What is the difference between a board chair and a lead director?

A board chair runs the board and sets agenda. A lead director serves the same coordinating function when the CEO is also chair, providing an independent counterweight. Both roles need different skill profiles and we recruit for each distinctly.

How are CEO and board search fees structured?

CEO searches are retained at a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year cash compensation. Board director searches are typically a fixed retainer, structured separately because director compensation is not the right basis for the fee.

CEO & Board Executive Search

The leaders who refine the chapter

The CEO and board choices you make today dictate how your next chapter unfolds, or if you fall behind a market that has already shifted.

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95% Referral Rate

4.9 out of 5 rating

85% Return Rate

350+ Searches

The Function

CEO & Board
executive search

The CEO and board hires you make this year set the direction for everything that comes after them, and most organizations are filling those seats against a job description the company has already outgrown. Only 9% substantially rethink the role before they hire and 29% replace like-for-like, which means a large share of board searches are anchored to the business as it was rather than the one being built. With three in four organizations expecting a senior replacement to take at least three months, the time to define the seat correctly is before the search starts, not partway through it.

Source: ON Partners Widening Gap, 2026

Role in this function

The team you build now is the company you become

Five roles. Different mandates, different ownership structures, different reporting lines. We’ve placed across all of them, and our partners know which seat your moment actually calls for.

Chief Executive Officer

The Most-Searched Role

The hire that defines the next five years. We separate CEOs who can scale stability from CEOs who can build through volatility, and the right match depends on where the company actually is.

See our CEO Page

A sample of our work in this area

President & General Manager

Succession & Enterprise Scale

Whether you need a corporate successor or a heavy-hitting divisional leader. We place Presidents built to run the enterprise today and stand for the CEO seat tomorrow, as well as General Managers equipped to own full P&L, drive autonomous execution, and scale complex divisions across PE, Public, VC, and Private structures.

See our Presidents Page

A sample of our work in this area

Independent Board Member

Strategic Gaps

The Board Members we place fill hyper-specific capability gaps that the existing room doesn’t carry—from Cyber Security and GenAI Governance to PE-Exit and cross-border M&A strategy.

See Our Board Page

A sample of our work in this area

Board Director

Committee Leadership

We place Board Directors against specific regulatory and oversight needs. This includes Audit Chairs, Compensation Chairs, and Nominating/Governance leads. Each candidate pool is mapped explicitly to your compliance mandate.

Most-placed roles in this industry

VP of Operations

See our Board Page

A sample of our work in this area

Operating Partner

Fund-Level Operator

Operating Partners whose pattern recognition compounds across deals. We place highly curated, investment-thesis-aligned operators into top-tier funds. Each search is executed against an exclusive, partner-known network, not a database pull.

See How We Work With Operating Portfolio

A sample of our work in this area

Our clients

Companies trust ON Partners

Client Stories

What clients say after the search is closed

Entire team is fantastic.

Director, HRBP - Restaurant Support Center National Restaurant Group

Great process with strong communication. Candidates exceeded our expectations.

Chief Executive Officer Audience Intelligence Platform

Bailey continuously presented great candidates and candidates were extremely positive on the engagement with her.

Chief Revenue Officer Process Manufacturing Software

Found a good CFO in the end.

CEO & Co-Founder Sustainable Materials Company

Common Questions

What leaders may ask before a search

How does ON handle CEO succession searches?

Every CEO search is partner-led, with one partner accountable from intake to placement. We map the gap, source globally, and present a slate of three to five candidates within weeks. Reference depth and chemistry calibration distinguish a CEO search from any other.

When should a PE-backed company add independent directors?

Most commonly after the close of a platform investment, when preparing for an exit, or after a governance event that requires fresh perspective. Independent directors with operational experience materially raise governance quality and signal credibility to buyers and lenders.

How long does a CEO or board director search take?

Our CEO searches close in a median of 137 days; board director searches in a median of 160 days. Both run longer than functional searches because diligence is heavier and candidate calendars are harder to align.

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Hire the leader who
redefines what comes next.

A conversation is all it takes to know if we're the right fit. Tell us about the role, and we'll tell you what the market looks like. You'll speak directly with the partner who would lead your search.

85% of clients search with us again

4.9 / 5 client satisfaction rating

Partner-led from kickoff to close

98% placement rate

The leaders who refine the chapter

CEO & Board
executive search