12 Best HR Executive Search Firms

As the business world becomes more competitive, the demand for strong Human Resources (HR) leadership has increased. Organizations across the globe are recognizing that having the right HR leadership talent can be the catalyst for cultural transformation, employee engagement, and sustainable growth.

According to the BLS U.S., hiring of HR managers is expected to expand by 6% between 2023 – 2033, quicker than the average for all professions. The projection underscores the need for top HR executive search firms. These firms help businesses identify and secure top-tier HR leadership talent that can drive organizational growth. 

In this article, we’ll explore what these firms do and why you should work with them. We’ll also discuss the 12 best HR executive recruiters, their unique strengths, and more.

What Is an HR Executive Search Firm?

HR executive search firms are specialized agencies that help businesses to locate qualified candidates that can fill C-suite positions such as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and VP of HR. These firms, through their extensive network, have access to top-tier elite executives and are able to help businesses find the right candidate that aligns with their culture, goals and operational needs.

Organizations benefit most from using the services of  HR executive recruiters in scenarios such as:  

• Filling Senior Leadership Roles: When hiring a new CHRO or senior HR executive to drive HR strategy and align with business goals.
• Filling Specialized HR Roles: When seeking candidates for niche roles like Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) specialists, compensation leaders, or talent acquisition heads.
• Succession Planning: During leadership transitions or when replacing retiring executives to ensure continuity.

Why Should You Work with an HR Executive Recruitment Agency?

Businesses that partner with an HR executive recruitment agency stand to enjoy multiple benefits including: 

Expertise in Leadership Recruitment

HR executive recruiters are proficient in sourcing top candidates for HR leadership roles, such as Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs), Chief People Officers (CPOs), and VPs of HR. Their deep understanding of the skills, experience, and leadership qualities required for these positions helps organizations find individuals who can drive HR strategy and organizational growth. 

Access to Passive Talent

One of the biggest advantages of working with an executive recruiter is access to passive talent. Recruiting firms maintain robust networks of professionals in leadership roles and can connect organizations with passive talent that might not be visible through traditional recruiting channels. 

Streamlined Recruitment Process

Executive headhunting firms use advanced tools and methodologies to optimize the hiring process. They employ psychometric assessments, AI-driven recruitment platforms, and talent mapping to identify the best-fit candidates efficiently. Utilizing these tools lowers recruitment timelines compared to traditional methods.

Confidential and Strategic Hiring

Hiring for leadership positions may involve sensitive situations, such as replacing underperforming executives or restructuring teams. Recruiters ensure optimum confidentiality in carrying out searches to fill these roles. This goes a long way to ensure stability and prevent disruptions that may be detrimental to business success.

A good example is when The Christopher Group (TCG) placed Monna Nevils as Chief People Officer at Ideal Image, a leading medspa. This placement was crucial during a leadership transition, which aligns HR strategy with the company’s growth objectives.

Top 12 HR Executive Recruitment Agencies

We’ve compiled a list of leading HR recruiting firms that specialize in finding an screening the best individuals. The Firms that make up the list were chosen based on industry reputation, client success stories, and placement success rates:

1. Globy

2. The Christopher Group (TCG)

3. Korn Ferry

4. Cowen Partners

5. Benson Executive Search

6. Frederickson Partners

7. Hanold Associates

8. Y Scouts

9. Recruiterie

10. Spencer Stuart

11. HR Personnel Services

12. WittKieffer

We also created a comparison table of these recruitment agencies to make the selection process easier for you. The table highlights key aspects, including industry specialization, geographic focus, key features, year of founding, and ratings.

Read more: 10 CRM Manager Executive Search Firms, 10 Best Cybersecurity Recruitment Agencies.

1. Globy

Globy, as a leading recruiting agency, is known for helping businesses fill their HR leadership roles with the best talent in the market. Businesses that partner with Globy are sure to fill their open HR leadership position in 4 to 6 weeks. This lowers the overall cost an organization incurs to onboard new employees.  

