About Amaryllis

Why we exist

Senior search is its own discipline. The brief matters more than the volume. The cultural alignment, the strategic timing and the post-appointment trust decide whether a CFO, a CMO or a Head of Operations is still in seat at six months. Generalist agencies treat senior search like any other category and miss the signals that decide retention at the top.

Amaryllis Search & Selection was set up to fix that. We are a UK executive search partner with one belief at the centre of the desk: an appointment only works if the candidate, the board and the executive team all feel served. The board gets a brief taken seriously, a long-list calibrated to the market, and a partner who runs the process with discretion. The candidate gets the truth about the role, the chair, the team and the strategy.

What we do, plainly

We place permanent senior leadership and C-suite hires for UK employers across ten senior practices. Our desk is built around appointments that stay - the brief, the long-list, the shortlist, the offer support, the post-appointment follow-ups - every step geared toward six-month outcomes.

The roles we run searches for most often:

• C-suite (CEO, CFO, COO, CMO, CHRO, CTO)
• VP-level and SVP appointments
• Senior Director appointments
• Heads of finance, marketing, HR, operations, sales, technology, product
• Specialist functional leaders (legal, risk, compliance, transformation)
• Non-Executive Directors and committee members
• Interim and permanent senior leadership
• Cross-border senior searches for UK headquarters
• Diversity-led senior search and inclusion-focused long-listing
• Confidential replacement-of-incumbent searches

Who we work for

Our clients are UK PE-backed groups, mid-market scale-ups, family-owned commercial businesses, professional services firms and the in-house functions of larger enterprises. Mostly mid-market, with chairs and CEOs who want a calibrated long-list and a discreet process.

How we vet

Every shortlisted candidate goes through:

• Right-to-work and identity verification
• Reference contact, including former direct reports and former chairs where relevant
• Qualification and credential verification
• A structured competency conversation, scenario-tested where the brief requires it
• Salary expectations, notice period, motivation and risk-of-counter-offer captured in writing
• For senior hires: psychometric profiling on request

Our values, the short version

• Brief properly. A 60-90 minute briefing with the chair and CEO before any market mapping.
• Calibrate the long-list. You see the market in writing before any candidate is approached.
• Tell the truth. If the package is below market, we will say so. If the spec is unrealistic, we will tell you on the first call.
• One throat to choke. One partner per client, end to end.
• Discretion as default. Confidential by default for replacement-of-incumbent and pre-announce searches.

Want to talk?

Use the contact page and we come back same business day. We are available Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm.