Securethepeopleyournextstagedependson.
Olive Search — Executive Search & Talent Advisory — specialising in Fintech, Banking, SaaS & AI.
- AI · Product · GTM · Business Transformation
- Senior specialists to C-Suite · UK · EMEA · US
The best people aren't always looking for their next role. They're already doing exceptional work somewhere else. Olive Search identifies, engages and assesses them — helping ambitious companies make the hires that move their business forward.
Critical hiring isn't a numbers game — and not every critical hire has “Executive” in the title. We provide you access to exceptional, off market talent.
Better access. Better intelligence. Better outcomes.
Welcome to Olive Search.
- London
- New York
- San Francisco
- Austin
Built to raise organisational capability, not fill roles.
Scaling businesses rarely have a CV problem. They have an access, capability or execution problem.
- The person they need isn't applying.
- The internal team doesn't have the capacity.
- A transformation needs specialist capability now.
- Or the business has outgrown the way it hires.
We solve those problems through Executive Search, Interim Talent and Fractional Talent Leadership — with laser-precision assessment and human judgement at every decision.
Deep market mapping & talent intelligence
We map the relevant market rather than search a database — where the strongest talent sits, who is realistically moveable, and what compensation, competitor hiring and availability look like before you decide.
Off-market access & 2M+ monthly reach
The strongest candidate is often already performing somewhere else. Direct approaches plus a 2M+ monthly candidate and media audience reach people beyond the active applicant pool.
AI-enabled research. Human judgement.
AI deepens research and sourcing speed. Assessment, calibration and the final call stay human — led by a former Global Head of Talent with 15+ years scaling FinTech, SaaS and AI companies.
Three ways to solve your talent challenge
Whether you need to hire the person, add the capacity or strengthen the function — the same bar for quality and the same founder-led delivery.
Executive Search
Secure the people your next stage depends on.
“We need an exceptional permanent person.”
For critical appointments where the strongest person isn't necessarily the one applying. We identify, engage and assess exceptional talent across AI, Product, GTM and Business Transformation — from senior specialists to C-Suite. Every search is founder-led, deeply mapped and built around one outcome: finding the person who can materially move your business forward.
- Deep market mapping and off-market access
- Structured assessment and human judgement
- Engagement model shaped around the mandate
Interim Talent
Bring in the capability your business needs now.
“We need experienced capability now.”
For transformation, growth, specialist projects or leadership gaps where waiting for a permanent hire isn't an option. Access proven interim specialists and leaders for the expertise, capacity and time your business actually needs.
- Interim leaders and senior specialists across our four markets
- Interim Heads of Talent, Talent Partners and sourcers
- Transformation programmes, hiring surges and new-market builds
Fractional Talent Leadership
Build the hiring capability your next stage requires.
“We need senior Talent leadership, but not another permanent executive.”
For scaling companies that need senior Talent leadership — without another permanent executive. Work directly with an experienced Talent leader to strengthen strategy, systems, capability and execution, leaving the business better equipped to hire and scale independently.
- Talent strategy, workforce planning and TA operating model
- Direct sourcing, assessment and hiring-manager capability
- Talent technology, AI-enabled recruitment and analytics
Built around the categories shaping the next decade.
Four core specialisms across FinTech, SaaS, AI and technology. We specialise deliberately — because better search starts with knowing the market.
AI
Specialist and leadership talent across applied AI, machine learning, AI infrastructure and AI-native product environments.
Product
Product leaders and exceptional senior specialists capable of building, scaling and transforming products.
GTM
Commercial talent across Sales, Marketing, Growth, Partnerships and Revenue leadership.
Business Transformation
Transformation and change talent capable of turning strategy into execution across complex programmes and periods of organisational change.
Senior specialists to C-Suite leadership.
Exceptional permanent and interim talent across the areas where we specialise.
AI & Technology
- Chief Technology Officer
- Chief AI Officer
- VP Engineering
- Head of AI
- Head of Data
- Head of Engineering
- AI / ML Leadership
- Principal AI / ML Engineers
- Senior Technical Specialists
Product
- Chief Product Officer
- VP Product
- Product Director
- Head of Product
- Principal Product Manager
- Senior Product Manager
- Product & Design Leadership
GTM
- Chief Revenue Officer
- Chief Marketing Officer
- VP Sales
- VP Marketing
- VP Growth
- Sales Director
- Marketing Director
- Partnerships Leadership
- Enterprise Account Executives
- Senior GTM Specialists
Business Transformation
- Chief Transformation Officer
- Transformation Director
- Programme Director
- Change Director
- Head of Transformation
- Operating Model Leadership
- Digital Transformation Leadership
- Technology Transformation Leadership
- Senior Transformation & Change Specialists
Leadership & Board
- CEO
- COO
- CFO
- General Manager / Country Lead
- Board & Non-Executive Directors
A process designed for placements that last.
Discovery
We immerse ourselves in your business — strategy, capital plan, culture and the bar for leadership. We define the brief together.
Mapping
Deep market mapping across our private network, plus AI-enabled research and a data intelligence layer to surface the people who never apply.