Globy has demonstrated notable success in sourcing top leaders and offering guidance on compliance and payroll for many tech, finance, and healthcare industries. An evidence is their partnership with Versal, where they helped the Fintech company find top leadership talents and manage HR, compliance, and payroll operations.

2. The Christopher Group (TCG)

TCG is an HR recruiting agency that excels in placing top HR leadership talents in critical roles such as CHRO, Analyst, Manager, etc. The agency achieves an impressive 99% average diversity mix across all searches, which shows its commitment to diversity and belonging. TCG offers diversity-only searches at no additional cost. 

Founded in 1998, the TCG team brings extensive experience and industry knowledge to ensure a tailored approach that aligns with the organization’s unique challenges and goals of clients. The executive recruiter boasts a 96% search completion rate, a 98% average offer-to-acceptance rate, and 86% of searches filled in slate.

3. Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry, founded in 1969, is an executive headhunting company with a global outreach, serving clients in over 59 countries. With its extensive talent network, Korn Ferry has been able to help businesses fill their HR leadership positions.

Over the years, Korn Ferry has gained the trust of Fortune 500 companies. The recruitment agency has also succeeded in building a framework for retention and compensation that attracts the right leaders. 

4. Cowen Partners

Cowen Partners is a leading headhunting firm that specializes in HR executive recruitment for VP of HR, CHRO, CPO, and other HR leadership roles. It achieves an impressive 99% retention rate, which indicates long-term satisfaction with placed candidates. Cowen also offers a 365-day replacement guarantee to ensure peace of mind for clients.

Its focus on strategic HR talent acquisition, coupled with high client satisfaction, has positioned it as a trusted partner for businesses seeking transformative HR leaders. The firm boasts a remarkable 96% success rate in filling positions. 

5. Benson Executive Search

Founded in 2018, Benson Executive Search is a retained HR Executive recruiter that excels at sourcing and placing top HR Leadership Talent. To find the right HR executive, this recruiting firm does not just review resumes. It also designs its retained search process to reveal and assess candidates who align with the company’s specific goals, culture, and changing workforce demands of clients.

With its tailored and strategic approach, Benson Executive Search connects businesses across the U.S. with top-tier talent that drives meaningful transformation in their human capital strategies. In fact, over 85% of its business comes from repeat clients or referrals, which reflects its strong reputation and trust within the industry.

6. Frederickson Partners

Founded in 1995, Frederickson Partners is a leading retained executive search firm that specializes in the placement of CHROs, CPOs, DE&I-focused HR leaders, and many other senior leaders. The firm is known for its expertise in HR function transformations and maintains a strong presence in major U.S. markets.

Frederickson Partners has maintained an extensive network of over 20,000 rising and established People officers and HR executives worldwide. As a result, the firm typically can present top-tier talents within only three weeks.

7. Hanold Associates

Hanold Associates is another firm that specializes in recruiting C-Suite executives, and their teams. The firm has been in the recruiting business since 2010 and focuses on building high-performing, people-centric organizations.

Hanold Associates is DE&I-focused. As a matter of its disciplined practice, Hanold Associates always strives to source and present diverse slates of candidates. 

8. Y Scouts

Y Scouts is a boutique executive recruitment firm specializing in personalized HR leadership placements with an emphasis on purpose-driven leadership. Having been in the recruiting business since 2012, Y Scouts has gathered deep industry knowledge and experience. 

The executive recruiter offers a unique white-glove approach and a proven process for identifying leaders perfectly aligned with the client’s culture, mission, values, and core competencies. It boasts a 92% success rate, which shows its effectiveness in placing candidates who meet or exceed client expectations. 

Y Scouts also offer ongoing support with a detailed onboarding plan and candidate check-ins at day 30, 60, 90, 180, and 365. This helps the recruiting agency monitor fit and effectiveness to ensure a positive outcome for all parties.

