Strong candidates
Strong companies
Our mission: we bring strong family businesses and leadership personalities together – discreetly, with a precise fit and with tangible impact.
We fill leadership roles – with a precise fit for TOP family businesses
Executive search & C‑level recruiting with an industry focus.
Headgate specialises in filling C-level and key roles in large family businesses and hidden champions – with a keen sense for corporate culture, decision-making processes and structures of responsibility. Our direct approach is discreet, respectful and on equal terms, supported by a structured executive search process. A 24-month placement guarantee underlines our commitment to quality as a long-term partner at your side.
Who we are
HEADGATE is the specialist executive headhunter for large family businesses. 25 employees, remote-first, operating nationwide. Our standard: reputable advice, discreet processes and measurable results – specifically for owner structures, advisory boards and management teams.
What we do
Filling C-level positions and key roles (CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CTO/CIO as well as divisional and departmental heads) – discreetly, data-driven and with clear quality standards. Our promise: a 24-month guarantee and a transparent, structured candidate selection.
Awards
- WirtschaftsWoche – Best Executive Search Consultants: recognised every year since 2020 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Handelsblatt – TOP Executive Search Consultancy: since 2024 (Headgate is among the top 40 in Germany)
- FOCUS‑Business – TOP Recruitment Service Provider: 2019 (Executive & Professional Search)
You will find further details & evidence on our news/press page.
What sets us apart
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More Information
The DNA of family businesses
Intelligent market coverage
Rigorous selection methodology
Genuine risk protection
Sparring on equal terms
The team
Our team combines executive search experience, industry expertise and modern research methodology.
You will find detailed profiles on our team page.
Our history
Steinbach & Partner
For many years, Dieter Oldiges worked at one of the largest executive search consultancies in Germany – almost two decades in total, the last ten years of which as managing director & shareholder. From 2005, he operated as an independent entrepreneur under the same umbrella brand.
Launch of an executive search consultancy for C-level, leadership & expert roles
Launch of a specialist executive search boutique with offices in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Ravensburg, among others – focusing on filling demanding leadership and specialist roles in industry and the Mittelstand.
Tim Oldiges joins the executive search consultancy and the family business
In 2013, Tim Oldiges entered the executive search business. Side by side with his father, he professionalised structures, sharpened the range of services and systematically expanded the network. With an uncompromising commitment to quality and a clear client focus, the company developed step by step into a renowned executive search consultancy.
Founding of HEADGATE GmbH: executive search for large family businesses
Tim Oldiges founded HEADGATE in 2017, with a clear and consistent focus on executive search for large German family businesses & succession planning. The firm fills C-level and key roles – with structured selection processes, robust aptitude assessment and an excellent candidate experience. The standard: discreet in approach, analytical in assessment, consistently people-centred in terms of cultural fit.
Leadership roles with impact
Headgate has firmly established itself among Germany’s TOP consultancies, with top ratings on Google and Kununu and a 100% Net Promoter Score. By combining professionalism, innovation and agility, we reduce our clients’ placement risk and receive recommendations throughout Germany and worldwide.
Which positions does Headgate typically fill?
We recruit for C-level positions such as CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CTO, CIO and CDO, as well as divisional and departmental heads, commercial leadership roles, succession candidates and specialist executive board positions.
How exactly does Headgate work?
We combine structured research and identification methodology with a respectful direct approach. Our process is transparent, efficient and personal – with dedicated contacts, real-time feedback and maximum discretion.
What we stand for
We bring family businesses and hidden champions together with the right leadership personalities – discreetly, quickly and with real impact. What defines us? Teamwork instead of egos, 5-star service instead of mediocrity, the Pippi Longstocking principle for bold ideas, down-to-earth success without airs and graces, and the “Department of Action”: doing rather than overthinking.
This is how we work: on equal terms, at a high pace and with clear responsibility – for appointments that fit culturally and deliver measurable results.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Headhunting is not a solo sport. We win as a team – interdisciplinary, on equal terms and with genuine interest in one another. This is how we achieve appointments that work for both companies and people.
How this shows in everyday work: helpfulness, sharing knowledge, a shared focus on business success.
What we avoid: ego trips, silo thinking, leaving others “out in the cold”.
5-star service – every day
We are never satisfied with average. Our standard: service that gives you goosebumps – friendly, empathetic, solution-oriented and accountable from A to Z. You can feel it at every touchpoint of the candidate and client journey.
How this shows in everyday work: full commitment, accountability, proactive problem-solving.
What we avoid: ducking responsibility, monosyllabic communication, doing the bare minimum.
The Pippi Longstocking principle: daring to think differently
We leave well-trodden paths while remaining professional and values-based. With a focus on technology & data, curiosity and a desire to learn, we challenge the status quo – in client assignments as well as internally. The result: greater reach, more precise assessment, smarter decisions.
How this shows in everyday work: an appetite for change, a hunger for information, personal development.
What we avoid: “We’ve always done it this way”, resistance to anything new.
Down-to-earth success
Confident in any setting, smart in our dealings – and still grounded. We combine professionalism, authenticity and respect. Success without airs and graces builds trust and suits family businesses that value cultural fit.
How this shows in everyday work: poise, eloquence, genuine interest in the other person.
What we avoid: pretence, arrogance, no longer valuing the “little things”.
Department of Action
We are passionate about results: high pace, high quality, high energy. Rather than overthinking: doing – with a clear vision, personal growth and enjoyment of the journey we share. This is how we create added value: faster shortlists, a better fit, measurable impact.
How this shows in everyday work: diligent problem-solving, pace, the power to get things done.
What we avoid: a civil-servant mentality, political games, apathy.
