News & Insights

Lateral Partner Hiring: Technical Excellence is Never the Issue

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

Lateral partner hiring is less about legal expertise and more about managing complex, often underestimated risks around business portability, cultural alignment, collaboration, and leadership impact. After hiring lateral partners, law firms are often disappointed by client portability, cross-selling, integration dynamics and professional behaviours. A disciplined, insight-driven executive search approach adds value by rigorously testing these less visible dimensions, enabling firms to make more grounded, strategically sound hiring decisions.

Coaching and Mentoring: Vital Avenues for Sustainable CEO Performance

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:00:00 Z

Too many top leaders are missing out.

Unequivocal, discreet and skilled support. Honest input. Self-awareness. This is why coaching and mentoring are so vital for top leaders. Both should provide a safe, neutral, and confidential space for a CEO to open up and gain counsel. Both require non-judgement and empathy. Yet many organizations fail to provide this life support. They’re missing a significant opportunity, say Amrop Partners.

Read our report: The CEO Struggle - Part 3: Sustaining the Leader.

The CEO Struggle - Part 3: Sustaining the Leader

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:00:00 Z

It’s early evening, and a CFO takes a call. A headhunter has a tempting proposition: a multinational on an M&A drive is seeking a new CEO. Can she talk? The toplines sound great. A prestigious position in an outstanding organization. It's a natural step up. An intriguing challenge.

All these factors matter to an incoming CEO. But they are not enough. The organizational setting will be critical: from the board and C-suite team, to the firm’s higher purpose. So, too, the top executive’s access to a peer entourage, her attitudes, purpose and self-care.

“Usually, these factors are not considered enough,” says Fredy Hausammann, Managing Partner of Amrop in Switzerland. “If you have a legacy executive team and a non-executive board which aren’t ideally configured, you’ll have trouble.” In essence: “If the setting is right, you don't have to worry about the rest.”

When the pressure is on, how can a CEO stay resilient?

The CEO Struggle - Part 2: The Quest For Resilience

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

Every year, the media pounces upon a new cluster of high profile CEO exits. 2025 was no exception. It saw the resignations of X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, and the oustings of Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen and Kohl's CEO Ashley Buchanen.

Resilience has never mattered more for the CEO. Some characteristics remain fundamental, says Fredy Hausammann, Managing Partner of Amrop in Switzerland. Communication skills. Strategic ability. And cognitive and creative intelligence, "are amongst the most validated success factors.” Meanwhile, the need for other qualities is evolving. Naohiro “Nakki” Furuta is the Managing Partner of Amrop Jomon in Japan. He places less value today on overt charisma and power. “The current CEO needs more moderation, objectivity, ability to stay calm.”

The mountain top is bleak and exposed. How can it be made more habitable and fulfilling? A room from which CEOs can even occasionally enjoy the view?

Stress-testing the CEO: Why a polished CV is no longer enough

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

Some characteristics remain fundamental to today’s CEO, says Fredy Hausammann, Managing Partner of Amrop in Switzerland. Communication skills. Strategic ability. And cognitive and creative intelligence, "are amongst the most validated success factors.”

Meanwhile, the need for other qualities is evolving. Naohiro “Nakki” Furuta is the Managing Partner of Amrop Jomon in Japan. He places less value today on overt charisma and power. “The current CEO needs more moderation, objectivity, an ability to stay calm.” And empathy is just as important.

Read our report: The CEO Struggle - Part 2: The Quest For Resilience

What's undermining CEOs?

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

The role of CEO is now almost impossibly demanding. Long hours, continuous stress, ambiguity and risk in a turbulent environment. Responsibility for company performance, culture, employee wellbeing, shareholder and stakeholder demands. Under the spotlight 24/7. The health of top executives is at stake. It affects organizations, the economy, society and even the planet.

Read our report: The CEO Struggle: The View From the Top.

