WHY ON Partners

98% of the leaders we place stay in the role.

While the industry settles for an 85% retention average, we’ve delivered thousands of consecutive placements that stood the test of time. We don't hide behind a guarantee but lead with results.
See how ON Compares Meet the Team
How ON Compares

The answers you need when selecting a search firm

What clients
care about		 ON Partners Traditional Large Firms Traditional Boutique Firms
Placements that stay 98% of leaders stay in the role. Industry average is 85% retention at 12 months. Large-firm research shows 40% of executive hires fail within 18 months. Most hover between 92% and 94% success at the one-year mark.
One relationship, every search 85% of clients come back for a second search. Many run several at once, across functions, portfolio companies, and the board Account-managed. Different partners run different searches. Memory lives in a CRM. Continuity within their sector lane. Rarely across the full set of needs.
Partner-led, with real depth Partner-led from first call to close. One relationship partner stays accountable throughout, backed by SME in your function or role so your search has depth on both sides of the table. Senior partner sells. A consultant or principal manages the day-to-day. You see the partner again at the close. Partner-led too, but without the size, network reach, or brand pull of a national firm. Typically deep in one lane, thinner everywhere else.
Off-limits exposure Search-only by design. Off-limits kept intentionally narrow, so your candidate pool stays wide . Multi-year off-limits across hundreds of companies & placements. Consulting and assessment engagements compound the restrictions. Search-only, but sector-concentrated. Narrow off-limits because of limited focus.
Firm focus We are a retained search firm. Your partner is not selling consulting alongside your search. Search competes with consulting, leadership development, and assessment for partner attention. Most are search-only. Some have layered in advisory, which dilutes focus.
Speed without sacrificing depth Median close: 113 days. Industry norm is 4 to 6 months. Process designed for governance over velocity. Some publish comparable speed.
Our clients

Companies trust ON Partners

In their words

What clients say about ON Partners.

1 / 6
“

We found an amazing hire.  The team was responsive and quick.

Executive Vice President
Payment Services
From ON Partners

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Common Questions

What leaders may ask before a search

Start with three questions. Who actually runs the search after the contract is signed? What does the firm's off-limits list look like, and how many of your most-likely candidates does it block? And what's the firm's long-run retention rate, not just the guarantee period?

Global firms bring scale and institutional credibility, with the trade-off of wide off-limits and divided partner attention across multiple service lines. Sector boutiques bring depth in one vertical, with the trade-off of limited reach when you need someone outside their lane. ON's model sits between the two on purpose. Search is the only line of business. Partners run the search through close.

Most search firms send a senior partner to the pitch and transition delivery to associates or principals once the contract is signed. Partner-led, properly defined, means the partner who runs the kickoff is still the one calibrating candidates, presenting the slate, and closing the offer.

At ON, partner-led continues through placement. The partner's name goes on the search because the partner did the search alongside their team. If you ask any firm whether they're partner-led, ask the follow-up: who runs the candidate calibration calls in week six?

Off-limits is a search firm's commitment not to recruit talent away from its clients. The broader the firm's service portfolio, the longer the off-limits list. Global firms running consulting and leadership development across hundreds of companies cannot recruit from any of those companies, often for two years past the engagement.

For your search, that means the candidate pool gets narrowed before the firm even starts. Search-only firms like ON have substantially shorter off-limits lists, which means access to candidates global firms can't legally pursue.