Irving Knight Group delivers executive search across 20+ core industries.

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Rated 'Excellent' on Trustpilot

Redefining search

Irving Knight Group is a global executive search and talent partner trusted by organisations worldwide to deliver senior leaders in complex, competitive markets. We identify and secure high-impact talent across multiple industries, partnering closely with clients to design search strategies tailored to their exact commercial and leadership needs.

Read more About Us

Did you know?

Hiring the wrong candidate costs more than just time—it can waste salary, training resources, and opportunities. The Department of Labour estimates a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the role’s first-year earnings.

We hire right

Organisations are often reluctant to use external recruiters due the percieved cost. Think about it like this - what financial benefit could a top candidate bring to your business unit? You could make a 100x return on your investment.

  • 97% Placement Rate 1
  • 1.78:1 CVs Sent to Interviews 2
  • Avg. 32 Day Engagement to Placement 3

1. Based on all roles engaged on by a client on an exclusive basis from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

2. All CVs Sent from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

3. From Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member Team Member

Our people are the foundation of everything we do. We foster a culture built on trust, collaboration, and high standards, empowering our teams to take ownership, perform at their best, and grow with confidence. How we work matters as much as what we deliver — and it’s this culture that drives high-performance outcomes for our clients.

Meet the Team

Why Us

Standing out takes more than just promises

Mission

Exceptional talent fuels exceptional organizations

Culture

Performance comes from creating the right environment

Discover
Expertise

Industrial

Ingredients

Built Environment

Healthcare

Life Science

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placements made

Website Review Photo

Ashley Maclean

Systems Sales Engineer, South Carolina

Jack Purnell with Irving Knight was the best recruiter I’ve worked with - by far. He communicated clearly, was respec...

Website Review Photo

Corinne Grice

Strategic Account Manager, US

Luca was an absolute gem to work with ! He reached out to me on linkedin with several different opportunities & was a...

Website Review Photo

Lucas Quadflieg

Sales Manager, Netherlands

Good vibes on finding a new opportunity... I was contacted by Aidan Kerr for a position of Sales Manager Benelux. Af...

Website Review Photo

Kay Witte

Global Director Performance Excellence

Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...

Website Review Photo

Jeff Borchardt

Director of Planning, US

Mr. Clay was a wonderful recruiter. He was communicative and helped keep me informed through the process. He also fou...

Website Review Photo

Matt Engelbrecht

VP Industrial Ops, US

Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...

Website Review Photo

Dipen Shah

Account Manager, Canada

I was assisted by Aiden Kerr on getting a new job in the chemical industry. He was fantastic in terms of timing, comm...

Website Review Photo

Sandeep Kulshrestha

Formulation Director, US

Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...

Website Review Photo

Tim Staniels

Territory Sales Manager, US

Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...

Website Review Photo

Michel Cas

Sales Manager, France

Incredibly human oriented executive search, candidates handled with great care and respect, precise and concise infor...

Website Review Photo

Joerg Schlagmann

Senior Global Manager

Great expert: supportive, challenging and always empowered for his customers and his work! Not more to say: just exce...

Website Review Photo

Brian Carpenter

VP Continous Improvement, US

Stewart was instrumental in helping me through this process and alleviating my concerns as I’ve been out of the workf...

Website Review Photo

Eduardo Valle

Development Mgr, US

This opportunity fell on my lap at the perfect time and the overall process with Christopher was great. It was a very...

Website Review Photo

Vincent Dehousse

Head of Sales & Marketing, Netherlands

Great experience working with Cian from Irving Knight—professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. Highly reco...

Website Review Photo

Keith Parvin

Automation Division Director

I found Joseph to be extremely professional in every way when going through a recent recruitment process, always doin...

Website Review Photo

Sara Benoit

Regional Account Manager, US

Irving Knight Group is a fantastic company. I was contacted by Aidan Kerr regarding a sales position opportunity in t...

Website Review Photo

Todd McBroom

District Sales Mgr, US

Great Experience!! This was my first time dealing with a recuiter and could not have been a better experience. Jack ...

Website Review Photo

Kerry Maye

Regional Sales Manager

Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....

Website Review Photo

Andrew Coutts

Director Global Strategy, US

First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...

Website Review Photo

Anja Florbach

Digital & Commercial Excellence Manager

Thank you so much Joseph! You have given me a great support. It was really nice to be in contact with you and I thin...

Website Review Photo

Ashley Maclean

Systems Sales Engineer, South Carolina

Jack Purnell with Irving Knight was the best recruiter I’ve worked with - by far. He communicated clearly, was respec...

Website Review Photo

Corinne Grice

Strategic Account Manager, US

Luca was an absolute gem to work with ! He reached out to me on linkedin with several different opportunities & was a...

Website Review Photo

Lucas Quadflieg

Sales Manager, Netherlands

Good vibes on finding a new opportunity... I was contacted by Aidan Kerr for a position of Sales Manager Benelux. Af...

Website Review Photo

Kay Witte

Global Director Performance Excellence

Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...

Website Review Photo

Jeff Borchardt

Director of Planning, US

Mr. Clay was a wonderful recruiter. He was communicative and helped keep me informed through the process. He also fou...

Website Review Photo

Matt Engelbrecht

VP Industrial Ops, US

Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...