The CEO Struggle: View From the Top

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

“In 2007, while running The Huffington Post, I collapsed from stress, burnout, and lack of sleep, breaking my cheekbone on my desk as I fell.”¹

Arianna Huffington has since become a vocal advocate for sleep, wellness, and mental health in leadership. But urging exhausted CEOs to get more sleep, exercise or therapy only puts more pressure on their shoulders. It's time to diagnose the problem, look at how CEOs are hired, and the infrastructure that surrounds them.

In this series, senior Amrop Partners draw on their deep conversations with boards, nominating committees and the lonely leaders atop the corporate mountain. As CEO malaise surges, read on for an insider’s view of the weather systems at the summit, and strategies to stay resilient and healthy. In Part 1, we examine the CEO's operating environment.

I Am Not a Robot: AI and Leadership Hiring - Part III

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:00:00 Z

Watertight oversight: The role of Boards

In March 2025, an employee of software company Intuit claimed that its use of an automated video interview platform unfairly blocked her promotion. She blamed AI-driven biases related to her disability and race. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed charges on her behalf against Intuit and HireVue, the tech firm she said used AI in a discriminatory way. Both denied the accusation. Intuit stated that it provides reasonable accommodations to all applicants. HireVue denied that Intuit even used AI in this instance.¹

Law firm Fisher Phillips say this emphasizes the need for organizations using AI hiring tools to conduct regular accessibility audits, review vendor agreements, train HR teams about possible AI biases and legal requirements, and allow for human review during an interview process. They should offer clear and simple pathways for applicants needing accommodations, monitoring and adjusting AI usage to address potential biases.

Given the stakes surrounding senior hires in particular, should boards be involved in guiding AI use in talent management strategy? Let’s recall the board’s core activities of Control (protecting shareholder wealth), and Service, helping the firm create value, aligning shareholder and societal interests.²

GenAI in Hiring: Why Values and Ethics Must Always Guide Technology

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

A board must ensure the organization’s key activities are ethical, ESG-compliant (beyond a certain size) and filtered through its purpose and values.

Talent acquisition strategy is no exception.

“Integrity and ethics are the number one priority for boards,” says Amrop Board Member Oana Ciornei. “When I studied computers, it was about technology: limitations in terms of capacity, storage, processing. But now it is the other way around.” Executive up-skilling and re-skilling should be pushed by the board, she says, “because otherwise you will end up installing algorithms, unable to determine why a certain decision is not ethical.

AI & C-suite Recruitment: Look Before You Leap

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

How can we secure AI governance in executive search?

One thing is for sure: AI integration isn’t just about experimentation. It needs purpose, strategy, ethics. It demands structure and training.

Mia Zhou is a Director of Amrop in China. She signals that the CIO, CDO or CAIO must translate business understanding into digital language, leveraging AI tools in work processes - enabling users to create prompts, for example. They must lock in ethical considerations and habituate users to the tools, adds Job Voorhoeve, leader of Amrop’s Global Digital Practice. They also have to drive quality and integrity in all processes – including HR. Here, executive search creates major value. But it is both complex and costly.

Download Part I of our new report.

I Am Not a Robot: AI and Leadership Hiring - Part II

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:00:00 Z

Pitfalls, Risks & Solutions

While AI offers efficiency and scale in executive search, some pitfalls are currently limiting its effectiveness in high-level hiring. None are insurmountable.

In Part 2 of our series examining how AI is transforming executive search and its impact on global executive talent acquisition, senior Amrop Partners unpack the downsides in data-driven leadership hiring processes.

How can AI users get the best of both worlds in executive and board hiring?

Global Executive Recruitment: Ditch the AI – We Need to Talk

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:00:00 Z

Hiring organizations take note: top executive candidates are likely to ignore or reject an unsolicited approach from an eager suitor. If it comes from a bot, they definitely will. But once a hiring process is underway, senior executives will likely deploy an AI to prepare. Nonetheless, they harbor serious doubts about what an AI does with their views and data.

The New York Times recently reported a staggering statistic: LinkedIn is now processing 11,000 job applications a minute. Per hour, that’s more than the population of Boston. And it’s no secret that many candidates use generative AI in hiring: not only to write their CVs, but to seek and find jobs and help with interviews.

