Retained Board and Executive Search

Exceptional leaders
for Boards that
demand depth

Appointments that expand the conversation.

Retained search for Chairs, Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), Independent Directors and senior executives, permanent and interim, including the top team changes that follow an acquisition. Defined by governance discipline, depth of insight, and access to diverse, board-ready talent.

The largest firms offer breadth. We focus on one outcome: the right leaders at the top of your organisation, chosen to work together. We identify talent beyond traditional networks, introducing perspectives that strengthen oversight, challenge groupthink, and enhance long-term performance.

For a confidential conversation → Our Approach

The biggest firms win on scale. The best firms win on depth.

Featured Research
Future-Proofing UK Boards: NED Skills 2026

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Board
Chair and NED Search
C-Suite
Permanent and Interim
Coaching
Partner Led
What We Do

We find, prepare and sustain
the leaders at the top

Organisations tend to change their board and their leadership team at the same moments: a new strategy, a new owner, a new Chair. We search for both, so the people you appoint are chosen to work together, then we help them prepare, settle and keep developing.

Board Search

Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, Independent Directors and committee members, for private, PE-backed, public and not-for-profit boards. Our founding practice, and still the heart of what we do.

Chairs · NEDs · Independent Directors · Committee members

Executive Search

Chief Executives, Finance, Operations and People Directors, and other senior executive roles. Led at Partner level, with the same assessment rigour we bring to board appointments.

CEO · CFO · COO · CPO · Senior executive roles

Interim Executives

Experienced senior interims who can step in when it matters: to fill an unexpected vacancy, steady a business after acquisition, lead a transformation or turnaround, or hold the role while the permanent search runs. Assessed as rigorously as our permanent appointments.

Interim CEO · CFO · COO · Transformation · Turnaround

Private Equity and Acquisitions

When ownership changes, the top team usually does too. We help investors assess, appoint and settle the Chair and executive team around the value creation plan, from deal completion to exit.

Top team assessment · Chair and C-suite · Founder transitions · First 100 days

The top team you inherit is rarely the team you exit with.

Nearly two in three private equity firms replace the portfolio company CEO during the holding period.

AlixPartners, Private Equity Leadership Survey, 2026

Discuss a portfolio appointment
  • One mandate, one team. Chair, Chief Executive and Finance Director searched together, so the new leadership is designed as a whole rather than hired one seat at a time, with interim cover where a seat cannot stay empty.
  • C-suite search experience. Our Partners have led CEO, CFO, COO, CRO and CIO appointments, including executive search through a period of rapid growth at OakNorth, a regulated UK bank.
  • An independent view of the incumbents. Before or after completion, we assess the existing team with the same structured approach we apply to boards, including our Cognitive Diversity Assessment.
  • Transitions handled with care. Our Partners are trained in the difficult conversations that ownership change brings, including founder and incumbent exits, which protects reputation and momentum.
  • Built to last. Onboarding coaching through the first 100 days, so new leaders settle quickly into the pace and reporting rhythm investors expect.
Why Mission Match

Board search with a
different philosophy

For Chairs, investors and chief executives, our focus makes all the difference. Every relationship we cultivate and every insight we apply is directed toward exceptional appointments at, and around, the board table.

Partner-led delivery

Every search is led at Partner level from mandate through to appointment, with direct accountability throughout.

We specialise in ambitious SMEs, high growth companies and mid-market portfolio businesses, as well as public sector organisations, where board appointments require precision, pace and judgement.

Partnership-led advantage

Our strategic partnerships create structural leverage in board advisory and search, providing access to a UK-wide network of governance-trained, regionally aligned NEDs, as well as a forward pipeline of emerging Independent Director talent.

This model extends beyond traditional search, providing access to board-ready talent that has been identified, assessed, and developed ahead of any mandate.

Access to distinctive board talent

We maintain a curated pool of governance-trained talent, supported by structured NED development and CPD.

This reach extends across the UK, unlocking regional voices and a broader diversity of skills, backgrounds, ethnicities, and perspectives.

