this means three things: We only do executive search, we only do it using proven headhunting and networking techniques and we just get it done.
We don't boast about a "75% completion rate"; we'd be embarrassed if it was that low.
We enjoy being disruptive and challenging. We believe the only way to stand out is to stand for something special. Once you start working with us, you'll know what we mean.

All our searches are Director-led, we have a select client base to reduce off-limits issues and we only take on searches we know we can complete within your timescales.
We haven't worked in blue-chip, managerial roles and we have an aversion to wearing suits! However, we are experts in search, finding the un-findable and we know what types of people it takes to run a successful business.
We are supported by an advisory board with more than a century's worth of expertise from key disciplines in the technology arena. Read more.

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find out about our approach

We are serious about making your business better by hiring great people

Our Approach

Our approach to working with you is simply described; we treat people decently, with courtesy, honesty, openness and humility.

Our approach to executive search is thorough and considered. We believe it is the most effective way of finding the very best people in the industry. To maintain your belief in this, and therefore us, we approach every search assignment with a large commitment of our time and resources to ensure a return on your investment.

Accordingly, we also have certain expectations of you and your commitment to hiring the best people. For example, some of the important questions we'll expect to be answered before we start include:

Are you serious about improving the quality of people your company employs?
Do you care that our short and long-term goals are shared?
Do you understand that the success of our search somewhat depends on prompt and high quality feedback from you?
Can you describe what your new employee will have achieved and how they will have progressed by the end of their first, second and fifth years?
Do you have realistic expectations of who you can attract and are you sure they exist?

Do you trust your own intuition when it comes to an individual's potential impact on your organisation's success?
Do you appreciate that we won't treat you or our candidates as commodities and we value our own and our candidates' time as much as we value yours?
Do you realise that, in recruitment, timing and momentum are critical?
Do you recognise that with nearly 30 years' experience in search, we're starting to get the hang of it?
Are you being completely honest with us...?

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find out about our passion

We are fiercely passionate about executive search

Our Passion

Getting it right is our passion.

Our goal of satisfying the needs of the most discerning, demanding executives in their search for new people drives us beyond any single transaction. We're also passionate about our approach; that of being open and casual whilst remaining absolutely serious about what we do.

We relish being an agonising thorn in the side of our traditional, obstinate competitors like Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles and Spencer Stuart.

Our passion and approach are the essence of our firm and the following points help to define that a little more.

We aim to contradict the stereotypical, fast-talking recruiters and we are far from being corporate animals! (If you want a corporate machine churning through your searches, you should probably use one of our competitors.)
We like to think that we are the best executive search firm in our field yet we still wake up every day thinking of ways to be better.
Being only better than our competitors is simply not good enough.
Like your best employees, we don't give up until we deliver results.

We are entrepreneurs and we like to work with people like us; people who are serious about what they do, have acute attention to detail and do everything to the best of their ability.
We love finding the best people for the best jobs and the thought of making your company more successful whilst doing it.
We appreciate that knowing what our customers need, goes beyond understanding what they want... then we give them both.
We trust that our passion for what we do will inspire you to hire better people.

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what's our speciality?

We are experts at finding the most awesome people in EMEA & APAC

Our Expertise

We are focused on helping technology companies grow their business in EMEA and APAC.

We achieve this by seeking out only the most awesome people that bring real value when hired by our clients. We only work with people and companies who are passionate about growing businesses and evolving the way people communicate and companies operate.

We work with start-ups building new teams as well as mature companies strengthening their existing teams. We work across several disciplines in Sales & Marketing and Services & Support, and have access to the best people at Board-level (CEO, CTO, COO etc.), VP, Director and other senior business leaders.

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Our Process: Engage, Identify + Approach, Assess, Select, Negotiate, Follow-up Care.

Find out more about our executive search process.

Week 1: Engage. Meeting with Stakeholders-2pm. Brief: Need a Great Leader to create, drive + inspire a new EMEA team. Highest track record of success.

Weeks 2-4: Identify + Approach. Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher, George Bush, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jack Shephard.

Week 5: Assess. Abraham Lincoln: Aptitude+Test: 8/10, Track Record 7/10. Marg' Thatcher: Aptitude+Test: 9/10, Track Record: 7/10. George Bush: Aptitude+Test: 5/10, Track Record: 6/10.

