The Leaders Who
Drive Your Returns.
Alder Search is a retained executive search firm exclusively serving private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. We place transformational C-suite leaders who accelerate value creation at every stage of the investment lifecycle.
Search Services Built
for Private Equity
Every mandate we accept is exclusive and retained. We do not contingency search. Our full attention, proprietary network, and proven methodology are deployed on your behalf from day one.
C-Suite Retained Search
We conduct exclusive, retained searches for CEO, CTO, CPO, CDO, CRO, and CMO mandates at PE-backed portfolio companies. Our process is rigorous, discreet, and calibrated to the specific value creation thesis of your investment.
Operating Partner Recruitment
We recruit fund-level Operating Partners and Operating Executives for PE sponsors seeking to build or expand their value creation capabilities. These are high-conviction placements that shape how an entire portfolio performs.
Fractional & Interim Leadership
When a portfolio company needs senior leadership immediately, we place experienced fractional and interim executives who can step in at pace. Whether bridging a gap between permanent hires or providing specialist capability during a critical growth phase, our interim leaders are PE-ready from day one.
Board Director Placement
We identify and place independent board directors who bring the functional expertise, sector depth, and governance credibility that PE-backed companies require at every stage of ownership.
Leadership Team Buildouts
For platform acquisitions and high-growth portfolio companies, we design and execute comprehensive leadership team buildouts placing multiple executives in a coordinated program aligned to your 100-day plan.
Succession Planning
We partner with PE sponsors to proactively identify successor candidates for key leadership roles, ensuring continuity and optionality throughout the hold period and into exit preparation.
A Process Designed for High-Stakes Mandates
Mandate Alignment
We begin with deep immersion in your investment thesis, value creation plan, and the specific leadership profile required to execute it. We challenge assumptions and pressure-test the brief before any search activity begins.
Market Mapping
Our proprietary network of PE-backed executives spans every major sector and functional discipline. We map the full universe of qualified candidates including those not actively seeking a move and assess each against your criteria.
Rigorous Assessment
Every shortlisted candidate undergoes structured competency interviews, reference validation, and a PE-specific leadership assessment. We evaluate not just capability, but cultural fit with your sponsor model and the portfolio company's stage.
Placement & Onboarding
We manage the offer process, navigate competing interests, and remain engaged through the first 90 days post-placement. Our retention guarantee reflects our confidence in the quality of every placement we make.
The right CEO at a portfolio company is worth more than any operational improvement. We treat every search as if the entire investment depends on it because often, it does.
What Sets Us
Apart
Executive search is a relationship business. The firms that consistently deliver are those with the deepest networks, the sharpest judgment, and the most relevant experience. We have built Alder Search to excel on all three dimensions.
PE-Exclusive Focus
We do not serve corporate clients, staffing firms, or generalist mandates. Every search we accept is for a PE sponsor or portfolio company. This singular focus means our network, our methodology, and our judgment are calibrated entirely to your world.
Operators, Not Just Recruiters
Every Alder partner has direct operating or investment experience in private equity. We have sat in the boardroom, managed 100-day plans, and navigated the pressures of a PE hold. We assess candidates the way a sponsor would not the way a recruiter would.
Retained, Always
We do not conduct contingency searches. Every mandate is exclusive and retained, which means our full attention, our entire network, and our complete methodology are deployed on your behalf from the moment we shake hands.
Proprietary Network
Over 15 years, we have built a proprietary database of more than 12,000 PE-backed executives across every sector and function. The best candidates are rarely on the market they are in our network.
Deep Expertise Across
Every PE Sector
Our partners have spent careers building networks within these sectors. We know who the best operators are and we know how to reach them.
Technology & Software
SaaS, enterprise software, cybersecurity, data & analytics, and infrastructure technology backed by growth and buyout sponsors.
Financial Services & Fintech
Fintech, payments infrastructure, insurance, wealth management, and specialty finance at every stage of PE ownership.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Healthcare services, medical devices, biopharma, digital health, and healthcare IT across mid-market and large-cap PE.
Consumer & Retail
Consumer brands, specialty retail, e-commerce, food & beverage, and direct-to-consumer businesses undergoing PE-driven transformation.
"Alder Search placed our CRO within 10 weeks of mandate. The quality of the shortlist was exceptional every candidate was genuinely deployable. The placement has been transformational for the business."
The Person Behind
Alder Search
Ryan Ollerenshaw
Ryan has spent 16 years conducting executive search exclusively for PE-backed businesses and the funds that own them. That depth of focus has built something that cannot be shortcut: a genuine understanding of how private equity works, what sponsors need from their leadership teams, and what separates executives who thrive in PE environments from those who do not.
Across hundreds of mandates spanning CEO, CTO, CPO, CDO, CRO, and CMO searches, Ryan has become embedded in the PE ecosystem. He understands the pace, the pressure, and the precision that sponsors require, and brings that knowledge to every search from the first conversation to the moment a leader steps through the door.
Connect on LinkedInReady to discuss a mandate?
We are available for confidential conversations about your leadership needs.
Insights on PE
Leadership
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Whether you have an active mandate, are preparing for a transaction, or simply want to explore how Alder Search can support your portfolio, we welcome the conversation.