Beyond access, each candidate is rigorously assessed not just for competence and independence, but for their contribution to cognitive diversity.

Our assessment focuses on the thinking styles, perspectives, and experiences that will strengthen the board.

What We Search For

Board competencies that
drive real outcomes

Boards are evolving, and so are the competencies required to govern effectively. We identify leaders who strengthen oversight, broaden perspective, and contribute with confidence from day one.

Our Philosophy

Different Kinds
of Thinking

Tap to read more->

Cognitive diversity and board effectiveness

The most effective boards are not the most experienced. They are the most cognitively diverse.

When directors bring genuinely different ways of thinking, processing information, and reaching conclusions, the quality of challenge and decision-making improves in ways that homogenous boards cannot replicate.

Cognitive diversity spans neurodivergent thinking, cross-sector experience, professional disciplines, and varied lived experience.

Mission Match was founded on the belief that this kind of diversity is not a values statement. It is a governance imperative.

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Essential Advice
& Research

Tap to read more->
AI and What Boards Need to Know
How NEDs Stay Credible and Relevant
 View all research →
In Demand

Five NED profiles boards are actively seeking

Boards are moving beyond the traditional CEO and CFO pipeline. These are the profiles most in demand from Chairs and Nomination Committees.

Regulatory Insight Directors

Former regulators and policy leaders who bring oversight credibility and a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape.

Digital Transformation Leaders

Executives with technology and innovation expertise who can govern AI, cybersecurity, and digital strategy with authority.

Culture & People Strategists

Senior HR and talent leaders who bring board-level perspective on organisational health, workforce strategy, and the people dynamics that determine long-term performance.

Public Policy Strategists

Leaders experienced in government or regulatory environments whose policy fluency and stakeholder navigation skills translate powerfully into independent board contribution.

Sector Disruptors

Leaders from fast-moving industries who bring unconventional thinking, cross-sector perspective, and the intellectual restlessness that prevents boards from becoming too comfortable with consensus.

Our Approach

A considered path to
board excellence

Every appointment begins with a conversation and ends with a stronger board. Our process is disciplined, discreet, and led at Partner level. We combine governance expertise with precision, pace, and due diligence.

It starts with a private conversation

A confidential discussion with the Chair, investor or chief executive to understand strategic direction, culture, and the appointment that will make the difference.

01

Strategic Briefing

In close confidence with Chairs, Nomination Committees and investors, we assess board and leadership team composition, strategic priorities and cultural dynamics, defining the capability profile required to strengthen oversight and long-term performance.

02

Discreet Market Mapping

Targeted, confidential market mapping across our curated network to identify candidates with the governance credibility, sector authority and strategic judgement the role demands. Discretion is absolute.

03

Network Activation

Engaging trusted board-level relationships and strategic partnerships to reach exceptional candidates rarely visible through conventional search.

04

Rigorous Assessment

Each candidate is evaluated for governance competence, independence of thought, and alignment with the board's mandate, using a structured framework that ensures a fair and transparent process.

05

Curated Longlisting

A rigorously evaluated longlist, supported by clear diversity and competency insight, alongside a principal-level recommendation reflecting genuine breadth of calibre and perspective.

06

Transition & Onboarding

The appointment is the beginning. Structured onboarding guidance and governance mentoring equip new directors to make an early impact and support Chairs in building boards that perform from day one.

A stronger board. A better conversation.

The right appointment changes the dynamic around the board table.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion: Our DEI Commitment

Diversity of Thought.
Strength of Governance.

"Better decisions, better risk management, better outcomes: that is what genuine board diversity delivers. The boardrooms that will govern best over the next decade will need to optimise the cognitive diversity of their human capital to drive rapid change and adapt under new pressures. Getting there means opening the door to overlooked talent, and giving boards the appetite for perspectives that truly challenge their thinking."

Lisa Moses, Founder

Boards that bring together a wider range of perspectives make better decisions, challenge assumptions more effectively, and navigate risk with greater clarity. In an environment of economic, geopolitical and societal complexity, homogenous thinking at the top is no longer sustainable.