9. Recruiterie

Recruiterie is one of the best executive search and recruitment firms, with over 20 years of expertise in helping organizations build strong, thriving HR leadership teams. It helps organizations recruit for roles such as VP of HR, CHRO, HR Director, CPO, and VP of Talent Acquisition.

Recruiterie is known for its tailored approach to HR recruitment. The firm takes the time to understand the client’s business, needs, culture, values, purpose, and goals. This helps the firm find highly experienced talents who can hit the ground running on day one.

10. Spencer Stuart

Spencer Stuart is a privately held global executive recruiting agency with extensive experience in sourcing and placing senior HR executives with companies that require their expertise. Spencer Stuart provides its services to not only emerging companies but also multinationals. 

Aside from recruiting outstanding executives, Spencer Stuart can also help clients develop their up-and-coming leaders. This helps to improve the effectiveness of top leadership teams, and transform HR functions.

11. HR Personnel Services

HR Personnel Services is a leading staffing firm in the United States that specializes exclusively in placing HR professionals. With over 30 years of experience, the staffing agency leverages extensive expertise, experience, and a talent network to connect clients with the most qualified candidates, often within just two days.

HR Personnel Services specializes in providing customized HR recruitment solutions that meet the specific requirements of client business to ensure the right fit every time. Since 1995, the Forbes Award-winning firm has been a trusted partner in placing top HR leadership talent for start-ups and Fortune 500 corporations. 

12. WittKieffer

Founded in 1969, WittKieffer is a leading executive search and advisory firm with extensive expertise in building exceptional leadership teams across the globe. The firm specializes in the search for HR executives with a focus on Education, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Academic Medicine, Social Impact, and Non-profit organizations.

WittKieffer has a strong reputation for placing leaders who drive mission-driven organizations forward. It is also known for its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

What Makes These Companies Unique and the Best?

Here’s a summary of what makes each of the recruiters stand out :

1. Globy: Specializes in sourcing global HR leadership talent for businesses aiming to expand internationally. Globy fills senior roles within 4 to 6 weeks on average, which lowers the recruitment time by 40 hours per hire. 

2. The Christopher Group (TCG): Achieves an impressive 99% average diversity mix across all searches and offers diversity-only searches at no additional cost. TCG boasts a 96% search completion rate, a 98% average offer-to-acceptance rate, and 86% of searches filled in slate.

3. Korn Ferry: Serves clients in over 50 countries, offers market-leading assessment, and builds the framework for retention and compensation that attracts the right leaders. Candidates hired using Korn Ferry’s assessments are 8x more likely to be promoted within three years.

4. Cowen Partners: Achieves high retention rate (99%) and success rate in filling positions (96%). Cowen offers a 365-day replacement guarantee to ensure peace of mind for clients.

5. Benson Executive Search: Over 85% of its business comes from repeat clients or referrals, which reflects its strong reputation and trust within the industry.

6. Frederickson Partners: Maintains an extensive talent network (20,000+ leaders) and can present top-tier talents within only three weeks.

7. Hanold Associates: specializes in recruiting outstanding contemporary C-Suite executives, and focuses on building high-performing, people-centric organizations.

8. Y Scouts: Focuses on purpose-driven HR leadership placement with a 92% success rate. Y Scouts offers ongoing support (create a detailed onboarding plan with candidate check-ins at day 30, 60, 90, 180, and 365).

9. Recruiterie: Offers customized HR recruitment services to find highly experienced, qualified, and culturally aligned talents who can hit the ground running on day one.

10. Spencer Stuart: Aside from recruiting outstanding executives, it offers leadership development, team effectiveness improvement, and HR functions transformation.

11. HR Personnel Services: Leverages extensive expertise, experience, and a talent network to connect clients with the most qualified candidates, often within just two days.

12. WittKieffer: Has a strong reputation for placing leaders who drive mission-driven organizations forward with a focus on Education, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Academic Medicine, Social Impact, and Non-profit organizations.