Website Review Photo

Dipen Shah

Account Manager, Canada

I was assisted by Aiden Kerr on getting a new job in the chemical industry. He was fantastic in terms of timing, comm...

Website Review Photo

Sandeep Kulshrestha

Formulation Director, US

Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...

Website Review Photo

Tim Staniels

Territory Sales Manager, US

Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...

Website Review Photo

Michel Cas

Sales Manager, France

Incredibly human oriented executive search, candidates handled with great care and respect, precise and concise infor...

Website Review Photo

Joerg Schlagmann

Senior Global Manager

Great expert: supportive, challenging and always empowered for his customers and his work! Not more to say: just exce...

Website Review Photo

Brian Carpenter

VP Continous Improvement, US

Stewart was instrumental in helping me through this process and alleviating my concerns as I’ve been out of the workf...

Website Review Photo

Eduardo Valle

Development Mgr, US

This opportunity fell on my lap at the perfect time and the overall process with Christopher was great. It was a very...

Website Review Photo

Vincent Dehousse

Head of Sales & Marketing, Netherlands

Great experience working with Cian from Irving Knight—professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. Highly reco...

Website Review Photo

Keith Parvin

Automation Division Director

I found Joseph to be extremely professional in every way when going through a recent recruitment process, always doin...

Website Review Photo

Sara Benoit

Regional Account Manager, US

Irving Knight Group is a fantastic company. I was contacted by Aidan Kerr regarding a sales position opportunity in t...

Website Review Photo

Todd McBroom

District Sales Mgr, US

Great Experience!! This was my first time dealing with a recuiter and could not have been a better experience. Jack ...

Website Review Photo

Kerry Maye

Regional Sales Manager

Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....

Website Review Photo

Andrew Coutts

Director Global Strategy, US

First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...

Website Review Photo

Anja Florbach

Digital & Commercial Excellence Manager

Thank you so much Joseph! You have given me a great support. It was really nice to be in contact with you and I thin...

One size doesn't fit all

Our search solutions are built around partnership, precision, and results—tailored to how you hire and what you need.

Talent solutions

When you retain Irving Knight, you enter a true partnership. We act as an extension of your brand and reputation—your eyes and ears in the market. As the first point of contact for exceptional talent, we protect your name, maintain strict confidentiality, and work relentlessly to deliver the right placement, first time.

A contingent search with Irving Knight opens access to a wide and diverse talent pool. Our specialist focus attracts candidates who value our deep market expertise and trust us to represent meaningful opportunities within their field. As a result, our candidate network is rich with high-calibre talent, giving you both quality and choice in a contingent search.

Our preferred vendor approach is designed to respond seamlessly to the needs of our long-term partners. It enables us to develop a deep understanding of your hiring team, business values, and company culture—creating a relationship that is both efficient and highly effective.
Services at Irving Knight Group
Trustpilot

FAQs

We’re here to make Executive Search easy to understand. Find answers to the most common questions below.

Our priority is fit, not speed. We take time to understand your background, goals, and motivations, then provide clear insight into each opportunity so you’re only considered for roles that truly align with your experience and ambitions.

We specialise in senior, specialist, and leadership appointments across the markets we serve. Our focus is on roles where experience, judgement, and cultural alignment are critical — typically mid- to senior-level management through to executive and board appointments.

You’ll gain honest market insight, access to high-quality opportunities, and clear guidance throughout the process. Our aim is simple: to help you make the right move, at the right time, with confidence.

No. Our services are completely free for candidates. We are retained by our client partners to manage their hiring processes, meaning there is never a cost to you at any stage.

Our role is to represent your interests professionally, provide guidance throughout the process, and help you assess opportunities objectively — without any financial obligation.

No — if anything, it gives you an advantage. We provide context, insight, and advocacy that ensure your experience and motivations are clearly understood from the outset. Our role is to strengthen your candidacy and guide you through a transparent, well-managed process.

We operate as a retained, partnership-led search firm rather than a transactional recruiter. That means fewer searches, deeper engagement, and a far higher level of commitment to outcomes. By combining sector specialism, market intelligence, and a disciplined search methodology, we deliver hires that are aligned not only to role requirements, but to culture, strategy, and long-term growth plans.

We don’t rely on databases or job advertising alone. Our searches are driven by proactive market mapping, targeted outreach, and insight gained from long-standing sector networks. Candidates are assessed on capability, leadership style, cultural alignment, and long-term potential — not just CV fit — ensuring a robust and well-informed shortlist.

Confidentiality is fundamental to how we operate. Every search is handled with discretion, clear communication, and controlled market engagement. As your representative in the market, we protect your brand, manage messaging carefully, and ensure sensitive information is only shared when appropriate — safeguarding both your business and your candidates throughout the process.

Our retained model is designed to deliver outcomes, not volume. Because we invest the time to fully understand the role, the business, and the wider context, we achieve a consistently high completion rate across our searches. More importantly, our focus is on long-term retention and impact, not short-term placement metrics.

While our process is designed to minimise risk, we recognise that circumstances can change. In the rare event a placement doesn’t succeed, we work closely with our client to address the situation and agree the most appropriate next steps. Our commitment is to the partnership and the outcome — not just the initial hire

Let's talk

Contact Irving Knight Group for Executive Search Enquiries