As a low volume, high curation business, executive search is a very different landscape. But that doesn’t mean that senior leadership hiring and board-level recruitment are AI-free zones.

Download the full report.

Are You Dead?

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:00:00 Z

Relevance is today’s leadership currency.

The only constant in today’s executive market is change: fast, relentless, and often disorienting. Businesses and careers that once unfolded over decades are now reshaped in months. Stability feels temporary. And relevance can quietly erode without warning.

Amrop Appoints New Partner in Luxembourg

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:00:00 Z

Amrop strengthens its partnership, welcoming Nam Nguyen-Groza as Partner in Luxembourg.

I Am Not a Robot: AI and Leadership Hiring - Part I

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 12:00:00 Z

Part 1 | Mapping a Shifting Landscape

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping leadership hiring - accelerating processes, enriching relationships, and opening new possibilities for executive search. Yet, it remains a tool that demands judgment and restraint.

In this three-part series, Amrop explores how AI is transforming executive and board-level recruitment - its opportunities, risks, and what the future may hold. Could AI ever replace the headhunter?

Drawing on insights from senior Amrop partners and board members, early adopters and active contributors to the firm’s global AI governance, this first article examines how the technology is taking shape inside the executive search ecosystem.

Governance For What’s Next 4: Future-Proof Evaluation

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 12:00:00 Z

No matter the size or structure of your organization, the case for board evaluation has never been stronger. In a turbulent environment, stakeholders and (activist) shareholders are demanding clarity on how boards are securing results. Box-ticking is no longer enough. And there is a move from one-off appraisals to an integrated, cyclical approach.

What are the basics of board evaluation, and what does excellence look like?

In this final article of our series: ‘Governance For What’s Next’, Amrop Partners and members of its Global Board Services Practice scan the current landscape of board evaluation and present a pragmatic model.

Governance For What’s Next 3: NED Hiring

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:28:11 Z

The ideal board is a well-built railroad running seamlessly into the future. In reality, gaps in the tracks are risking derailments. Too close to home, board succession planning is low on the priority list. The workload and risk exposure of the NED role are deterring some outstanding candidates.

And as overboarding persists, the safest hands may well be occupied elsewhere. Furthermore, the temptation to seek board members within a trusted network can backfire.

In this series, Amrop Partners and members of the Amrop Board Services Practice deliver insights from the frontlines of boardrooms. When hiring, how can boards balance fresh thinking with stability? Reassure wary candidates? Is it time to seek younger profiles or specialists? And what are the hiring no-no’s?

Governance For What’s Next 2: Balancing Design

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 08:48:24 Z

Today more than ever, boards and committees need even-handed architects. How can boards dive into complexity without drowning? How to deal with new questions surrounding diversity, technical literacy and M&A strategy? And how can board design mitigate the personal risk faced by overloaded NEDs?

In this series, Amrop Partners and members of Amrop's Board Services Practice deliver insights from the frontlines of boardrooms.

What pitfalls do governance designers risk in the current climate, and how can they be avoided?

Governance For What’s Next 1: The Great Reset

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 10:52:46 Z

The geopolitical risks are piling up: the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has required production to be diverted, nearshored and secured (even as the sustainability of supply chains is under scrutiny). A trade war is beckoning. New conflict in the Middle East. In a literal and metaphorical sense, the planet’s temperature is rising.

Meanwhile existing undercurrents persist: global markets have been shifting for some time. Legacy economies such as Germany and the UK are stagnating. The US may be entering a recession. China and Japan have lost their earlier momentum. And AI is compounding the insecurity, its outlines obscured by dense fog.

As if these pressures on boards were not enough, share- and stakeholders are scrutinizing their performance, particularly regarding return on investment, ethics, risk management and sustainability. No question, boards are living in ‘interesting times’.

In this series, Amrop's Board Services Practice delivers insights from the frontlines of boardrooms. How are boards creating clarity today? And where do their priorities lie, given a crowded and restless agenda?