Bill Gates: Aptitude+Test: 7/10, Track Record: 8/10. Steve Jobs: Aptitude+Test: 7/10, Track Record: 7/10 (Bit hit + miss). Jack Shephard: Unable to locate. Appears to be "lost". p.t.o

Weeks 6-7: Select. Recommended for Interview: Bill Gates, Abe Lincoln, Maggie Thatcher

To Do: Check candidate's availability, Book Interview Suites, Organise travel arrangements: Flights, Hotels, Prepare all parties. p.t.o

Week 8: Negotiate. Bill Gates: Withdrawn - Retiring, Abe Lincoln: Rejected, Maggie Thatcher: Offer now meets expectations so she is accepting!

Ongoing care: 1st Month Follow-up, 6th Month - Send Quality Survey, 1st Year Review and beyond... Arrange dinner / drinks. Next Search.

find out about our success

We've said enough, now see why our customers think we're awesome...

Our Success

Case Studies

Testimonials

We like to think we're the best, but then we would say that, wouldn't we? So rather than just listen to us, read about what our clients have to say about work we've done for them.

VP Sales, Europe. BlueCat Networks

"BlueCat Networks required the new VP of European Sales to increase revenues by 100% within 18 months. Paul immediately stood out from the other shortlisted candidates Akascia had provided."
Read more...

Regional Sales Manager. Brocade Communications

"Although they had not worked together previously, Brocade turned to Akascia for this search based on the high quality word-of-mouth feedback they had received."
Read more...

Customer Support Manager. Tellabs

"In May 2010 to help them continue their high level of service, Tellabs needed to recruit a Customer Support Manager to run a small, regional team of skilled engineers."
Read more...

European Marketing Manager. BlueCat Networks

"An honest tale of trial, tribulation and tenacity! Despite having advertised the role for some time, BlueCat had not received any applications from candidates considered a strong enough calibre for the role."
Read more...

Oliver Fueckert
APAC Technical Director, Redback Networks

"Chris has been providing extensive recruitment services for Redback in Europe and Asia helping us to identify the right talent to drive our business forward. I look forward to working with him again."

Steve Beach
Director Customer Services EMEA, Tellabs

"Chris helped us to secure the right candidates intelligently managing our involvement to make the selection process an efficient and successful exercise. From my perspective, they are one of the most competent recruitment teams in the Telecoms industry. Working with Akascia is like having your own specialist recruitment department. Thanks Chris!"

Angus Thompson
Managing Director, Headtap

"Steve was very helpful and quick to turn work around at short notice. His efforts are much appreciated and he was always polite, focused and results driven."

Paul Jackson
Managing Director ANZ, Ceragon

"Steve operates in a very professional, non-intrusive manner, and quickly identifies the right person for the right job."

Steve Foskey
Senior Program Manager, Extend Technologies

"Steve facilitated my appointment at a new position. Everything professionally and efficiently handled."

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share and socialise!

Share and Socialise!

We've made it easy for you to like us! Using your favourite social networking sites, you can send us a copy of your 'CV', keep up to date with all the goings-on at Akascia and find out about our latest assignments.

Read the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter, Thorn in their side.

Enjoy that? Then why not subscribe - just tap in your details below and hit the subscribe button.

Show some of the billion users of Facebook that you 'Like' Akascia, and stay up to date with our latest jobs, all at the same time!

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Stay up to date with our latest jobs and goings on by following us on Twitter.

Follow@akascia

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Google+ has some really innovative features that we don't know about yet...

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find your new, best people

Contact Us

Clients

If you like what you've seen on our website, want to work with a vibrant, disruptive and challenging firm, and you enjoy a similar culture and approach to us then we're definitely interested in speaking with you about your next executive search.

We offer a very competitive introductory rate to new customers and to give you the peace of mind that you're making the right choice, we guarantee our searches for two years, as much as eight times longer than many firms offer. For more information about how we can help, please contact us now using the details to the right.

Candidates

Job boards, clunky online-registration and email alerts are out; social networks are in! To keep up to date with our latest assignments and send us your CV, please visit our Socialise! page. We only publish our assignments on social networks so it's the best way of keeping an eye on what's going on.

And don't worry, we'll find you! If you are great at what you do, when we have the right assignment, then we'll almost certainly call you before you call us. You can also call or email us using the details to the right and we will respond.