ABOUT US
Why We Built Hager Executive Search Differently
Humans + AI = Big 5 Strategic Depth at Growth Company Speed
The methodology you need, the agility you deserve, the results that move your business forward. This is not just about filling positions it’s about solving leadership challenges that can’t wait.

Founded in San Francisco in 2005 by partners Rebecca Hager and Greg Lamboy, when the first wave of digital transformation was beginning to separate leaders who understood the internet from those who didn't. We built our practice around that gap; identifying executives who could lead through structural change, not just manage stable operations. Today, AI represents the same inflection point that digital did in 2011. The question we're helping clients answer hasn't changed: how do you identify the leader who actually understands what's coming, versus the one who can describe it in a job interview?"

We've spent over 20 years honing our methodology and expanding our consultative offerings. But our core mission remains constant: building better companies through strategic talent solutions.

We've evolved from traditional executive search into comprehensive leadership consulting and advisory because our clients' challenges evolved. Today's growth companies need partners who can architect leadership solutions, not just fill positions.

Strategic Advisors First, Executive Search Consultants Second

Why it matters: You can't solve the wrong problem efficiently.

Every engagement begins with strategic advisory to identify the real business challenge before we begin sourcing candidates. This upfront investment prevents the costly scenario of conducting a flawless search for the wrong role and wasting months of time and organizational energy. By clarifying what success looks like and ensuring internal consensus on priorities, we minimize search duration, reduce leadership downtime, and maintain organizational stability throughout the process. Getting the strategy right from day one means faster execution and better long-term results. We are the “Measure Twice” part of the proverb.

Executive Solutions That Move at Start-Up Speed: What Hager Provides

Passive Talent Sourcing
Why it matters: Traditional recruitment using job postings and referrals fails to uncover high potential talent.

70% of the global workforce is made up of passive talent who aren't actively job searching. Hager utilizes the latest AI capabilities to make the sourcing process of high potential candidates faster and more efficient.

  • Access to Hidden Talent - Many exceptional executives never appear on job boards or respond to postings. They're only accessible through direct outreach and relationship building. This "hidden market" often contains the most sought-after high potential talent.
  • Strategic Advantage - Passive recruiting allows you to target specific individuals at competitor companies or those with exact skill sets needed, rather than choosing from whoever happens to be looking. You can map the market and identify the best person for the role, not just the best available person.
  • Better Cultural Fit Assessment - Since passive candidates aren't desperate to leave, they can be more selective and honest about whether a role truly aligns with their goals and values. This leads to better long-term cultural fit and retention rates.
  • Reduced Competition - Active candidates are likely to apply to multiple positions and pursue several opportunities simultaneously. This creates bidding wars and rushes decisions. Passive candidates, when successfully engaged, often focus on fewer opportunities, leading to more thoughtful evaluation processes.
C-Suite Speaking to C-Suite
Why it matters: Every engagement is personally led by a founding partner because executives respond to executives.

Unlike firms where junior staff handle day-to-day execution, every Hager engagement is personally led by a partner. When a C-level executive receives an outreach about your opportunity, they're speaking with someone who understands your company goals, can articulate your vision with gravitas, and has credibility for substantive conversations. Top-tier talent take your opportunity seriously from the first conversation.

This executive-level partnership extends to client relationships too. No handoffs to account managers or junior consultants. When strategic decisions arise, whether adjusting candidate profiles, navigating negotiations, or addressing other challenges, you work directly with savvy executives who've guided countless leadership transitions.

Intentionally Boutique, Deliberately Strategic
Why it matters: Our brainpower goes to your problems, not our org chart.

We've kept Hager small by design, not by accident. While we could have scaled into a larger firm with administrative layers and junior staff, we chose a different path: staying boutique to stay focused. We want to work side-by-side with our clients as partners on your team, not manage a growing infrastructure that pulls our attention from what matters most: solving your leadership challenges. Every hour we spend training account managers or overseeing operations is an hour not spent understanding your business, mapping your competitive landscape, or crafting the perfect positioning for your opportunity.