What Should Companies Know When Hiring an HR Executive?

When hiring an HR executive, there are key insights companies must recognize to secure HR leadership that drives strategic growth and sustainability. Below are some of them:

• Strategic Role of HR Executives: HR executives shape company culture, manage workforce planning, and develop leadership talent. 
• Aligning HR Leadership with Business Strategy: To maximize impact, HR leadership must align with the company’s long-term business strategy:
• Best Practices for Hiring an HR Executive: To ensure a successful search process for an HR executive, companies should craft detailed job descriptions, focus on cultural fit, and implement rigorous screening processes. They should also provide comprehensive onboarding and development opportunities.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes When Hiring an HR Executive?

Even seasoned companies often misstep when selecting an HR leader. Here are some of the most common mistakes and strategies to avoid them:

• Cultural Misalignment: Hiring based solely on technical skills without assessing cultural fit can lead to conflicts within the organization. To avoid this mistake, incorporate structured interviews and behavioral questions to assess cultural compatibility. 
• Poor Vetting: Inadequate screening processes, such as skipping reference checks or neglecting behavioral assessments, can result in hiring unsuitable candidates.  To avoid this pitfall, use technology like AI tools for efficient candidate screening.
• Lack of Industry-Specific Expertise: Overlooking the importance of sector-specific knowledge may hinder the executive’s ability to address unique challenges within the industry. To avoid this, prioritize candidates who have a proven track record in your sector or ensure they’ve successfully adapted to new industries in the past. Probe for their understanding of your industry’s trends, compliance risks, and talent landscape.

How Can Companies Retain Top HR Executives After Hiring?

Recruiting a top HR executive is important. It is also crucial to know how to retain them for the company’s long-term success. To retain top HR talent, companies should:

• Offer Competitive Compensation: A compelling salary, long-term incentive plans, and performance-based bonuses are essential to attract and retain strong HR leaders.
• Invest in Leadership Development: Provide continuous growth opportunities through executive coaching, leadership workshops, and industry conferences.
• Foster an Inclusive Company Culture: Foster an environment that values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Executives are more likely to stay in organizations that align with their values and provide equal opportunities for advancement.

What Are the Key Trends in HR Executive Hiring for 2025?

The landscape for HR leadership is evolving rapidly. Here are the standout trends in HR executive hiring for 2025:

• Remote and Hybrid HR Leadership: With remote and hybrid work models becoming standard, companies are increasingly hiring HR executives who can manage remote teams effectively and maintain engagement across virtual platforms.
• DEI-focused Hiring: More companies are now seeking HR executives with proven track records in fostering diverse and equitable workplaces. According to McKinsey analysis, the most diverse organizations are now more likely than ever to surpass their less diverse counterparts in terms of profitability, which makes DEI leadership a business imperative.
• AI-Driven Recruitment: Artificial intelligence is being leveraged for resume screening, candidate profiling, and predictive analytics to streamline hiring processes. As a result, executives who are tech-savvy and data-driven are now in high demand as AI adoption continues to reshape HR functions.

Conclusion

Human Resources executive recruiters play a critical role in securing the right HR leadership essential for driving organizational growth. Whether you’re looking to fill a senior leadership position or strengthen your succession planning, the firms highlighted in this article bring both the experience and industry insight necessary to make it happen. Take the time to explore the search firms listed, assess their unique strengths, and choose the one best aligned with your organization’s goals and hiring needs.

Read more: 10 Best Recruiting & Staffing Agencies in Boston in 2025, 18 Best Remote Staffing Agencies for Hiring Remote Workers.

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Article author

Vit Koval

Co-founder at Globy

A top Global Hiring voice on LinkedIn, co-founder of Globy, and host of Default Global. Using deep expertise in global hiring, remote work, and global business expansion to help companies excel worldwide with innovative strategies.