Executive search · New York (US launch)
How Greco Advisors secured a $3m+ search leader in 100 days to launch its US business
Greco Advisors had already built a strong PE and portfolio operations search business across Europe. As US demand increased, the next step was building in New York.
The challenge was finding someone capable of leading that build from the ground up — a senior operator with retained-search credibility, a strong PE network and a track record at the very top end of the market.
The bar was very high. Greco wasn't looking for available talent; they were looking for people already billing at serious levels inside established firms.
Annual revenue generated by the appointed leader
From search kickoff to an accepted offer
Billers accessed across the New York PE search market
Before
- Greco had strong momentum in Europe but no dedicated US leadership on the ground.
- The business needed someone who could build a PE value-creation / portfolio operations search practice in New York.
- The target profile was extremely narrow: retained-search background, PE exposure, entrepreneurial mindset and proven top-end billing performance.
- The benchmark was search leaders already producing at elite levels — most of them highly compensated, deeply embedded in their firms and not actively considering a move.
- Greco needed fast access to a market that is normally slow, considered and relationship-driven.
After
Greco successfully hired a senior executive search leader to launch and scale its US business — and gained a clear blueprint for future growth in North America. Key outcomes included:
- Appointed a proven executive search leader from a prestigious firm, with a track record of generating more than $3m annually and previous P&L ownership.
- Completed the hire within 100 days despite targeting a highly constrained, predominantly passive talent pool.
- Gained access to a curated group of elite New York PE search operators, including multiple leaders generating $1m+ in annual billings.
- Validated the ideal profile to build Greco's North American business — combining PE search expertise, practice-building capability and entrepreneurial leadership.
- Established a repeatable compensation and equity framework for attracting senior US talent in a highly competitive market.
- Built a pipeline and roadmap for future US hires, giving Greco a foundation for scaling beyond the initial leadership appointment.
The process
Search strategy
The search focused on a small group of high-performing PE search operators across
- Specialist PE boutiques
- Retained-search firms
- Portfolio operations search teams
The focus was not volume but identifying people with practice-building capability and top-end commercial performance.
Engagement & sourcing
We used direct outreach from partners, network-led introductions and back-channel referencing to access candidates who were unlikely to engage through a traditional process — including senior billers already generating multi-million-dollar revenues inside established firms.
Speed of engagement mattered. Greco moved quickly from market mapping into live conversations with top talent.
Selection & calibration
We worked closely with Greco to compare candidates across
- Billing track record
- PE search depth
- Retained-search experience
- Leadership capability
- Long-term fit for the US build
The process stayed tight and highly selective throughout, letting the leadership team evaluate what “top of market” actually looked like in real terms.
Offer construction
Alongside the search, we advised on
- Compensation structure
- Year 1 guarantees
- Revenue participation
- Equity positioning
This helped Greco position competitively against larger firms already competing for the same talent.
The outcome
Greco needed fast access to a very small group of recruiters operating at the top end of the PE search market.
The process focused on quality, speed and tight calibration from the start — getting Greco into conversations with talent already performing at the level they could build a business around.
The result was the successful placement of a passive, multi-million-dollar revenue generator from a prestigious executive search firm — a former P&L owner, based in New York. The hire was made within budget, with the offer accepted within 100 days of starting the search.
What the client said
Following a tender process, Greco engaged Luck and Leverage on a retained search for a leader for our US business. Timelines were tight, and the bar was high — targeting experienced, high-performing executive search leaders in the Private Equity space in New York. Luck and Leverage brought clarity early on, helping define the role, align on key trade-offs, and position the opportunity effectively in the market. This led to conversations with multiple relevant, high-quality candidates, all of whom came in engaged and well-briefed on the opportunity. They were particularly valuable in the later stages, advising on candidate positioning and offer structure, ultimately helping convert a strong candidate into a successful hire.
Johnnie Greenwood, Co-founder, Greco Advisors