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Supporting creators, founders and leaders to exponentially grow their business through:

  • Talent
  • Capital
  • Advice
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Our areas of expertise are:

98%
retained placement rate, over 18 years
Get
cross-cultural candidates
Place
key roles, reliably
Know
you are getting the best match

Do you struggle to find excellent candidates…
for complicated profiles?

Do you struggle to find a recruitment partner who will effectively sell your role — and your brand — in the marketplace?
  • “The shortlist was low-quality: they didn’t give us candidates we liked.”
  • “They didn’t give our assignment the time and effort promised.”
  • “They didn’t treat the candidates well — and we came out looking bad.”
  • “We wasted months on a process that didn’t yield results.”
  • “The candidate was okay, but we wonder if we could have done better.”
  • “We wasted hours interviewing the wrong candidates.”
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone.

Finding a reliable recruitment partner is hard.
And we’ve been helping to change that since 2001.

If you want the perfect candidate, you need to share your headhunter’s values.

Hi! I’m William Laitinen, CEO of a boutique, Devon-based recruitment firm that’s worked with some of the largest companies in Western Europe for the past 18 years.

In an industry plagued by assembly-line service and low-quality candidates, I was determined to build a team that would consistently provide outstanding candidates — thanks to exhaustive research and crystal-clear values.

During an average Exige search over 4-8 weeks, we…

  • Review
    14,532
    profiles
  • Add
    217
    candidates to a longlist
  • Conduct
    35
    hours of interviews
  • Spend
    9.4
    hours creating applications
  • Produce
    3.6
    candidates for a shortlist
  • No shortcuts.
  • No data dumps.
  • Just excellent candidates.

What makes an outstanding candidate?

The Exige Axis of Success

At Exige, we are clear about the traits we value most —
and every one of our candidates presents with all four in abundance.

Integrity

Honest, governed by strong moral principles. All strong business communities depend on trust.

Humility

Modest, with the ability to recognize their own deficits and seek other people’s guidance. An antidote to the ego.

Assertiveness

Confident and forthright, without aggressiveness or arrogance. Ability to stand up for your ideas and those around you.

Resilience

Adaptability to change, perseverance in the face of adverse or changeable conditions. The power behind all change.

We believe:

  • Truly outstanding candidates come from reviewing thousands of profiles
  • Every candidate deserves to be treated with responsiveness & respect
  • Successful searches go beyond the job description — and dig deep into the candidate’s personality, culture, and values.
When you work with us, you’ll never get a massive list of candidates to sort through, because so few candidates make the cut.

“Personal involvement means there’s personal stake”

With most recruitment firms, you talk to the principal, but other team members approach the candidates. It’s much less personal; I couldn’t trust that the messages would be delivered in the right way. With Exige, Will’s personal involvement meant that there was a personal stake. I wasn’t just talking to a front salesman, I was talking to a partner, to the person who would develop an active dialogue with the candidates.
James Baird, Former Senior Client Partner, Deloitte

“Beyond my expectations”

Exige is able to create successful teams because they get into the candidate’s values versus just their performance. William worked to understand me beyond the job description, to understand what my candidates would need to create synergy. That was unique in my experience with recruiters — to operate from this human point of view. William built my team from the ground up, and their performance today is beyond my expectations.
Hugues Yo, Senior Marketing Director at Canada Goose
Our Methodology

What do you get when you review 14,532 profiles?

You get an outstanding shortlist

It’s simple math: if you review a large enough pool of candidates, you will find an excellent match. This is why our methodology has achieved a 98% success rate to date.

“I feel confident presenting the shortlist to stakeholders”

When Exige presents me with a list of candidates, I know there is a huge amount of work behind it, and I feel confident presenting it to stakeholders. Their selection is not vague, it’s not shallow. It is something with a lot of substance.
Claudio Nagib Calcada, Group Head Talent Management, LafargeHolcim Group
How it Works

How we source the best candidate for you

  1. 1

    Review

    Our team takes the time to learn about your business, gaining a thorough understanding of your company culture and team dynamics.
  2. 2

    Find

    We find the best candidates by tapping into our extensive network, searching thousands of profiles and selecting only the most exceptional individuals.
  3. 3

    Assess

    We assess each candidate through 2 hours of interviews. This ensures we only shortlist individuals who are a perfect fit, so you don’t waste time on irrelevant interviews.
  4. 4

    Manage

    Now that we’ve narrowed down a shortlist of highly qualified candidates, we manage the logistics of the interview & offer stages, assuring a bump-free process for all.
  5. 5

    Place

    Once a job offer has been made, we continue to communicate with both client and candidate, ensuring a smooth transition and lasting satisfaction on both sides.
Why Us?