Speed That Matches Your Growth
Why it matters: Prolonged leadership vacancies disrupt organizational stability.

Prolonged leadership vacancies create strategic paralysis costing organizations $500K to $1M in missed opportunities and decreased retention. Growth companies can't afford the 3–6-month timelines major firms require when every week of C-suite vacancy leads to lost momentum and talent exodus. Leadership gaps create a domino effect of project delays, culture problems, and high performer attrition. Our methodology delivers the speed your growth demands while maintaining rigor that prevents these cascading costs.

Designing Employer Value Propositions (EVP)
Why it matters: Leveling the competitive playing field.

Small and medium businesses and nonprofits often can't match the salaries, comprehensive benefits, or brand recognition of large corporations. A strong EVP helps SMBs and nonprofits compete by highlighting unique advantages like faster career growth, direct access to leadership, meaningful impact on company direction, and greater autonomy. This allows them to attract quality candidates who might otherwise only consider larger employers.

Research shows that 76% of small and midsize businesses lack a formalized Employee Value Proposition, yet 75% of executive talent consider this essential. That’s why our passive sourcing is 4-5 times more effective than traditional recruiting: we don’t just identify talent, we inspire them to join your mission.

The Strategic Advantage of Cross-Industry Expertise

Why it matters: Fresh perspective prevents "industry groupthink".

We approach every search agnostically, and that's our competitive advantage. While many firms specialize in one industry or role type, we've deliberately built cross-functional expertise. We place Leaders and Visionaries (CEO, COO, CTO), Revenue Drivers (CRO, Chief Commercial Officer), Storytellers and Innovators (Chief Creative Officer, Chief Strategy Officer), and Value Communicators (CMO, Chief Digital Officer) - among the most in-demand C-suite roles today.
We find executives who can look at your business landscape, understand what's necessary for success, and successfully lead the teams that build those strategic solutions.

The Importance of Culture-Add

Why it matters: Cognitive diversity drives innovation and spots overlooked opportunities.

While traditional hiring focuses on culture fit, we prioritize culture add: identifying leaders who complement your values while bringing fresh perspectives that drive innovation. Diverse teams are more innovative, achieve better sales outcomes, develop more new products, and excel at problem-solving and risk mitigation. We don't just ask "Will they fit in?" We ask, "What unique value will they add?"

Our culture add assessment examines how a candidate's different background, thinking style, or industry experience can address blind spots in your current leadership team. Through our comprehensive organizational analysis, we identify where your leadership ecosystem needs complementary strengths. Perhaps you need a data-driven leader to balance intuitive decision-makers, or someone with international experience to support global expansion. We ensure candidates share your core values while bringing cognitive diversity that prevents groupthink.

This approach aligns with our cross-industry expertise. Companies with cultural and cognitive diversity can be quicker to spot market gaps and have the insight to help products meet changing demands. By sourcing leaders from adjacent industries and diverse backgrounds, we help growth companies avoid echo chambers that limit strategic thinking. The result: leadership teams that maintain cultural cohesion while gaining diverse perspectives necessary to capture new markets and drive sustainable growth.

The Human Difference

Why it matters: We Bridge What Others Miss.

While others optimize for speed or scale, we optimize for human connection and long-term success. We serve as the third point on the triangle, the objective perspective that asks: Is this talent truly a game changer for the company? Is this role genuinely a great career move for the talent? We ensure both answers are yes, because sustainable success requires mutual benefit, not just a filled position.

In a world where AI writes job descriptions and algorithms screen resumes, the real magic happens when the right person connects with the right opportunity at the right moment. That requires human insight to read between resume lines, cultural intuition to sense team dynamics, and wisdom to see potential where others see keywords. We translate between what hiring managers need and what candidates want, helping both sides see past surface qualifications to deeper compatibility.

This human-centered approach is why our placements succeed long-term. We're architecting relationships that drive mutual growth. When a placement works, it's because we’ve understood the human equation: career aspirations align with strategic direction, cultural fit enables peak performance, and both parties find exactly what they didn't know they were looking for. That's the difference between filling a role and changing a trajectory.

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