INDEPENDENT GLOBAL TALENT SOURCING
Find the Executive Who Is Not Looking.
The people you want may already be employed. They may not be applying. They may never respond to a public job posting.
KOV provides independent global talent sourcing for companies that need to identify, research, and approach senior professionals who fit the role before they enter the open market.
North America · Europe · Asia
Research first. Outreach second.
GLOBAL TALENT SOURCING
Mapping senior talent across markets before the first conversation begins.
INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE TALENT SOURCING
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY RECEIVE
A structured executive talent search built around the role, market, and leadership profile you need.
RESEARCH-TO-OUTREACH PIPELINE
01Search brief
Role, scope, geography, constraints, and agreed research boundaries.
02Success profile
Role-related experience and leadership criteria agreed before research begins.
03Target market map
A structured view of relevant markets, sectors, and talent pools.
04Target company map
Relevant organization categories and the rationale for including them.
05Talent pool research
Research records aligned with the agreed success profile and scope.
06Executive intelligence
Role-relevant professional context and research notes from appropriate sources.
07Candidate prioritization
A documented view of relevance against agreed criteria, not a guarantee of availability or fit.
08Passive talent outreach
Discreet, personalized outreach where included in the engagement and approved.
09Search progress
Clear updates on research activity, status, and next actions.
10Structured search output
Research and reporting in the agreed format for the engagement.
Depending on the engagement scope, typical search outputs may include the items above. Specific deliverables are agreed before work begins.
THE PROBLEM
The best candidate is not always searching.
Public job postings capture active applicants. Executive talent often requires a different approach.
KOV helps companies identify people based on where they work, what they have built, the environments they have operated in, and how their background aligns with the role.
The objective is not a larger list. The objective is a more relevant list.
WHAT KOV SOURCES
Senior talent across critical leadership functions.
Role examples based on the current sourcing offer; coverage depends on the brief and agreed scope.
- CFOs and senior finance leaders
- CTOs and Heads of Engineering
- COOs and Operations leaders
- Chief Revenue Officers
- VPs of Sales
- VPs of Operations
- Senior technology leaders
- Board advisors
- Operating partners
- Other senior roles defined by the client search
WHO KOV WORKS WITH
Built for organizations that need more than inbound applicants.
- Venture-backed startups
- Private-equity-backed companies
- High-growth private companies
- International companies expanding into new markets
- Executive search firms requiring research support
- Organizations building senior leadership teams
THE KOV SOURCING METHOD
We map the market before we approach the person.
- 01 · DEFINE
Clarify the role, success profile, seniority, geography, target companies, and search constraints.
- 02 · MAP
Identify relevant companies, leadership teams, career histories, professional networks, and potential talent pools.
- 03 · RESEARCH
Use publicly available research, company information, professional signals, industry intelligence, and other appropriate sources to understand candidate fit.
- 04 · PRIORITIZE
Separate broad matches from the people who genuinely fit the brief.
- 05 · APPROACH
Engage relevant senior professionals through credible, personalized, and discreet outreach.
- 06 · PRESENT
Deliver relevant candidate information according to the agreed engagement and communication process.
PASSIVE TALENT INTELLIGENCE
Build the map before making contact.
Research may combine company announcements, public filings, professional history, leadership structures, industry signals, and relevant networks. Each signal is checked against the agreed success profile; a title match alone is not enough to prioritize a profile.
Outreach begins only after the market context, contact approach, and client approval boundaries are clear.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Context first. Discretion throughout.
Before outreach, KOV and the client agree what can be shared, which contacts are appropriate, and who approves the message. Professionals are approached with role context and a clear explanation of why the conversation may be relevant.
Confidentiality practices are defined for each engagement; no legal or absolute secrecy guarantee is implied.
GLOBAL REACH
Compare markets, not just locations.
International search scope is set around the role: where related organizations operate, how leadership remits vary by market, and which backgrounds may transfer. Coverage, research depth, and outreach are agreed before work begins.
Market access is not a claim of local presence in every country.
ENGAGEMENT
Every search starts with scope.
Each talent sourcing engagement is priced according to the role, research requirements, geography, timeline and agreed deliverables. The fee and scope are agreed in writing before work begins.
Discuss a Talent SearchROLE AND MARKET SEARCHES
Explore focused executive sourcing pages.
Each search is scoped to the role, market and requirements in the employer's brief.
START A CONFIDENTIAL TALENT SEARCH
Need access to talent that is not applying?
Tell KOV about the role, the market, and the type of leader you need. The first conversation is focused on understanding the search and determining whether KOV is the right sourcing partner.
Start a Confidential Talent SearchNeed the candidate side instead? Explore Candidate Representation.