Executive search firms and APAC executive headhunting in Singapore
Singapore is the APAC headquarters of choice, which makes almost every senior role there a regional role. Scoping those mandates properly is half the headhunt.
What shapes leadership hiring in Singapore
- The Fair Consideration Framework and Employment Pass criteria shape who can realistically be hired and how quickly.
- Regional roles need candidates who have operated across multiple APAC markets, not one.
- Compensation competes with Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney for the same shortlist.
Sectors I search in
- Technology and enterprise software
- Financial services, fintech and crypto
- Consumer and marketplaces
- Supply chain and logistics
Compensation
SGD base plus bonus, with equity at venture-backed companies; I benchmark against Hong Kong and Australia where the shortlist is genuinely regional.
How engagements run
Singapore is five hours ahead of EAT, so interviews are scheduled in the first half of the advisory day. Retained search and advisory engagements available.
Hiring hubs
- Singapore (regional APAC roles)
- Remote across Southeast Asia
For executives
APAC leaders can register interest for global and remote mandates on the live board.
Career servicesFor employers and boards
Engage me for APAC regional leadership searches and for talent mapping ahead of a Singapore hub build.
Executive search serviceFrequently asked
Do you handle Employment Pass considerations?
Eligibility is screened as part of the brief so shortlists are realistic rather than theoretical.
Do you cover the wider ASEAN region?
Yes — Singapore searches typically extend into Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
How do executive search and headhunting firms find candidates?
Through direct, confidential headhunting rather than advertising. I map the leaders already doing the job at comparable companies, approach them privately, and assess them against the outcomes of the role — so shortlists include people who were never going to answer a job post.
What is the difference between executive search firms and executive recruiters?
Executive recruiting firms usually work on contingency and volume, and forward profiles from a database. Retained executive search is a partner-led mandate: market mapping, direct approach, structured assessment and referencing, with one accountable advisor on the search from brief to appointment.
How do I find and choose an executive search consultant?
Ask who will actually run the search, how the market will be mapped, what assessment evidence you receive with the shortlist, and how confidentiality is handled. With me the answer is the same on every mandate: I run it personally and you see the evidence behind each shortlisted leader.
What recruitment solutions work best for scaling teams?
It depends on stage. A single critical leadership hire suits retained executive search; three to five priority hires in a quarter suit a hiring sprint; an ongoing hiring plan without a talent leader suits fractional talent leadership or an embedded partner.
How do executives get access to confidential, unadvertised roles?
Most senior mandates never reach a job board. Registering interest puts your profile in front of me directly, and if there is a close match a recruiter emails you to arrange a short call. Nothing goes to a company until you say yes.