Appointing leaders who make an impact.
Preserving values. Securing the future.
Headhunter for executives – executive search for family businesses and hidden champions
When leadership becomes a critical success factor, standard recruiting is not enough. It takes a deep understanding of owner logic, governance structures and cultural fit – and an executive search process that safeguards decisions in the long term.
Headgate is the headhunter for executives in large family businesses, hidden champions and fast-growing mid-sized companies in the DACH region and internationally. With more than 2,500 successfully completed search assignments, we combine in-depth industry knowledge with a methodology designed to provide certainty in decision-making. We always take into account the perspective of owner families, advisory boards and top management, so that succession and leadership are not only decided, but also fully supported. We work across Germany and the DACH region – and also fill positions internationally for our clients, as many family businesses have long operated beyond national borders.
Our unique formula for success, well-founded aptitude assessment and clear quality principles ensure precisely matched appointments – professionally and culturally. Multiple awards from WirtschaftsWoche and Handelsblatt confirm this standard.
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Why family businesses engage Headgate as their executive headhunter
Large family businesses and hidden champions face particular challenges when filling leadership positions and making leadership decisions: ownership structures that have to be taken into account. Cultural fit that goes beyond the CV. And leadership personalities who rarely apply actively. An executive headhunter who combines executive search with a genuine understanding of family-run companies makes the decisive difference in these situations – which is exactly why we developed our methodology. Find out more about our recruiting for family businesses and how a collaboration works in practice.
Five situations in which family businesses engage an executive headhunter
Large family businesses with more than 1,000 employees typically engage us in the event of:
If any of these points apply to you, a 15-minute conversation is all it takes to gain clarity on the right next step.
The Headgate formula for success
Lower risk, higher placement success
What separates a 95% placement success rate from the market average? Five success drivers that we apply consistently in every search assignment: from assessing cultural fit and comprehensive market coverage through to safeguarding with aptitude assessment and a 24-month guarantee. This combination makes us one of the top headhunters in Germany for filling leadership positions in family businesses and hidden champions.
★★★★★ 4,8/5 kununu · 200+ Bewertungen
★★★★★ 4,9 Sterne bei Google
WirtschaftsWoche · „Beste Personalberater“
Handelsblatt · TOP Personalberatung
Our services at a glance
Succession planning
Managing director and executive board succession for family businesses when internal solutions are not an option. We support the entire process – including stakeholder alignment with the owner family and advisory board.
Learn more >
Our long-standing top clients
Headgate in figures
best personnel consultancy goes into Headgate? We have already received multiple awards for our unique work: according to a WirtschaftsWoche survey, we are “Best Personnel Consultancy 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024”, and Handelsblatt named us one of the TOP 40 personnel consultancies in 2024 and 2026.
of candidates recommend Headgate on kununu? Our service speaks for itself: since 06/2019, we have received more than 200 reviews with an average rating of 4.8 stars (on a scale of 1 to 5).
or more of candidates respond to our approach? Thanks to marketing via landing pages and company videos, we achieve almost twice the response rate of the industry average.
successful search assignments have been completed by us? Automotive, construction, FMCG & retail, industrial, IT, finance, healthcare and logistics in particular are among our core areas of specialisation.
pass from project start until your preferred candidate has signed their employment contract with you? Speed and efficiency are top priorities for us.
per industry is our maximum? To keep the candidate market large, we aim to win the industry leader and at most one other company from the same sector as clients.
95% placement success rate
through structured aptitude assessments, cultural fit evaluations, and consistent brainstorming sessions before a decision is made.
Warranty rate below 3%
Fewer than one in every 33 projects required a replacement within the 24-month warranty period.
Industry expertise in headhunting rather than generalism
Every industry has its own transformation patterns, leadership requirements and market mechanisms. As a headhunter for executives, we know the specifics of our target industries – and deliberately attract candidates from adjacent markets as well, where this makes strategic sense. In each industry, we deliberately work with a limited number of clients in order to keep the candidate market open and avoid conflicts of interest.
Executive search with a 24-month guarantee
Our quality promise goes beyond the industry standard: should an executive placed by us leave the company within 24 months, we will conduct a new search once, free of charge. At Headgate, this 24-month guarantee is the standard, not the exception. We set out the conditions transparently in our proposal, so that you have planning certainty from the outset. A guarantee rate below 3% shows that our methodology produces appointments that last.
A family business that understands family businesses
Headgate is itself a family business. It was founded in 2017 by Tim Oldiges, building on two decades of executive search experience in personnel consultancy gained by his father, Dieter Oldiges. What began as a specialised boutique is today a team of 25 with a clear focus: leadership appointments for large family businesses and hidden champions.
We know the dynamics of owner families not only from our mandates, but from our own experience. Commitment to values, responsibility across generations and long-term thinking shape our work, because they shape our own corporate culture.