At Mission Match, we view diversity as the foundation of board effectiveness, not as a category of search.

Our talent pipelines span the full spectrum of board-ready leadership: established NEDs and Chairs with substantial governance track records, senior executives making the transition to independent directorship, and governance-trained talent developed through structured NED programmes. This breadth is deliberate. A PE-backed business at an early growth stage needs different governance than a mature portfolio company preparing for exit, and the director profile changes accordingly. We assess what the board needs at that moment, then find the right person, wherever they come from.

What distinguishes our approach is where we look. We combine Whitehall and public appointments experience, international executive search, and strategic partnerships with NED development networks to access candidates that rarely appear through conventional search. That reach is how we find exceptional people who happen to expand the board's perspective, rather than treating diversity as a brief in its own right.

For us, the goal is always the same: identify the director who will strengthen the board's thinking, sharpen its challenge, and contribute from day one. Cognitive diversity is how we measure that. Access is how we achieve it.

Mission Match Mentorship Programme
Mission: Board for All

Access to the boardroom should not depend on who you already know.

Mission: Board for All is our structured mentorship programme, connecting board-ready talent with experienced NEDs and governance practitioners to create real pathways for those the market has historically overlooked.

Delivered in partnership with Starbuck & Associates' NED Academy, the programme combines practical governance development with direct access to a senior practitioner community. Mentors benefit from formal CPD credit, deepened governance insight, and a built-in reverse mentoring strand that offers fresh perspective on technology, culture, and the evolving expectations of stakeholders.

We are currently recruiting for our inaugural cohort of both mentors and mentees.

Enquire about Mission: Board for All →

Cognitive diversity and board dynamics

An exclusive video series on cognitive diversity and board dynamics. Launching 2026.

+ What true diversity looks like

Regional voices beyond traditional power centres · Professional backgrounds spanning sectors and disciplines · Neurodivergent thinking and cognitive difference · Socioeconomic diversity and class mobility · Ethnic and cultural perspectives · Generational balance and age diversity · Disability representation and lived experience · LGBTQ+ inclusion

How we embed diversity

◆ Diverse longlists as standard
Every search draws from pipelines across the full spectrum of board-ready talent, well beyond traditional executive search networks
◆ Cognitive diversity assessment
Every candidate is assessed against our framework for the thinking styles, perspectives, and lived experiences that genuinely strengthen board dynamics, not just representation on paper
◆ Bias-aware evaluation frameworks
Structured assessment designed to mitigate unconscious bias and focus on capability and contribution
◆ Transparent diversity reporting
Clear data on candidate diversity at every stage of the search
◆ Board readiness pipeline
Through Mission: Board for All and the Starbuck & Associates NED Academy, we maintain a forward pipeline of governance-trained talent, developed and assessed before any mandate begins
◆ Expanding access
Exceptional board talent exists in every community, region and background. We go and find it
Discuss your board's diversity needs → Join Mission: Board for All →

Expanding Access. Broadening Perspectives. Elevating Outcomes.

Sectors & Clients

Who we work with,
and where we specialise

Mission Match is a boutique practice. We take on a limited number of mandates, giving each full Partner-level attention. Our clients share a common need: access to distinctive board and executive talent beyond their existing networks.

We Work With
Founder-Led Scale-Ups

Ambitious growth companies building their first professional board. We help founders move beyond existing networks to appoint independent directors who bring challenge, sector credibility, and governance rigour.

Mission-Driven Organisations

Charities, cultural institutions and social enterprises require board leadership with governance depth and a clear understanding of purpose-driven accountability.

Boards Undergoing Refresh

Organisations navigating governance change, succession, or strategic transformation. We support both individual appointments and broader shifts in board composition.

Public Bodies & Arms-Length Government

Regulators, public bodies and arm's-length organisations require directors with policy fluency, experience in public accountability, and independence of judgement. Our Whitehall network and public appointments experience make this a natural focus area.

Sector Expertise

Private Equity & Growth

Chairs, NEDs and C-suite executives aligned to the investment thesis and value creation plan, from deal completion to exit, delivered with the pace PE demands.

