Executive Search & Selection 

We combine years of experience helping organisations secure the leaders who deliver long-term impact

Decades  of Experience  Building World-Class Teams


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Cambridge Executive Search & Selection was established to work with organisations that are navigating genuine complexity — growth, transformation, structural change — where the quality of leadership hired has a direct bearing on whether the programme succeeds.


Cambridge ES² brings market knowledge, speed, and flexibility. Through the wider Cambridge MC ecosystem, we have direct access to people who have led complex programmes, managed significant change, and built high-performing teams. We use that experience with transformation programmes to shape how we assess candidates and how we advise you throughout the hiring process.


Our purpose is to help our clients have a better impact on the world.


Cambridge Executive Search & Selection is part of the Cambridge MC Group of companies. It benefits from the skills and knowledge of over 220 experts in more than 25 countries/territories.


Visit our dedicated website for more detailed information on our Search & Select services, job postings, charity roles and more.

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What are your ongoing 

Hiring Challenges?


Our approach combines executive search, leadership advisory and access to experienced industry practitioners to help organisations secure the people capability required to navigate increasingly complex operational, technological and organisational challenges.

Typical Scenarios

  • Executive & Leadership Appointments
  • Transformation & Change Programmes
  • Technology Modernisation
  • Commercial & Operational Leadership
  • Regulatory & Compliance Expansion
  • Interim & Fractional Leadership
  • PE / VC-backed Growth
  • International Expansion
  • Succession Planning
  • Business Turnaround & Restructuring

Benefits of our Model


Expert-Informed Search

We assess leadership candidates with a depth of understanding that comes from direct experience of complex programmes and organisational change. Through the Cambridge MC ecosystem, we have direct access to global markets and our partners — and we use that to inform every search we conduct.

Onboarding & Transition

Finding the right hire is only part of the challenge. We offer executive coaching and leadership development alongside our search work, helping new leaders integrate into their organisations more quickly and reach their full impact sooner. It is an approach designed to improve outcomes, not just fill roles.

Flexible Fee Structure

Most executive search fees are calculated as a percentage of salary, which creates an incentive that does not always sit comfortably alongside your interests. Our fixed-fee model removes that tension. You get a clear, predictable cost from the outset and a search partner whose focus is on finding the right person for the role.


How we help our clients

Our Executive Search & Selection helps your organisation achieve transformational outcomes by combining executive search expertise with practical commercial understanding and access to experienced transformation leaders from across the Cambridge Management Consulting ecosystem.

Executive Search

A transformational hire has to be right the first time. Our methodology combines rigorous market intelligence, structured leadership assessment and direct sector experience to identify candidates who can deliver strategic impact, not just fill a role.

Permanent Recruitment

Finding the right mid-to-senior hire demands more than a CV match. We combine targeted market engagement with commercial assessment to identify technical, operational and functional candidates who fit the culture, pace and long-term direction of your organisation.

Talent Strategy & Advisory

Most organisations spend significant amounts on recruitment without knowing whether the underlying strategy is working. We work with leadership teams to review talent acquisition frameworks, reduce cost inefficiencies and build the workforce capability needed to support long-term business objectives.

Leadership Transition Coaching

Leadership transitions are treated as administrative exercises far too often. We work with incoming leaders to accelerate integration, build organisational relationships and translate early momentum into sustained performance — from appointment through the first year.

Interim & Fractional Leadership

When an organisation needs experienced leadership immediately — for a transformation programme, operational gap, or a period of change — we provide commercially grounded executives who can integrate quickly and deliver from day one.

Visit the Executive Search & Selection website for more detailed information on our services and to browse job postings.

Get in Touch with the Team


We are a highly collaborative team of senior-level executive professionals able to adapt to any challenge, however niche & challenging.

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Case Studies


Our team has had the privilege of partnering with a diverse array of clients, from burgeoning startups to FTSE 100 companies. Each case study reflects our commitment to delivering tailored solutions that drive real business results.

CASE STUDIES

A little bit about Cambridge MC

Cambridge Management Consulting is a specialist consultancy drawing on an extensive global network of over 220 senior executives in 26 countries.


Our purpose is to help our clients have a better impact on the world.

ABOUT CAMBRIDGE MC

Industry insights


Big Ben and London cityscape at night – neon overlay
11 November 2026
Cambridge MC acquires Alpine Resourcing, a London-based public sector specialist, extending its reach across central and local government in the UK | READ PRESS RELEASE
A representation of agent boxes (prompts) linked into a workflow on a computer screen.
by Charlotte Patrick • 9 November 2026
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS | Cambridge AIQ assesses 13 vendors delivering agentic AI for service assurance, comparing four distinct strategies and the key factors operators must weigh | READ PREVIEW & PURCHASE REPORT
Audience at the recent launch event for the #21toWatch 2027 awards at the Glasshouse, Cambridge.
9 November 2026
A new monthly event series for scaleup founders, investors, and advisers at The Glasshouse, Cambridge. Starts 26 November with CMR Surgical’s Martin Frost CBE | READ FULL PRESS RELEASE
Visualisation of Earth with lines of data wrapped around it
by Eric Green • 4 November 2026
PROCUREMENT & AI | Neoscalers often buy the network last, under pressure. Eric Green explains the contract-term and cost risks, and how procurement discipline closes the gap | READ FULL ARTICLE NOW
30 October 2026
23 October 2026, Cambridge – Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC) has celebrated its annual corporate Green Day, bringing colleagues together for a day of environmental volunteering instead of a day in the office. On Friday 23 October, the international management consultancy, headquartered in Cambridge, teamed up with Cambridge City Council to improve wildlife habitat at Cherry Hinton Hall, a 12-hectare public park in south-east Cambridge. Working alongside the City Council’s Community Engagement team, the Cambridge MC team focused on the glade in the nature area at the rear of the park, cutting back grass, clearing away the cuttings, and sowing wildflower seeds. The work was designed to support the management of the green space and create better conditions for wildlife, while giving Cambridge MC colleagues a direct role in caring for their local environment. Tim Passingham, founder and executive chairman of Cambridge MC, explained: “Making a positive impact means being prepared to roll up our sleeves and contribute to the communities in which we work. Rather than treating environmental responsibility as an abstract corporate ambition, Green Day gives our colleagues the opportunity to contribute their time and effort to community green spaces – turning our commitment into something tangible by working alongside our local community, supporting the places we share and recognising that small, practical actions can make a difference when we take them together. “The initiative also reflects the importance of collaboration in environmental action. Individual volunteers, community groups, businesses, and local authorities all have an important role to play in maintaining accessible green spaces and supporting urban biodiversity.” While Cambridge was the focus of the company-wide initiative, Green Day extended beyond the city, with events taking place in the New Forest, and planned initiatives in London which were unfortunately cancelled due to adverse weather. In the New Forest, Cambridge MC colleagues worked with local environmental group ECO SWAY on preparing shared green spaces and planting pollinator-friendly bulbs to support bees and butterflies in the spring. Unfortunately, the London team’s efforts were cancelled due to Storm Austen, however they were excited to be joining local volunteers from Stoke Newington Urban Green (SNUG) to water and mulch young trees ahead of winter, helping them to establish and reach maturity. As an international consultancy, the team’s environmental efforts did not stop there. In France, one Managing Partner contributed to his local ecosystem by planting an oak tree, and in Portugal another Partner showed her support by planting several fruit trees. Elsewhere, consultants based outside of the UK or simply unable to travel to the three primary locations sowed tree bombs as a remote way of amplifying the day’s overall mission. Green Day forms part of Cambridge MC’s wider commitment to using its expertise, time, and resources to create positive impact. The purpose-beyond-profit company commits at least 10% of its profits to charitable causes that tally with its ‘Five Cs’: Children (and young people), Conservation (and sustainability), Cancer, Communications, and Cambridge (the Cambridge ecosystem). Alongside financial support, Cambridge MC also engages in purposeful pro bono work, gifting at least 1% of its time and expertise to help charities mature, digitalise, and reduce costs. And, uniquely, the company holds 1% of its equity in reserve for charitable use should an equity event occur. In September, Cambridge MC achieved Certified B Corporation status, marking a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to responsible business and recognising its approach to creating value for its team, clients, community, and the environment alongside commercial success. Tim said: “Our approach recognises that a responsible business is not defined solely by the advice it gives clients, but also by the contribution it makes to the communities and environments in which it operates. “By combining hands-on work with local partners across Cambridge and the New Forest, the Green Day initiative is bringing this principle to life – one green space at a time.”
A neon wireframe view of a city with roads and bridges.
by Paul Brooker • 15 October 2026
Sales Transformation | Manual workarounds and fragmented systems are costing telecom operators revenue and margin. Discover how to remove the Complexity Tax and unlock value | READ FULL ARTICLE NOW
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