Executive Search
Board, CEO and C-suite search across MENA and Europe, including IPO readiness and governance support.
People are the solution
Recruitment, executive search & HR advisory
We connect organisations across the GCC and Europe with the leadership, talent and people frameworks they need to grow, from a single critical hire to building a company from zero.
2009Founded, with offices in London, Manama, Riyadh and Oslo
100+Start-ups supported with establishment hiring in a single year
12Specialist sectors, from energy and mining to gaming and fintech
85%Local-talent target across our offices
What we do
Five connected services
From a single urgent hire to building an organisation from zero. Clients use one service or combine several with a single accountable team.
Start-up Team Building
Establishment teams for new ventures and joint ventures, from founding leadership to operational staff.
Contingency Search
Fast, no-upfront-fee search for urgent and high-priority vacancies. You pay only when you hire.
HR Advisory
Organisation development, succession, reward, performance, retention and learning frameworks.
HR Support
Salary surveys, job descriptions, reference checks, and visa and work-permit support.
Offices in London, Manama, Riyadh and Oslo
Delivery across the GCC, MENA and Europe
Retained, contingency and advisory models
Our reach
Four offices, one accountable team
From London, Manama, Riyadh and Oslo we run searches across the GCC, wider MENA and Europe, with consultants who know each market's roles, pay and regulation.
LondonManamaRiyadhOslo
HR Advisory
People frameworks that deliver strategy
Six connected services, sized to your organisation and built to run in your HR systems, including SAP SuccessFactors. Choose one or combine them into an integrated programme.
Organisation Development
A clear structure is the foundation of every other people decision. We design the operating model, roles and decision rights your strategy needs, sized to your scale and without unnecessary layers.
- Organisation diagnostic and operating model design
- Structure, spans of control and reporting lines
- Job architecture, role profiles and job descriptions
- Delegation of authority and decision-rights matrices
- Governance interfaces with boards and committees
- Workforce planning and headcount roadmaps
The outcomeA lean, clearly governed organisation in which every role, reporting line and authority is defined.
Metrics we track
Span of controlAverage direct reports per manager, benchmarked by function.
Organisational layersLevels between the CEO and the front line, and where they add cost.
Cost-to-serveHR and support cost per employee against peer benchmarks.
Decision latencyApproval steps and time taken for key decisions.
Succession Planning
Losing a key person should never put continuity at risk. We identify the roles you cannot leave uncovered, assess who could step in, and build the plans that make succession real.
- Critical-role and key-person risk identification
- Talent reviews and 9-box calibration
- Successor readiness assessment and shortlists
- Emergency cover and interim leadership protocols
- Individual development plans linked to succession
- Board-level succession reporting and dashboards
The outcomeNamed successors, agreed contingency cover and a visible leadership pipeline.
Metrics we track
Ready-now coverageShare of critical roles with at least one ready-now successor.
Bench strengthSuccessors per critical role, by readiness horizon.
Internal fill rateSenior vacancies filled from inside the organisation.
Key-person risk indexCritical roles rated by vacancy impact and flight risk.
Compensation & Reward
Reward must be competitive, fair internally and defensible to the board. We build grading, pay and incentive architecture benchmarked to the markets you compete in.
- Job evaluation and grading structures
- Market pay benchmarking across the GCC and sectors
- Salary bands, allowances and benefits policy
- Short- and long-term incentive design
- Deferred and retention-linked reward mechanisms
- Reward governance, policies and approvals
The outcomeA transparent, market-anchored reward framework the board can approve with confidence.
Metrics we track
Compa-ratioActual pay against the midpoint of each salary band.
Market positionPay percentile against the chosen peer market.
Internal equity gapPay variance between comparable roles and grades.
Pay-for-performance linkHow closely variable pay tracks performance ratings.
Performance Management & KPIs
What gets measured shapes how people behave. We translate strategy into measurable objectives at every level and build the appraisal cycle that turns them into decisions.
- Balanced scorecard and OKR design
- Cascade from corporate objectives to individual KPIs
- Quantitative, qualitative and behavioural measures
- Appraisal cycle, calibration and rating design
- Links between performance, pay and progression
- Outputs configured for SAP SuccessFactors and other HRIS
The outcomeObjective goals for every role, consistently assessed and connected to reward and development.
Metrics we track
Goal alignmentShare of individual goals linked to corporate objectives.
KPI coverageRoles with measurable, agreed KPIs.
Rating distributionSpread of ratings after calibration, by unit.
Cycle completionReviews completed on time across the organisation.
Retention & Engagement
Attrition is expensive and usually predictable. We show why people stay or leave, spot risk in critical roles early, and put in place the levers that keep your best people.
- Retention-risk analysis for critical roles
- Engagement and culture surveys
- Turnover and exit-interview analytics
- Career paths and internal mobility frameworks
- Employee value proposition design
- Recognition and non-financial reward programmes
The outcomeEarlier warning of attrition risk, and a compelling reason for key people to stay.
Metrics we track
Regretted attritionLeavers the organisation wanted to keep, as a share of headcount.
First-year attritionNew hires leaving within twelve months.
Engagement indexSurvey-based engagement score, tracked by unit.
Flight-risk indexCritical roles rated by likelihood of departure.
Training & Development
Capability has to keep pace with strategy. We start from the competencies your roles demand, measure the gaps, and design development tied to careers and business priorities.
- Training needs analysis and skills-gap audits
- Competency frameworks and dictionaries
- Individual development plans and learning calendars
- Leadership and management development programmes
- Technical skills and certification pathways
- Impact measurement and return on learning
The outcomeA workforce and leadership bench whose skills keep pace with the strategy.
Metrics we track
Competency gap closureReduction in assessed gaps against the framework.
Learning hours per FTEStructured development time per employee per year.
