Dan Hyde doesn’t fear the march of automation. In fact, he welcomes it. Dan is CEO and Co-Founder of Executive Search firm Erevena, which has a clear focus on clients with high growth ambitions. These are typically venture capital (VC)-backed companies, to which Erevena brings an understanding of the top talent needed for their success.
In this fast-moving world, Dan says his firm sees itself as advisors, as well as recruiters. This is a key differentiator, as he explains: “From the late 1980s onwards, there was a move towards commoditisation. This took the search industry away from its early days when consulting firms were in the business of helping American companies globalise. They knew more about internationalisation than their US-based clients, so established advisory positions that grew into what we know as Executive Search.
“Nowadays, however, Executive Search is more often just commoditised senior recruitment, with engagements sold on robust, (mechanical) processes, or some sort of quasi compliance. This is not true Executive Search. We believe that, to remain relevant, executive search firms must help shape a client’s requirement in a positive way. How? By enabling and empowering search teams with the industry knowledge that clients genuinely need.