Executive Search & Talent Intelligence

Leadership & Talent Acquisition

Identify and secure the leaders who will shape your organisation’s future.

Executive Search

We help organisations attract and appoint senior leaders and critical talent capable of strengthening performance, leading transformation and supporting growth.

We are typically engaged when organisations need to secure a critical hire, strengthen an executive team or prepare for a significant transition.

Our deep understanding of the sports, entertainment and leisure sectors enables us to identify the most relevant leaders, whether highly visible, discreet or hidden within international talent markets.

Where it creates value, we also broaden the search beyond traditional sector boundaries, identifying leaders from adjacent industries, international talent pools and transformational environments.

Our approach combines sector expertise, leadership assessment and international benchmarking to support the most sensitive hiring decisions.

 

Our Methodology

  1. Leadership & Talent Mapping
    Talent pools, market attractiveness and sector intelligence.
  2. Executive Assessment: Leadership capabilities, values and potential impact.
  3. Executive Search: Targeted search, engagement and selection of senior leaders.
  4. Strategic Onboarding: Supporting successful integration and the first 100 days.

 

Why Organisations Work With Us

  • Deep expertise across sports, entertainment and leisure

  • Unique international access to executive talent pools

  • Ability to identify hidden and differentiated leaders

  • Comparative talent scenarios to support strategic decisions

  • Rigorous, structured and transparent search process

  • Reduced hiring risk for critical leadership roles

  • Leadership decisions aligned with long-term performance

We identify and appoint senior leaders and critical talent capable of strengthening organisations, leading transformation and supporting growth.

Leadership & Talent Mapping

Before launching a search, we observe, analyse and anticipate.

Understand Talent Pools. Anticipate Market Movements. Make Better Decisions.

The Talent & Leadership Mapping process provides a strategic starting point for understanding a market, identifying the most relevant leadership profiles and gaining visibility into where the strongest talent pools truly exist.

In an increasingly competitive talent environment, it offers a clear view of market depth, key organisations and relevant talent pools across both domestic and international markets.

This insight enables organisations to make informed decisions about where to search, which profiles to target and how to attract the leaders who can create lasting impact.

💡Typical Client Challenges

  • Identifying strategic talent in competitive, constrained or opaque markets

  • Understanding mobility patterns and the factors that genuinely influence talent attraction

  • Assessing market depth before launching a search, building a leadership team or restructuring an organisation

  • Aligning business, governance and talent priorities around a clear leadership profile

  • Exploring adjacent sectors and international talent pools to expand the range of viable options

Our Methodology

  • Defining the Target Leadership Profile
    Capabilities, expected impact, values, cultural fit and strategic context.
  • Structured Market Benchmarking: Analysis of 100 to 200 relevant profiles, depending on the complexity of the assignment.
  • Talent Identification: Mapping visible, discreet and hidden talent pools across relevant sectors and international markets.
  • Market Intelligence & Data Analysis: Talent attractiveness, compensation levels, availability, competitive dynamics and mobility trends.
  • Scenario Development: Alternative talent pools, target profiles and attraction strategies to support decision-making.
  • Go / No-Go Recommendation: A clear recommendation before launching a full Executive Search engagement.

Client Benefits

  • Clear visibility of the market, talent pools and available strategic options

  • Faster, better-informed decisions based on reliable and comparable market intelligence

  • Reduced hiring risk through objective market assessment

  • Stronger alignment between leadership, HR and governance stakeholders

  • Access to international and adjacent talent pools

  • Attraction strategies tailored to market realities, employer positioning and competitive dynamics

Key Team

  • Cédric Le Nest
    Managing Partner. Executive Search and Talent Intelligence specialist.
  • Serena Wu: Strategic Partner. International HR strategy and organisational advisory specialist, based in Hong Kong.

Executive Assessment

Assess Leadership. Understand Potential. Support Better Decisions.

Assess Leadership with Precision, Context and Objectivity.

Assessing a leader or critical talent goes far beyond evaluating skills and experience. It requires understanding their ability to succeed within a specific context, including culture, governance, organisational maturity, business priorities and the expectations of the role.