Portfolio companies · Top team at completion · Founder transitions · Interim and permanent

Public Sector & Non-Profit

Direct experience of government and public appointments at the highest level, covering NHS Trusts, regulators, charities, housing associations, and education trusts.

ALBs & regulators · NHS & health · Charities & housing · Education

Financial & Professional Services

Directors with compliance credibility, risk governance fluency, and the independence to challenge across banking, insurance, legal, and consulting.

Banking & insurance · FinTech · Legal & accountancy · Consulting

Technology, Infrastructure & Industry

Directors who can govern AI, digital transformation, cyber resilience, and operational complexity across SaaS, energy, manufacturing, and consumer businesses.

AI & cyber · Energy & construction · Manufacturing · Consumer & retail
Partners

The people behind
every search

Lisa Moses
Lisa Moses
Founder & Partner
Government Board Appointments Board Dynamics & Governance

Mission Match was founded on a simple belief: expanding access to the boardroom and onboarding thoughtfully strengthen governance and decision-making.

I began my career in executive search before moving into senior roles across government, including the Cabinet Office and major departments of state. My experience spans Chief of Staff and Private Secretary roles, government policy, HR transformation, finance, and board appointments for major public bodies.

This combination of search and public sector experience gives me a unique perspective on how board composition shapes performance. I have seen firsthand how the right appointment can transform board dynamics and how the wrong one can limit them.

As a qualified civil and commercial mediator specialising in boardroom dynamics, I bring additional expertise in navigating complex stakeholder environments, constructive challenge and board-level decision-making.

I also coach senior leaders through career transitions, new Chairs into the role, and candidates preparing for executive and board interviews.

Adria Linder
Adria Linder
Partner, Executive Search & Research
International Search Leadership Board & C-Suite Appointments

I specialise in identifying and assessing exceptional board and senior leadership talent, with a focus on independence of judgement and strategic perspective.

I founded a search firm in New York advising financial institutions, consulting firms and technology companies on senior appointments across international markets. I later joined OakNorth, a regulated UK bank and high-growth fintech, where I led executive search during a period of rapid global expansion.

I have led C-suite and board-level appointments across risk, finance, operations, product and technology, including CRO, CFO, COO, CIO and Non-Executive Director roles.

At Mission Match, I lead candidate identification and board-level assessment, combining rigorous research, market mapping, and governance evaluation to identify leaders who bring the expertise and perspective required to strengthen board decision-making.

Strategic Partnerships

Chosen for shared values, not convenience

Every partnership Mission Match holds is intentional. Our partners share our founding belief: better boards come from broader access, genuine development and the courage to look beyond the familiar.

Together, we combine governance advisory, NED development and specialist expertise to offer boards broader support where it adds value.

Our partnerships are built on complementary expertise, mutual trust and a shared commitment to strengthening governance.

Starbuck & Associates

Executive Coaching | NED Development | Board Effectiveness

Winners of Coaching Business of the Year at the 2025 National Business Coaching Awards, Starbuck & Associates are internationally accredited executive coaches specialising in leadership development, Non-Executive Director (NED) preparation, and board effectiveness.

Through their NED development programmes and NED executive coaching, Starbuck & Associates support senior leaders to successfully transition into board roles and strengthen their strategic contribution at board level.

Their programmes are complemented by the NED Hub within Starbuck Academy, providing practical frameworks, tools and learning resources that help leaders build the confidence, governance awareness and strategic perspective required to operate effectively as Non-Executive Directors.

Starbuck & Associates support the Mission Match ecosystem by helping develop leaders who are ready to contribute meaningfully within boards, advisory panels and governance roles.

This is Alexander Faraday Recruitment

HRD, People & Culture | Business Transformation

Specialists in senior HR, people and transformation leadership, with over twenty years of relationship-led recruitment experience.

Alexander Faraday Recruitment brings deep expertise in leadership profiles across transformation, people strategy, culture and change, all of which increasingly define strong Independent Director candidates.