Certification progressProfessional qualifications started and completed.
Learning impactChange in performance or readiness after programmes.
01
Diagnose
Interviews and a review of structures, policies and pay data to set the baseline.
02
Design
Frameworks co-designed with leadership and tested against market practice.
03
Align
Outputs structured for SAP SuccessFactors or your HRIS, ready to load.
04
Implement
Workshops, manager toolkits and communication to launch the change.
05
Transfer
Training for HR and managers, and a governance rhythm to keep frameworks current.
How we search
A six-stage search methodology
A structured process that keeps every mandate measurable, confidential and on schedule.
Stage
123456789101112
01Briefing & calibrationStakeholder interviews, success profile, scorecard and compensation benchmark.
02Market mappingTarget-company list, organisation charts and a mapped talent universe.
03Approach & engagementConfidential outreach, motivation testing and first-stage screening.
04AssessmentCompetency-based interviews, psychometrics and technical review.
05Shortlist & interviewsCalibrated shortlist with candidate reports; interview logistics managed.
06Offer & onboardingReferencing, offer negotiation, notice-period management and follow-up.
Indicative timeline for a retained executive search. Contingency mandates typically run on a shorter cycle.
Sector expertise
Industries we serve
Twelve specialist sectors, each with consultants who know the roles, the pay and the people.
Construction
Infrastructure, mega-projects and EPC solutions.
Typical rolesProject Directors · Commercial & QS Leads · HSE Managers
Defense & Security
Aerospace, cybersecurity and unmanned systems.
Typical rolesProgramme Directors · Cybersecurity Architects · Systems Engineers
Financial Services
Investment banking, fintech and wealth management.
Typical rolesRetail & Corporate Banking Heads · Risk & Compliance · Wealth Advisers
Energy & Water
Renewable energy, hydrogen and water solutions.
Typical rolesRenewables Project Leads · Hydrogen Engineers · Desalination Managers
Investment Banking
M&A, corporate finance, venture capital and capital markets.
Typical rolesM&A Directors · ECM & DCM Specialists · VC Partners
Gaming & Entertainment
Game development, esports and gaming platforms.
Typical rolesHeads of Studio · Game Designers · LiveOps & Monetisation Leads
Logistics & Supply Chain
Freight, e-commerce logistics and cold chain.
Typical rolesSupply Chain Directors · Fulfilment Heads · Cold-Chain Specialists
Mining
Exploration, operations, environmental and logistics.
Typical rolesChief Geologists · Heads of Exploration · Processing & Refining Managers
Medical & Health Tech
Healthcare, biotech and emerging health technologies.
Typical rolesMedical Directors · Regulatory Affairs Leads · Health-Tech Product Managers
Real Estate
Residential, commercial and industrial developments.
Typical rolesDevelopment Directors · Asset Managers · Heads of Leasing
Facilities Management
Facilities, utilities and operational maintenance.
Typical rolesFM Directors · MEP Engineers · Contracts & Operations Managers
Technology
Cloud computing, cybersecurity and software development.
Typical rolesCTOs · Cloud & DevOps Engineers · Data & AI Specialists
Track record
Organisations we have built
Five engagements where we took a client from a handful of people, or none, to a full leadership team and workforce.
Scaling a Saudi logistics joint venture
22,958
employees, from launch
- Challenge
- A new JV between a logistics company and a Chinese conglomerate needed to hire at pace for an aggressive expansion in Saudi Arabia.
- What we did
- Organisation design, 10 executive hires (Group CEO, CSO, CMO, CTO and CCXO), 50+ key hires and an applicant tracking system. Time-to-hire fell by 30%.
Building a digital payments ecosystem
0350
employees across five countries
- Challenge
- A digital wallet JV launched with no employees and needed leadership and teams in several markets at once.
- What we did
- Group CEO and board of advisors; COO, CSO and CTO; country CEOs for Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Egypt; and teams in technology, HR, marketing and business development.
Building a global gaming studio
2200+
employees in Saudi Arabia and Europe
- Challenge
- A mobile-first studio needed a world-class team to develop and publish free-to-play and play-and-earn games.
- What we did
- Group CEO, CPO, CMO and CTO, Heads of Studio and Publishing, plus developers, designers and analysts from leading studios in the US, UK, Europe and Asia.
Leadership for a global mining start-up
0150
employees, including 15 senior leaders
- Challenge
- A minerals and metals start-up needed leadership across mining, smelting and refining in South America, Thailand and Indonesia.
- What we did
- Market mapping and competitor analysis, then a Group CEO, international board advisors, Chief Geologist, Head of Exploration and a Smelting & Refining Deputy CEO.
A MENA tech hub for a Tier 1 US bank
0200
staff, on track for 1,000 in ten years
- Challenge
- A global bank with 200,000+ employees wanted a regional technology centre and needed to map local tech talent.
- What we did
- Talent mapping and hiring across technology leadership, DevOps, testing, business analysis, Python and C development, and mobile engineering.
85%
Local talent, locally developed
We hold ourselves to an 85% local-talent target across our offices, and help clients turn nationalisation targets into workforce plans, graduate pipelines and career paths that hold.
SaudisationEmiratisationOmanisationBahrainisationQatarisation
Contact
Talk to us about your next hire or HR programme
reach@finaxe.com
www.finaxe.com
United Kingdom
First Central 2002 Lakeside Drive
London, NW10 7FQ
+44 203 150 1269
Registered No: 700 1641
Bahrain
Bahrain Financial HarbourWest Tower, Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain
+973 1331 2331
Saudi Arabia
RiyadhKingdom of Saudi Arabia
Registered entity in Riyadh
Norway
Space, Fjordalléen 160250 Oslo, Norway
Org. no. 929 350 154