People & Talent
Executive Search Singapore
Retained executive search for C-suite, regional leaders, and senior specialists
From CFO and Managing Director searches to regional Heads of Function - discreet, methodical executive search delivered by consultants with deep industry networks. MOM EA Licence 10C3804, with locally-incorporated entities across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
8–12 weeks
Typical brief-to-offer timeline
EA 10C3804
Licensed Executive Search since 2010
24+ years
Singapore HR experience
5 markets
SG · MY · TH · VN · ID
How it works
1
Brief
Understand the role, team culture, success criteria.
2
Map the market
Build a target list from competitors and our network.
3
Engage candidates
Approach discreetly, qualify, present a curated shortlist.
4
Place and follow up
Interview support, offer negotiation, 6-month follow-up.
Executive Search Singapore - built on 24+ years
Executive search Singapore is not a transactional service. A C-suite or Country Head appointment touches every team, every quarter's strategy, and often the company's next chapter. People Profilers has placed senior leaders for 24+ years, first under our founding partnership in 2002, formalised through our licensed executive search practice under MOM EA Licence 10C3804. What that gives you is depth in candidate relationships, a researcher network tracking careers from VP to C-suite over multiple cycles, and the institutional memory to know which candidate fits which culture.
Two engagement models for executive search
Every executive search engagement starts with a scoping conversation. Based on the role's seniority, urgency, and confidentiality, we recommend one of two commercial models. You pick the one that fits.
Retained Search Model
- ✓Fee paid in three staged instalments (typically 30% at engagement, 30% at shortlist, 40% on commencement)
- ✓Exclusive mandate with dedicated researcher capacity
- ✓Confidential market mapping; passive candidates approached by name
- ✓Best fit for confidential replacements, C-suite, Country Head, and Board appointments
- ✓Three-month replacement guarantee from the candidate’s start date. Staged fees are non-refundable once each milestone is met
Success Fee Model
- ✓Fee payable only on candidate commencement, calculated as a percentage of Total Annual Remuneration
- ✓Lower upfront commitment, faster initial activity
- ✓Best fit for senior roles where multiple credible candidates are likely and speed matters more than confidentiality
- ✓Same partner-led process, shortlist standards, three-month replacement guarantee, and 6-month follow-up as retained
- ✓Minimum Fee applies regardless of placement TAR
Both models reference Total Annual Remuneration narrowly defined in our engagement letter (excludes equity, LTIPs not paid in first 12 months, and discretionary bonuses).
What makes an executive search succeed
After 24+ years of senior leadership hiring, three things consistently separate a successful executive search from a stalled one.
An honest brief
The strongest searches start with a candid conversation about the role's real challenges, not the polished job description for the board. If the previous incumbent left under conflict or compensation sits below market, we need to know upfront.
Aligned decision-makers
Executive search fails when the CEO wants a transformer, the chairman wants a steward, and HR is screening for cultural fit. We facilitate alignment in the first two weeks through stakeholder interviews and a written success scorecard.
C-suite pace
Senior candidates expect concise interview cycles, partner-level access, and offer clarity. We coach clients through interview cadence so the strongest hires are not lost to faster-moving competitors.
Search approach
Retained executive search for C-suite, regional leaders, and senior specialists
Understand the role, team culture and success criteria · Build a target list from competitors and our network · MOM EA Licence 10C3804
Industries & Functions We Cover
Senior appointments across every major sector in Singapore and the region have come through this practice. Some of our search consultants are built around an industry and know who runs what inside it. Others are built around a role family, CFOs or country heads, and know how those seats differ from one sector to the next. On most mandates you get both.
Aerospace & Aviation
Licensed aircraft engineers, avionics and component specialists, MRO planners and supply chain roles across Seletar Aerospace Park and Changi.
Automotive
Regional sales and aftersales leadership, parts and distribution specialists, and EV and mobility roles for distributors running Asia from here.
Banking & Financial Services
Relationship managers, compliance and AML officers, risk and quantitative analysts and operations specialists across MAS-regulated banks, asset managers and family offices.
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Regulatory affairs, QA and validation, bioprocess specialists and market access roles across the Tuas Biomedical Park cluster.
Chemical
Process, plant and reliability engineers, HSE officers and technical sales across the Jurong Island petrochemical complex.
Construction & Civil Engineering
Project and site managers, structural and M&E engineers, quantity surveyors and safety officers on BCA-regulated projects.
FMCG & Retail
Regional brand and category managers, trade marketing, e-commerce and retail operations for companies running Asia from Singapore.