Family-owned Businesses - A Human Story: Part 5

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 12:00:00 Z

PART 5 - THE LEADERSHIP ADVISOR

Family-owned businesses share a common need: future-fit leadership. But during a firm’s lifecycle, owners will meet multiple forks in the road.¹ It is at these times that the need for objective wisdom becomes pressing. From advice on the leadership implications of succession, finance and ownership changes, to business transformations, growth and governance shifts.

In this article we identify 6 characteristics that FOBs should seek in a leadership advisor. We highlight 4 pitfalls that can undermine a leadership hire — and how to manage them.

This series is based on conversations with senior Amrop Partners around the world. Professionals who have cultivated deep and trusting relationships with owners and successors. Our investigation includes growing and globalizing mid-sized FOBs (with a turnover in developed markets of minimum $1-10 billion, and in emerging markets of $250 million to $2 billion). Founders or descendants hold significant share capital and/or voting rights.²

Family-owned Businesses - A Human Story: Part 4

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 12:00:00 Z

Part 4 - WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

In ‘Welcome to the Family’, Amrop provides guidance for executives in their first few months in a family-owned business. We unpack the 4 critical stages in the joining process, and present 5 keys to driving strategy in an FOB.

We identify the core attitudes, behaviors and actions that will equip them for success in this special context - and why they are so necessary.

This series is based on the insights of senior Amrop Partners around the world. Professionals who have cultivated deep and trusting relationships with owners and successors.

Family-owned Businesses - A Human Story: Part 3

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 14:09:00 Z

Finding the Leaders For What's Next

We continue our investigation into the world of the family-owned business by unpacking the executive hiring process. Some pitfalls can compromise a lasting fit. Fortunately, with honesty, foresight and understanding they can be overcome. And the employee value proposition for an FOB is in no doubt.

Our series is based on conversations with senior Amrop Partners around the world. Professionals who have cultivated deep and trusting relationships with owners and successors. We address growing and globalizing mid-sized FOBs (with a turnover in developed markets of minimum $1-10 billion, and in emerging markets of $250 million to $2 billion). Founders or descendants hold significant share capital and/or voting rights.¹

Family-owned Businesses - A Human Story: Part 2

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:00:00 Z

Amrop began its investigation of Family-Owned Businesses with a journey through the lifecycle of these fascinating firms, identifying the critical stages that shape many an FOB.

What kind of world will an executive step into upon joining a family-owned business? In this article, we look at culture — the force that drives FOBs.

Our series is based on conversations with senior Amrop Partners around the world. Professionals who have cultivated deep and trusting relationships with owners and successors. Our investigation concerns growing and globalizing mid-sized FOBs (with a turnover in developed markets of minimum $1-10 billion, and in emerging markets of $250 million to $2 billion). Founders or descendants hold significant share capital and/or voting rights.¹

Family-Owned Businesses - A Human Story: Part 1

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:31:29 Z

Part 1 - LIFECYCLE

Family-owned businesses (FOB’s) play a leading role on the global economic stage. Today they account for over 70% of GDP, with an annual turnover of $60-$70 trillion. They are responsible for about 60% of employment, supporting education, healthcare, and infrastructure. With an ability to out-ride turbulence, FOBs in general outperform other equivalents.1

At one point in their lifecycle the distinction between FOBs and other large businesses fades. But some unique factors linger. Above all, this is a human story. For our examination Amrop draws on the input of its senior Partners around the world, based on long track records of working with FOBs and trusted relationships with founders and successors.

This series provides first-hand observations of the core challenges, pitfalls and strengths of FOBs, with insights and recommendations for firms and incoming executives. We’ll see that whilst every case is unique, certain traits and experiences are shared by many. We’ll learn how key factors play out in the leadership domain.

The Boardroom Paradox: No Experience, No Opportunity

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 09:10:48 Z

In today’s dynamic corporate world, Independent Directors are the cornerstone of sound governance. They carry the vital responsibility of representing the interests of shareholders, employees, clients, and the company itself.

Their independent judgment strengthens board decisions, ensures balance, and promotes long-term value creation. However, for aspiring directors, entering the boardroom presents a unique challenge: the classic boardroom paradox.