Engagement
Discreet, founder-led approaches. We represent your brand the way you'd represent it yourself — with conviction and respect.
Assessment
Structured competency, leadership and culture interviews, paired with deep referencing from inside the rooms candidates have operated in.
Offer & Onboarding
We close offers, manage counter-offers and stay engaged through the first 100 days. Long-term placements, not transactions.
Lewis Evelyn — built to place exceptional talent, not fill roles.
15 years' experience scaling FinTech, SaaS, AI & banks.
Lewis has led global Talent Acquisition functions in-house, building and scaling teams within high-growth businesses, as well as delivering executive search externally. He understands strategic priorities and the business problem behind the hire, not just the job spec.
Having seen exceptional people overlooked because businesses often rely on the same old standard hiring networks, we established Olive Search to broaden access to exceptional off-market senior talent.
Today, he combines that operator experience with executive search, market intelligence, AI-enabled research and a digital audience reaching 2M+ professionals monthly — engaging talent that aren't actively looking for their next opportunity.
Trusted by leaders building high-performance teams.
The difference isn't more candidates. It's access to the right ones.
Lewis consistently delivers high-calibre talent where other agencies fall short. Combining data, digital reach and an exceptional network, he uncovers candidates others simply can't access. Proactive, commercially minded and always moving at pace.
After struggling to fill critical roles through other recruiters, Lewis's network and hands-on approach made all the difference. Efficient, responsive and a genuine partner throughout the hiring process.
Lewis's market knowledge, agility and ability to deliver high-quality off-market talent helped us build a stronger team, faster. A true competitive advantage when hiring.
Founders and boards building category leaders.
From Series A challengers through to public-market technology businesses — we partner with the leadership teams who know the next hire will define the next chapter.
Venture-backed founders scaling their first senior leadership team
Growth-stage CEOs hiring critical Director and C-Suite seats
PE-backed leadership teams executing value-creation plans
Boards appointing Chairs, NEDs and Advisors
What clients usually ask first.
What is executive search?
Executive search is a proactive way of filling senior, high impact, critical roles. Instead of advertising and waiting for applicants, we map the market, approach the top 0.1% of people best suited to the role directly — most of whom aren't actively looking — and assess them rigorously before you meet them. We're also experts at closing them for you.
The result: a talent pipeline built around quality, not volume.
When should a scaleup use executive search?
When the role materially affects your next stage of growth, when inbound applicants aren't strong enough, or when previous agencies have produced the same obvious candidates. A wrong appointment at that level is expensive; search reduces that risk.
The result: the right appointment, without the cost of a wrong one.
Does executive search have to be retained?
No. Olive Search offers retained executive search, but not every assignment needs to be retained. We agree the engagement model with each client based on the mandate — the quality, founder involvement and depth of search stay the same.
The result: full search depth, structured around how you prefer to work.
What roles does Olive Search recruit?
Critical appointments across AI, Product, GTM and Business Transformation — from senior specialists and Principals through to Heads of, Directors, VPs and C-suite, typically £70k+.
The result: one partner for every critical appointment as you scale.
Does Olive Search recruit Business Transformation leaders?
Yes. We place permanent transformation leaders through Executive Search — such as Chief Transformation Officers, Transformation, Programme and Change Directors — and provide time-bound transformation capability through Interim Talent. Where the Talent function itself needs transforming, that sits within Fractional Talent Leadership.
The result: transformation capability that matches the scale of your change.
What is interim Talent?
Proven interim specialists and leaders who join your business for a defined need — a transformation programme, leadership gap, specialist project, hiring surge or new-market launch — where waiting for a permanent hire isn't an option.
The result: momentum from day one, without a permanent commitment.
What is fractional Talent leadership?
Senior Talent leadership on a part-time basis. It suits companies that need experienced direction on Talent strategy, operating model, hiring quality or Talent technology, but don't yet need a permanent Head or VP of Talent.
The result: senior Talent leadership without the full-time cost.
What's the difference between interim and fractional Talent?
Interim adds hands-on capability to deliver now. Fractional adds senior leadership to shape how the Talent function works. Many companies use interim to deliver now and fractional to build what lasts.
The result: exactly the level of capability you need — no more, no less.
How does Olive Search find candidates who aren't actively looking?
Through deep market mapping, direct off-market approaches, AI-enabled research and a digital audience of 2M+ professionals each month — with assessment and final judgement kept human and founder-led.
The result: access to people your job advert will never reach.
Which sectors and regions does Olive Search cover?
Scaling FinTech, SaaS, AI and technology businesses across the UK, EMEA and US, with a presence in London, New York, San Francisco and Austin.
The result: one search partner across every market you're growing into.
Who leads Olive Search?
Olive Search is founded and led by Lewis Evelyn, a former Global Head of Talent Acquisition with 15+ years building and scaling teams across FinTech, SaaS and AI. Olive Search is part of Helpful Headhunter Group.
The result: a search partner who has sat on your side of the table.
Tell us about the talent challenge in front of you.
A critical hire, interim Talent capacity or fractional Talent leadership. Lewis personally reviews every enquiry and will come back within one working day.