Healthcare
Clinical operations, nursing leadership, regulatory and medical affairs across the public clusters, private groups and device companies.
IT & Telecommunication
Software engineers, cloud and DevOps, product managers, cyber security and data specialists across one-north, Changi Business Park and the CBD.
Logistics & Transportation
Freight forwarding, customs and trade compliance, warehouse and supply chain planning roles around PSA, Changi Airfreight and Tuas Port.
Marine & Offshore Engineering
Naval architects, marine and subsea engineers, project managers and yard operations roles across the Tuas and Benoi yards.
Media & Publishing
Regional account management, content and performance marketing, design and communications roles for agencies and platforms based here.
Oil & Gas
Trading and commercial analysts, process and project engineers, HSE and terminal operations roles across the energy majors and traders.
Real Estate & Property
Investment and asset managers, leasing and property managers, facilities leads and development roles for REITs and developers.
Semiconductor
Process, equipment, test and yield engineers, packaging specialists and fab operations roles across Woodlands, Tampines and Pasir Ris.
Executive headhunters in Singapore
If you found us by searching for executive headhunters in Singapore, you are in the right place. Headhunting and executive search are the same discipline. Both mean discreet, research-led approaches to senior leaders who are not answering advertisements.
Our headhunters work in Singapore under MOM EA Licence 10C3804, mapping and approaching candidates in the local market rather than working a CV database, with locally licensed offices in five Southeast Asian markets when a search crosses borders. Whether you brief us as a headhunter agency or an executive search firm, the engagement runs the same way: a defined mandate, a mapped market, and a shortlist you can interview.
Frequently asked questions
Who is People Profilers (Executive Search) Pte. Ltd.?
People Profilers (Executive Search) Pte. Ltd. is the executive search arm of People Profilers, a Singapore-headquartered HR group founded in 2002. We hold MOM Employment Agency Licence 10C3804 and run executive search engagements for C-suite, Country Head, and senior leadership mandates across Singapore and the wider region.
What seniority levels do you cover?
Director through to C-suite. Country heads, managing directors, CFOs, CHROs, COOs, CIOs, heads of sales, heads of engineering, and board appointments.
Manager and senior manager mandates are better served by our general recruitment team on a tiered placement fee, and we will say so rather than take a search brief that does not need one.
Is executive search retained or contingent?
Both, and which one we recommend depends on how senior the role is, how quickly it has to be filled, and how confidential it needs to stay.
Retained is the right instrument when the appointment is sensitive: a replacement the incumbent does not know about, a country head, a board seat. The fee is staged across three points, typically thirty per cent at engagement, thirty at shortlist and forty when the candidate starts, and each instalment is non-refundable once the milestone is met. What you get for that is exclusivity and dedicated researcher time, which is what makes confidential market mapping possible.
A success fee suits roles where several credible candidates are likely to exist and speed matters more than discretion. Nothing is payable until someone starts, calculated against total annual remuneration, with a minimum fee applying regardless. The commitment is lower and the initial activity is faster.
Partner involvement, shortlist standards, the three-month replacement guarantee and the six-month follow-up are identical under either. Every engagement opens with a scoping conversation, and the model comes out of that conversation rather than going into it.
How long does an executive search take?
A typical executive search runs eight to fourteen weeks from kickoff to signed offer, depending on confidentiality and stakeholder availability. At kickoff we share an indicative timeline aligned to the role and market, and stay in close contact as the search develops.
Confidential replacement searches, board-level appointments, and roles requiring relocation or work-pass coordination may extend beyond this window. We will flag any such factors in scoping.
Do you handle confidential replacement searches?
Yes. A meaningful share of our executive search work is confidential - replacing an incumbent who has not yet been informed, or building a succession bench discreetly. We brief our researchers on confidentiality protocols, conduct outreach under non-disclosure, and never reveal client identity in the market until you authorise it.
References, candidate dossiers, and longlist materials are shared only with the named stakeholders agreed at kickoff.
What is the difference between a headhunter and an executive search firm?
Nothing, in practice. Headhunter is what people say and executive search firm is what goes on the engagement letter, and both describe the same work: identifying senior people who are not looking, approaching them privately, and persuading the right one to have a conversation. Our consultants run those mandates under MOM EA Licence 10C3804 in Singapore, and across five Southeast Asian markets when a search crosses borders. Brief us by either name and the engagement runs the same way.
Do you offer a replacement guarantee?
Yes. Every placement carries a three-month replacement guarantee running from the candidate's start date, on retained and success fee engagements alike. If the person leaves inside that window we run the replacement search at no further fee. The precise terms sit in your engagement letter.
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