HEADGATE – Testimonials & Success Stories
Managing Director
Mechanical Engineering | Family Business | DACH
“We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly a complex key role was turned into a clear search profile. The approach was spot on, the shortlist small and strong. Today, technical leadership is noticeably more stable – and development has a clear direction again.”
CTO
FinTech/IT | Growth | DACH
“We did not need a ‘top engineer’ CV, but leadership for a distributed data organisation. The process was fast, discreet and very structured. The new leadership sets standards, improves delivery and brings stability to quality and platform scaling.”
CFO
Corporate Group | Finance | Germany
“The quality lay in the process: clear updates, sound assessment, no show. We have gained a finance leader who can truly manage complexity while bringing people along. That combination is rare – and it was achieved here.”
CEO
Retail | Omnichannel | Germany
“The role was an entrepreneurial key position with a great deal of dynamism. HEADGATE found candidates who combine performance and culture. The collaboration was refreshingly direct – and today the result gives us noticeably more orientation and momentum.”
Managing Director
Industrial | Mid-Sized Company | Germany
“HEADGATE turned a complex key role into a clear search profile – quickly, discreetly and with a noticeably high hit rate. The shortlist was small but strong. The appointment has an impact not only professionally, but also gives the organisation visibly more direction.”
Supervisory Board Member
Finance | Germany
“This CFO role was about steering, governance and change all at once. HEADGATE did not just assess competencies, but leadership impact in complex structures. Today we have more clarity in our financial logic – and a strong partner for management.”
CEO
Automotive | DACH
“The HR appointment was strategically decisive: international, fast-growing, values-driven. The understanding of culture and scaling was particularly strong. We have gained a personality who builds structures without losing the DNA of the company.”
COO
Logistics | Europe
“Operational leadership across several sites demands presence, structure and decisiveness. The process was close to reality, not to the organisation chart. The result: noticeably more focus on performance and leadership that works in day-to-day business – not just on paper.”
Head of HR
Industrial | Germany
“We rarely see candidates engaged so well at such an early stage. Interface, welcome video, clear overviews – the presentation was outstanding. It created noticeable commitment and significantly improved cultural fit.”
CEO
Industrial/FMCG-related | Group of Companies | Germany
“From sharpening the profile to communicating with candidates, every stage of the process was excellently prepared. A particular strength: translating the role into a compelling story – which meant we quickly had suitable personalities and an efficient follow-up process.”
★★★★★ 4,8/5 kununu · 200+ Bewertungen
★★★★★ 4,9 Sterne bei Google
WirtschaftsWoche · „Beste Personalberater“
Handelsblatt · TOP Personalberatung
FAQ
Frequently asked questions for our executive headhunters
A headhunter for executives identifies, specifically approaches and qualifies candidates for leadership and key positions – from divisional management and managing directors through to the executive board. Unlike classic job advertisements, this also reaches personalities who are not actively looking for a new role. Headgate relies on structured direct search, aptitude assessment and the close involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
Executive search is active direct search with a clear methodology. Instead of waiting for incoming applications, we identify suitable leadership personalities in the market, approach them specifically and qualify them against professional and cultural success criteria. Especially for positions that require confidentiality – for example as part of a confidential search – executive search is the only viable route.
On average, 9 to 12 weeks pass from project start to meeting your preferred candidate – depending on the role, the market and confidentiality requirements. Clients often see the first qualified profiles within the first 14 days.
The fee structure depends on the role, the search effort and the individual agreement. We discuss this transparently in the initial consultation and develop an individual search strategy. The landing page, aptitude assessment, candidate reports and the 24-month guarantee are included in the project fee – at no extra cost.
In addition to professional suitability, family businesses require an understanding of owner logic, advisory board structures and values-driven decision-making processes. Roles are often broader in scope than in large corporations, and cultural fit is critical to success. A specialised headhunter such as Headgate knows these dynamics and involves the owner family, advisory board and management from the outset.
Should a placed candidate leave the company within 24 months, we will conduct a new search once, free of charge. We set out the exact conditions transparently in our proposal. A guarantee rate below 3% shows that our methodology ensures appointments last.
Headhunter for executives with a 95% placement success rate – let’s talk about your vacancy
A mis-hire at leadership level costs on average 1.5 to 3 times the annual salary – plus lost time, cultural damage and missed strategic decisions. Our formula for success as headhunters in executive search eliminates the most common causes: unclear target profiles, a candidate market that is too small and a lack of cultural assessment. As personnel consultants for executives, we support you from clarifying the role through to a successful appointment.
In 15 minutes, you will know whether and how we can help. We clarify the role, target profile and a realistic timeline – openly, confidentially and with no obligation.