Our 5-star service for your perfect C-level and managing director appointment!
We solve one of the biggest challenges in recruiting: maximum transparency!
No more mis-hires – rely on our proven executive search strategy!
Für wen wir arbeiten
- Beiräte/Aufsichtsgremien & Gesellschafter – Nachfolge auf TOP-Level zur langfristigen Ausrichtung der Unternehmen
- Geschäftsführungen & Vorstände – Besetzung von Schlüsselfunktionen für Wachstum und Transformation
- HR‑Leitung & Recruiting – Begleitung des Kulturwandels im Führungskreis
These TOP family businesses are already satisfied long-term clients
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR PHILOSOPHY ON EXECUTIVE SEARCH
HERE YOU WILL FIND ALL OUR STATEMENTS AND INTERVIEWS IN THE MEDIA:
All-rounders wanted
The Mittelstand is regarded as the economic backbone of the country and offers interesting career options in times of crisis – with high demands on managers. These profiles now have the best chances.
Executives must be allowed to fail
Headhunter Tim Oldiges on the search for talent, references and diverse teams.
Is headhunter the right job title for what Tim Oldiges does? “Absolutely,” says the managing director of the executive search consultancy Headgate. “We see ourselves as hunters.” In the interview, Oldiges talks about the search for managers, the value of references and why a good leader must be able to fail.
“New Pay”: my salary, your salary
Comprehensible, transparent, fair: when it comes to money, expectations have changed. What lies behind the term “New Pay”?
He recruits TOP executives: an executive search consultant on eight supra-qualities that good bosses need today
- There are eight qualities that distinguish a good leader, says executive search consultant Tim Oldiges.
- In his view, these include intelligence, curiosity and resilience, among others.
- But the ability to inspire others and empathy are also important in order to lead a team as a manager.
How to find the TOP employees of the future
Fintechs, cryptocurrency & co. – like so much else, the world of banking and finance is in a state of constant change, and at every level. Many of the old rules no longer apply today, including when it comes to staff.
What family businesses must offer to attract TOP executives
At a time when one crisis follows another, good executives are in particularly high demand. Long-established companies need talent that knows what must be preserved and what must change.
Digitally savvy executives in demand
On the one hand, companies have to find IT staff externally. On the other, management has to set the course so that young talent grows from within its own ranks.
Headhunting is a kind of sales process
My job is extremely varied. As a headhunter, it is my task to recruit executives – in other words, to persuade TOP managers to make a move. We are often looking for the “Swiss Army knife”
How does “New Work” work?
Our working world has always been in a state of constant change, although until now we have only really been able to see it over longer periods of time. But the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic have acted as a catalyst in many areas, fuelling existing developments and trends and in some cases accelerating them dramatically.
On the Way to New Work – the podcast about new work
An established format by Christoph Magnussen & Michael Trautmann that has been sharing ideas, experiences and insights on the future of work for more than eight years, with over 500 episodes. Here, work is seen not merely as a function, but as a context for meaning, fulfilment and creativity. Tim Oldiges discusses with the hosts how corporate culture, role fit and long-term prospects can genuinely be shaped – beyond buzzwords and buzzword New Work.
Stimmig zum Traumjob
This podcast by career coach Peter Mörs is about positioning, self-marketing and the mechanisms of the modern job market – with a focus on executives and experienced talent. Together with Tim, Peter looks at how the market is changing through digitalisation, what really matters in appointments and how candidates can develop a compelling profile. With the “NCN Bull’s Eye method”, the episode takes a look behind the scenes of successful career and executive search consulting.
Leadership Masterclass – learning from the best
Hosted by Brigitte Dyck, performance coach and leadership visionary, this podcast has been accompanying leaders and entrepreneurs through complex challenges since 2020. With impulses, stories and leadership quick wins that can be applied directly in everyday work, it fills the “leadership toolbox” with instruments that make a real impact. Here, Tim talks about the role of mindset, decision-making processes and leadership competence – always with a view to people and real-world tasks.
People Pleasing adé – a podcast for leadership and careers
This format by university lecturer Dr Verena Stahl explores fascinating topics around self-development, leadership and careers. It is all about how to realise your professional potential. In the episode on people pleasing in top management, Tim Oldiges talks about why companies need clear mandates, open friction and leadership with backbone, especially in the context of family businesses, and why a clear NO is often more valuable than a hasty yes.
FAQs Questions? Find the answers here.
We specialise in executive search for large family businesses, hidden champions and the industrially oriented Mittelstand. Our work combines in-depth industry understanding with a structured methodology, personal closeness and a 24-month guarantee on every placement.
Our focus is on industrial, IT, construction, medical technology, FMCG & retail, automotive and logistics. We place leadership personalities in key positions who are a cultural and strategic fit for the company.
We recruit for C-level positions such as CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, CTO, CIO and CDO, as well as divisional and plant managers, commercial leadership roles, succession candidates and specialist executive board positions.
Behind Headgate lie more than 40 years of executive search experience in corporate and Mittelstand contexts. Its roots go back to the 1980s. Since 2017, Headgate has focused on the Mittelstand as a brand in its own right – today with 24 employees and a clear specialisation.
We combine structured research and identification methodology with a direct, respectful approach. Our process is transparent, efficient and personal – with dedicated contacts, real-time feedback and maximum discretion.
Depending on the role and market environment, our time to shortlist is between 4 and 6 weeks. The final appointment – depending on the process on the client side – is often made within 8 to 12 weeks.
Ready for the right leadership?
Executive search with a 24-month guarantee!
For our clients, only a successful long-term appointment counts. That is why we offer our clients a guarantee that is unusual in the German market.