Human Resources

Stone Executive’s HR executive search practice appoints those leaders for clients across every major UK sector - listed groups, PE-backed businesses, high-growth scale-ups, and public-sector organisations - and our consultants know the senior HR community well enough to engage with people who would not otherwise consider a move. The most capable HR leaders are rarely the ones applying. They are performing well in their current roles, valued by their existing employers, and not responding to job advertisements. As specialist HR headhunters, we directly approach high-calibre individuals through trusted relationships built over nearly two decades in the senior HR market.

Senior HR roles we recruit

HR director recruitment and CHRO recruitment demand a nuanced understanding of how HR leadership operates at the most senior levels. Today’s HR directors are expected to sit on executive committees, influence corporate strategy, and lead through periods of significant organisational change - and the right appointment looks materially different in a FTSE 250 group than it does in a high-growth technology company.

Stone Executive appoints across the full spectrum of senior HR leadership:

• Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief People Officer (CPO)
• Group HR Director and Divisional HR Director
• HR Director and Head of Human Resources
• VP of People and VP of Talent
• Head of Talent Acquisition and Head of Learning and Development
• Head of Organisational Development and Head of Reward
• HR Transformation Director and Change Director

Where the brief calls for it, we work alongside our board-level practice on chair, NED, and remuneration committee chair appointments where senior HR experience is the prerequisite. Where a CHRO appointment runs alongside a change of chief executive, we work in step with our chief executive appointments practice.

Why HR leadership appointments require executive search

A senior HR appointment is one of the most consequential hires a board makes. The individual appointed shapes the employee experience for every person in the organisation, sits at the centre of culture and change, and increasingly leads on the people-side of strategic transactions. The cost of a mis-hire at this level is not just financial. It can damage employee engagement, disrupt the people strategy, and set back organisational development by months or longer.

The leaders who reduce that risk most reliably are the ones already performing the job well at peer organisations. They are not on the open market. Reaching them requires a sustained network across the senior HR community, the credibility to make a discreet first call land, and a structured process that can move from first conversation to appointment without the candidate’s current employer knowing about it. That combination is what an experienced human resources headhunter brings - and the difference, on a senior HR brief, is the difference between a strong shortlist and a list of who happened to be available.

Our approach to HR executive search

Every Stone Executive HR search begins with a thorough briefing involving the chief executive, the chair, and any other senior stakeholders who own the appointment. HR appointments are uniquely sensitive - cultural alignment is paramount, and the brief has to reflect not only the role specification but the organisational reality the new leader will step into.

Defining the leadership profile

We work closely with the board to understand the role and the wider context: post-acquisition integration, cultural transformation, talent retention, building an HR function from the ground up. The leadership profile flows from those organisational priorities, not from a generic CHRO template.

Mapping the HR leadership market

Our consultants identify target organisations and individuals across all sectors in which Stone Executive operates, including technology, healthcare, financial services, industrial, and business and professional services. We engage directly with passive candidates through our professional network, built over years of senior HR placements.

Rigorous assessment

Each candidate is evaluated against the leadership profile, with detailed written profiles covering career history, motivations, cultural fit, and the candidate’s capacity to influence at board level. Functional expertise matters; so does the ability to land in a real organisation.

Appointment and beyond

Our involvement continues after the offer is accepted. We support both client and candidate through the transition, supporting the often-difficult conversation with the candidate’s current employer and helping the new leader land well in their first months.

Sectors we cover

Stone Executive appoints HR leaders across every sector in which we operate. Senior HR is a function with universal demand and very specific contextual variation - the priorities of a CHRO in a regulated bank are not those of a head of people in a Series C technology business, and our sector-specialist consultants bring the contextual knowledge to assess candidates against the realities of their market:

• Technology - scaling people functions, technical talent strategy, remote and hybrid culture
• Healthcare - workforce planning, regulatory compliance, clinical governance
• Financial services - SMCR considerations, FCA and PRA requirements, reward strategy
• Industrial and manufacturing - workforce transformation, union relations, health and safety culture
• Education - higher education HR, academy trust people leadership
• Public sector and not-for-profit - public accountability, transparency in appointments
• Media and entertainment - creative talent management, contractor workforce models

FAQs

To discuss a senior HR or people appointment, please contact our team on 0333 800 1560.