Rutherford & Company™ accepts retained mandates exclusively for roles that carry direct strategic impact on the client organisation's growth. We do not fill operational or transactional positions.
Section 2
THE STANDARD FOR HIGH-STAKES SEARCH
At board, C-suite, and senior leadership level, the cost of a mis-hire is not measured in recruitment fees. It is measured in lost momentum, cultural disruption, and years of recovery. The executives who perform at this level are rarely looking for a new role. They are found.
Rutherford & Company™ has operated at this level since 1990. Every retained mandate is led personally by Forbes Rutherford — no junior consultants, no handoffs, no process substituting for judgement. The science layer underpins every search: RutherfordINTEL™ behavioural profiling identifies not just who is qualified, but who will perform in your specific environment.
Every Rutherford & Company™ search incorporates the RutherfordINTEL™ behavioural science platform. This applies at three levels:
Shortlisted candidates — assessed across 72 personality dimensions, producing a BehaviourDNA™ profile benchmarked against 40,000 validated professionals across 3,000 functions
All upstream reports to the position — assessed to understand the leadership environment the placed executive will operate within
All downstream direct reports to the position — assessed to map the team the placed executive will inherit and lead
You do not receive a list of qualified candidates. You receive a ranked shortlist whose behavioural wiring is compatible with the role, the leadership culture, and the team — before a single interview is conducted.
Section 4
PRACTICE AREAS
Section 5
THE SEARCH PROCESS
Section 6
FEE STRUCTURE
Rutherford & Company™ operates on a fixed retained fee model. Contingency arrangements are not offered.
Section 7
LEADERSHIP HEATMAP
For organisations conducting executive team audits, succession planning, or post-acquisition leadership assessment, the Leadership Heatmap maps the behavioural composition of your entire senior team. It identifies collective strengths, blind spots, and cultural risk — the intelligence that informs both hiring and development decisions at the top.