Who it's for
Founders, CEOs, MDs, CMOs, Marketing Directors and agency leaders making an appointment that really matters.
Retained Search
When the hire matters enough to search the market properly.
For senior, confidential, difficult or commercially important appointments where you want a committed search of the relevant market — not simply a hopeful advert and a pile of CVs.
What it solves
The market is narrow, the strongest candidates aren't necessarily looking and you need more research, coverage and control than a standard recruitment process gives you.
When it makes sense
The hire is senior, confidential, difficult or commercially important enough to justify a committed search of the market.
Where this service fits
The right person matters more than getting some CVs quickly.
Retained Search is for the appointments where you want to know the market has been properly researched, relevant people have been identified and approached, and the process has been continually calibrated rather than left to chance.
Typical searches include CMOs, Marketing Directors, Managing Directors, Managing Partners, Heads of Marketing, senior communications leaders and agency leadership.
The Retained Search process
A proper search of the market.
More research. More visibility. More confidence in the decision.
Get the brief right
Define the role, outcomes, behaviours, target market and search parameters.
Map the market
Identify the relevant talent across the agreed market.
Approach
Professionally engage the people we actually want to speak to.
Steer & calibrate
Share progress, market feedback and adjust the search where needed.
Longlist
Assess interested candidates against the agreed brief.
Shortlist
Agree the 3–5 people genuinely worth meeting.
Hire
Interview, select, offer and support the move into the business.
Why retained?
Retained doesn't mean “the same recruitment, but you pay me some money upfront.”
It gives the brief a proper mandate.
That means deeper briefing, structured market research, target-company mapping, direct approaches, transparent progress and regular calibration as the search develops.
If the market tells us something different from what we expected, we deal with it while we're searching — not six weeks later when everybody's wondering why the shortlist isn't right.
This isn't about making recruitment sound posher. It's about giving an important hire the search it deserves.
Public recommendations
What people say about working with David.
Short excerpts from public LinkedIn recommendations, used here because they speak to the work behind the brief.
Read LinkedIn recommendationsAgency networkAbby WhiteFounder & CEO at hAWk comms · August 2026 “David is incredibly well connected across the agency world.”
Public LinkedIn recommendation
Honest adviceMark VarleyCommercial & agency leader · June 2026 “He has a refreshingly honest approach and believes in doing things the right way.”
Public LinkedIn recommendation
Digital marketing understandingHanna DymondPaid media lead · April 2026 “Professionalism, transparency and deep understanding of both the role and the wider digital marketing landscape.”
Public LinkedIn recommendation
Delivered against the briefBradley ToothFounder at You Know Who · June 2023 “Honest, reliable and personable.”
Public LinkedIn recommendation
Common mistakes
What usually gets in the way.
Treating a leadership search like an advert-response exercise
Hiring the best interviewer rather than the best person for the job
Writing the brief around the last person who held the role
Taking three weeks between interviews and wondering where the candidate went
Related proof
Proof only works when it is specific.
Hiring a Managing Partner for Havas Media Manchester
Role: Managing Partner
A retained search for a senior agency leader that resulted in James Reddington joining Havas Media Manchester as Managing Partner — and later progressing into the leadership of the Manchester agency.
Read case studyRelated services
Other routes that may fit the brief.
Permanent Recruitment
Permanent RecruitmentFractional Leadership
Fractional LeadershipMarket Intelligence & Advisory
Market Intelligence & AdvisoryRelated insight
Useful reading before you hire.
Retained Search vs Contingent Recruitment: Which Should You Use?
Retained Search vs Contingent Recruitment: Which Should You Use?When Should an Agency Use Retained Search?
When Should an Agency Use Retained Search?Why Senior Marketing Hiring Goes Wrong
Why Senior Marketing Hiring Goes WrongManchester & North West Marketing Salary Guide 2026
Manchester & North West Marketing Salary Guide 2026Hiring for a Media Agency? Start With the Job, Not the Job Title
Hiring for a Media Agency? Start With the Job, Not the Job TitleDo You Actually Need a Full-Time Marketing Director?
Do You Actually Need a Full-Time Marketing Director?How Much Does Senior Marketing Recruitment Cost?
How Much Does Senior Marketing Recruitment Cost?Marketing Recruitment in Manchester & the North West: A Straight-Talking Guide
Marketing Recruitment in Manchester & the North West: A Straight-Talking GuideThe Job Title Isn’t the Brief: 7 Questions to Answer Before You Hire a Senior Marketer
The Job Title Isn’t the Brief: 7 Questions to Answer Before You Hire a Senior MarketerThe Marketing Recruitment Market Isn’t Dead. But Businesses Are Definitely Hiring Differently.
The Marketing Recruitment Market Isn’t Dead. But Businesses Are Definitely Hiring Differently.What Should You Pay a Senior Marketing Hire in 2026?
What Should You Pay a Senior Marketing Hire in 2026?Why Hiring Senior Agency People Is Harder Than Matching Clients and Job Titles
Why Hiring Senior Agency People Is Harder Than Matching Clients and Job TitlesYour First Marketing Director: What Should You Actually Be Hiring For?
Your First Marketing Director: What Should You Actually Be Hiring For?How to Hire a Marketing Director Without Wasting Six Weeks
How to Hire a Marketing Director Without Wasting Six WeeksFAQs
Clear answers before a conversation.
How is Retained Search different from Permanent Recruitment?
Retained Search gives the brief a committed mandate and a more research-led process: deeper briefing, market mapping, systematic direct approaches, regular search calibration, longlisting and an agreed shortlist. Permanent Recruitment can work brilliantly when the brief and candidate market are reasonably accessible. Retained is for the appointments where you want to search the relevant market more comprehensively.
Can you help shape the brief before the search starts?
Yes. The brief, salary, process and market reality should be challenged before the search starts, not after six weeks of disappointment.
Which senior roles does Essential recruit?
Typical retained briefs include CMOs, Marketing Directors, Managing Directors, Managing Partners, Heads of Marketing, communications leaders and senior agency leadership.
Do you run retained searches outside Manchester?
Yes. Essential is Manchester-led with strong North West roots, but retained searches can run UK-wide where the brief needs it.
Next step
Got a senior hire that needs a proper search?
Tell me what you're trying to hire and I'll tell you whether Retained Search is actually the right route.