Strategic Assessment helps organisations make better-informed decisions in recruitment, promotion, succession and transformation contexts by providing a deeper understanding of leadership capabilities, success factors and potential risks.

At SBT Executive, we combine recognised assessment tools, including Saville, Hogan and Talent Reveal, with expert behavioural analysis conducted by specialists in leadership, international organisations and high-performance environments.

Every assessment is fully tailored to the situation and delivers practical insight into an individual’s strengths, development areas and the conditions most likely to support long-term success.

💡 Typical Client Challenges

  • Bringing greater objectivity to hiring, promotion and succession decisions
  • Anticipating integration, performance and retention risks before they materialise
  • Comparing multiple leadership candidates to support critical strategic decisions
  • Assessing the fit of external leaders within a specific culture, governance model and organisational context

🧭 Our Methodology

  • Context Analysis
    Understanding the business priorities, culture, governance structure and leadership environment.

  • Assessment Design
    Selection of the most appropriate tools and methodologies, including Saville, Hogan and Talent Reveal.

  • In-Depth Leadership Interviews
    Conducted by senior leadership advisors, executive coaches or occupational psychologists.

  • Structured Leadership Assessment
    Evaluation of leadership capabilities, behaviours, motivations, potential risks and development areas.

  • Executive Readout & Recommendations
    Clear, practical insights designed to support decision-making and future development.

✨ Client Benefits

  • Better-informed leadership decisions supported by objective data and expert analysis
  • Reduced risk of mismatch, integration challenges and premature departures
  • Stronger alignment between leadership capabilities, culture and business priorities
  • Clear visibility of leadership potential and future performance drivers
  • Practical recommendations to support successful appointments, transitions and development

👥 Key Team

  • Cédric Le Nest : Managing Partner. Executive Search and Leadership Advisory specialist across sports, entertainment and leisure.
  • Antoine Leygonie : Senior Partner. Specialist in executive leadership, international leadership development and transition support.
  • Kris Perquy : Senior Advisor. Sports and occupational psychologist specialising in human performance, leadership and team dynamics.

Strategic Onboarding

Completing a search is only the beginning. Success depends on what happens during a leader’s first 100 days.

Accelerate Integration. Strengthen Alignment. Maximise Impact.

A leader’s first 100 days often determine the trajectory of their future success. This period shapes credibility, influence, team dynamics and the quality of the decisions that will define the next phase of performance.

A significant proportion of leadership transitions fail or underperform during this critical period. Our Strategic Onboarding programme is designed to substantially reduce that risk by creating the conditions for a smooth, aligned and high-impact transition.

At SBT Executive, we work closely with the leader, their manager and key stakeholders to prepare a structured and progressive integration plan. Together, we clarify priorities, stakeholder relationships, cultural expectations, success measures and the actions required to build momentum from day one.

💡 Typical Client Challenges

  • Accelerating a leader’s transition into a critical role
  • Preventing cultural misunderstandings, early friction and failed starts
  • Supporting sound decision-making and leadership credibility from the outset
  • Aligning key stakeholders during the first weeks of a leadership transition

🧭 Our Methodology

  • 100-Day Transition Programme
    A structured onboarding journey tailored to the organisation’s context, priorities and the leader’s profile.

  • Individual Leadership Sessions
    Eight to ten sessions led by a senior leadership advisor or executive coach.

  • Transition Diagnostic
    Assessment of culture, governance, stakeholder expectations and team dynamics.

  • Personalised Transition Plan
    Clear priorities, key relationships, decision points and success measures for the first 100 days.

  • Ongoing Monitoring & Adjustment
    Continuous support informed by stakeholder feedback and the evolving realities of the role.

✨ Client Benefits

  • Faster integration and earlier leadership impact
  • Reduced risk of transition failure, disengagement or early departure
  • Stronger alignment with teams, culture and governance expectations
  • Greater confidence between the leader and the organisation
  • Sustainable performance through a structured and well-managed transition.

👥 Key Team

  • Antoine Leygonie : Specialist in executive leadership development, leadership transitions and organisational performance.
  • Kris Perquy : Senior Advisor. Sports and occupational psychologist specialising in resilience, leadership transitions and high-performance environments.