Talent Advisory
Know the market before you move.
Strategic talent advisory for private markets and investment management. Market mapping, compensation benchmarking, organisation design and succession planning — the intelligence that lets our clients act with conviction while others are still gathering information.
Decisions that should not be made blind.
Offers fail when they are built on outdated numbers. Our benchmarking draws on live mandates and current market conversations, so you know what the market is paying now rather than what it paid eighteen months ago. It also surfaces retention risk in your own team before a resignation does.
Market mapping gives you a current picture of who the strongest people are, how teams are structured at comparable firms and what it would take to attract them. When the role opens, the groundwork is already done.
We advise on how a finance function should be shaped for what comes next: reporting lines, seniority mix, where to build rather than buy, and the order in which to hire. The advice is based on what works at comparable firms, because we see inside them every week.
Four advisory disciplines.
Each engagement is scoped to the decision in front of you and delivered as a clear piece of work, not a generic report.
Market mapping & talent intelligence
A systematic picture of the talent landscape for a given function: who holds the key roles, how teams are structured, where the strongest people are and how receptive the market looks. Used ahead of a search to sharpen the brief, or independently when entering a new strategy, region or fund vintage.
Compensation benchmarking
Reliable, current data on base, bonus and long-term incentives for finance roles across private equity, private credit, fund services and asset management. Drawn from live mandates and direct market conversations — so you make offers that land, without over-paying.
Organisation design
Advice on how a finance function should be shaped for the firm's next phase: reporting lines, spans of control, role definitions and capability gaps. Typical briefs include preparation for a fund raise, a sale, or the professionalisation of a founder-led team.
Succession planning
A clear-eyed view of internal readiness against the external market for business-critical roles. We identify the two or three external candidates who define the benchmark, so you know whether the next CFO already works for you or needs to be hired.
Three ways to work with us.
When the advisory work leads to a hire, Carnegie runs the search. Every appointment requires a considered approach — we take the time to understand your requirements and recommend the engagement model that fits, drawing on our sector knowledge, established relationships and honest advice.
Carnegie
Select
Relevant candidates who are ready to move.
Our contingent recruitment service draws on our network and targeted sourcing to identify suitable people who are actively looking or receptive to a new opportunity.
Suited to clearly defined roles where the relevant skills are reasonably available, with a fee payable only on successful placement.
Carnegie
Aligned
A dedicated search beyond the actively looking market.
An exclusive recruitment partnership with dedicated time to understand your business, shape the opportunity and engage the wider relevant talent pool.
We map the agreed market and approach suitable people directly, including those who are not looking for a new role. An upfront engagement fee supports the work, giving you broader candidate choice and clear visibility of progress.
Carnegie
Executive Search
Comprehensive, discreet search for critical appointments.
Our most comprehensive service for senior and business-critical appointments, where the right individual can materially influence business performance.
Through detailed research, carefully managed approaches and deeper assessment, we help you make a well-informed appointment. Delivered on a retained basis, with senior involvement and discretion throughout.
Advisory work is done by the same consultants who run the searches, so the market view is first-hand.
Talent advisory, answered.
What is talent advisory and how is it different from recruitment?
Talent advisory is the market intelligence that comes before hiring: market mapping, compensation benchmarking, organisation design and succession planning. It is not a search, though it usually leads to one. When it does, we run the appointment through Carnegie Select, Carnegie Aligned or Carnegie Executive Search.
How current is Carnegie's compensation data?
When should a firm commission market mapping?
Ideally before the need is urgent: ahead of a planned expansion, a fund launch, an anticipated departure or a succession decision. Mapping done early means that when the hiring moment arrives you already know who the strongest candidates are and what it takes to attract them.
Facing a decision that deserves better data?
Tell us the decision in front of you. We will scope the intelligence that would help you make it.
- Established 2006
- London · New York · Luxembourg
- Discreet & confidential