Their networks extend beyond traditional board talent pools, providing access to senior functional leaders ready to transition into board roles, including Trustee, Special Director and NED appointments.

Cyber4Directors

Cyber Governance | Board Effectiveness | Incident Readiness

Cyber4Directors helps boards and executive teams strengthen cyber governance by translating complex technical issues into practical board-level decision-making. Their work enables directors to ask better questions, strengthen oversight and build greater organisational resilience, including at the intersection of cyber risk and AI governance.

Founded by Susanne Alfs, a former CIO and experienced global Non-Executive Director, Cyber4Directors combines executive, board and advisory experience across listed, private, public-purpose and not-for-profit organisations in Europe, the US and Africa.

Working with Chairs, NEDs, company secretaries and senior executives, Cyber4Directors provides board education, cyber governance reviews, strategic advisory and incident-readiness support to help organisations strengthen governance and resilience.

Combined Partner Credentials
CPD-Accredited Mentors Board Governance Advisory Accredited Master Coaches Coaching Business Award Winners Qualified Mediators Public Appointments Experience HRD and Transformation Specialists DEI Specialists International Mandates Published Research B Corp Certified Mental Health First Aiders
Coaching

Coaching from people
who make appointments

We sit on the other side of the table every week. We know how Chairs shortlist, what panels probe, and why strong candidates fall at the final stage. Our one-to-one coaching puts that knowledge to work for you.

Career Transition Coaching

For senior leaders at a turning point: moving on from a long executive career, crossing between the public and private sectors, or building a portfolio of executive, interim and non-executive work. Together we define what you offer, where it is valued, and how to reach the people who decide.

Suits: directors and senior leaders, including those leaving the NHS and public service.

Chair Development

For new and aspiring Chairs making the move from member of the board to leader of it: running the room, the Chair and chief executive relationship, board evaluation and succession, and handling disagreement at the table, where our mediation training earns its place.

And for experienced Chairs, a confidential sounding board away from the boardroom, because the best Chairs never stop developing. One to one, or through our Chair peer mentoring with Chairs from other sectors, by invitation.

Suits: first-time and experienced Chairs, committee Chairs and Senior Independent Directors.

Interview Preparation

For executive, NED, Chair and public appointment interviews. Mock panels run the way real ones are, preparation for competency and values-based questions, presentations, and the questions boards actually ask.

Suits: anyone with an interview in the diary, or a final stage they want to get right.

How our coaching works

  • Single sessions, or a programme of sessions at a preferential rate when booked together.
  • Coaching funded by an employer or investor is scoped and agreed with you both at the outset.
  • For experienced Chairs, an ongoing sounding board arrangement, set up around your board calendar.

Sessions by video call, or in person in London. Our coaching is entirely separate from our search work: it never influences who we put forward for a role, and we do not coach candidates for interviews on mandates we are running.

Leaving the NHS or public service?

We have worked inside NHS England, the Department of Health and Whitehall, and we know how that experience translates to boards, to the private sector and to healthcare businesses. It is one of the most valuable backgrounds a board can recruit, when it is explained well.

Knowledge Hub

Insights that shape
better boards

Original research, practical guidance, and informed perspectives on board governance, diversity, and leadership.

Latest research
Research, Lisa Moses
AI and What Boards Need to Know
Research, Adria Linder
How NEDs Stay Credible and Relevant
Research, Lisa Moses
Why Similar Boards Make Similar Mistakes
Research, Adria Linder & Lisa Moses
Future-Proofing UK Boards: NED Skills 2026
Practical Guide, Lisa Moses & Adria Linder
The First-Time NED Checklist
 📚
Board CPD
Recommended Reading, for NEDs and Chairs
▼

Mission Match First Circle

Invitation only

An inner circle for Chairs and NEDs who lead at the highest level.

Request membership

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Insight Series (coming soon)
Why Cognitive Diversity Is the Missing Ingredient in Board Effectiveness
The Modern Board: Five Perspectives Every Board Now Needs
Why Board Recruitment Still Misses Exceptional Talent

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All enquiries handled in strict confidence by a partner.

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