You are not just another assignment

Here’s why clients prefer us over larger search firms

Enjoy personalized, relationship-driven service

You are not just another number. We take on a limited number of clients each year so we can give each role the same hundreds of hours and obsessive commitment to detail.

Expect weekly follow-ups, detailed updates, and regular calls to make sure we’re on the right track. Expect a keen, passionate, and driven team that makes the process seamless… even enjoyable!

“William and the Exige team are knowledgeable, interesting, easy-to-work-with… and also fun. The relationship piece is a huge part. It’s always about the trust, to feel that the other person has your best interests and is committed to delivering the best results. Over the years, I’ve learned to work only with people who are eager to deliver. Exige is really eager to deliver, and you feel that.
Stephanie Weisenberger, HR Director at Swiss Re

Get outstanding, high-performing candidates — even for specialized roles

Our exhaustive research process means you feel confident you got the absolute best candidate for the job.

After 30+ hours of stakeholder interviews, profile reviews, and candidate interviews, our clients know they’ve received a truly comprehensive market overview. More than anything, they know they’ll get highest-quality candidates — every time.

“The reason people want to work with Exige is because they get the job done. It’s all about research capabilities, and when you have the right research or sourcing capabilities, you can make every profile happen. Exige delivers that in their highest excellence.”
Patricia Turk, HR Director, Canada Goose International

Grow your company’s reputation among key candidates

Every HR Director wonders: what’s the recruitment firm saying about us? What do candidates think? Ultimately, the headhunter you choose is going to be selling your brand in the marketplace — and you want to know they’re doing it right.

We make your company look good. Through precise job descriptions and rich interpersonal skills, we build strong relationships with candidates in a short amount of time…and become trusted, effective salespeople for your brand.

“What was very important to me was the quality of candidate contact and engagement — the ability to sell to the candidates. William understood and valued the vision and style of my company — so I knew he would communicate it the right way to the candidates. It became almost a joint sales effort, Will and myself.”
James Baird, Former Senior Client Partner, Deloitte

Know your candidates are being treated well

What will candidates say about your company after this whole process? Even if it’s a no, you want to make sure everyone comes out feeling good. It’s important for your reputation…and it’s the human thing to do.

No other recruitment firm provides a more supportive candidate experience. Our exhaustive interview preparation process ensures that candidates show their very best, and our extensive coaching gives them skills they treasure for life. At every stage and every step, our candidates feel deeply empowered and cared for.

“Throughout my journey, from the moment we started, I felt you were guiding me, helping me to make it happen. Other headhunters would give me interview details and that was it — I was on my own. With Exige, we prepared together, we discussed together. You analyzed my background and CV, and offered advice throughout the process. It was a completely different experience.”
Mirela Dimofte, COO, iptiQ

Get thoroughly prepared candidates who present their best selves

When candidates come prepared, you know you won’t lose a great contender due to one anxiety-ridden interview. You also know you won’t waste time discussing things that could have been covered before.

That’s why we spend hours prepping our candidates. Our clients tell us: “Your candidates know who we are; they have questions prepared; we have productive conversations. We don’t have to spend time messing around with the fundamentals.”

“William prepares the candidates extensively, so we don’t have to worry about dismissing high quality candidates due to one bad interview. He helps the candidates perform their best and show what they already have inside. I feel confident that candidates will come well-prepared for the conversation.”
Claudio Nagib Calcada, Group Head Talent Management, LafargeHolcim Group

Get candidates who check all boxes: personality, culture & values

Successful teams are about synergy — that’s why we put people, not profiles, first. Our holistic approach means you get a candidate who’s an excellent match not just on paper, but in personality, culture, and values.

Why is this candidate leaving their current job? What is their motivation? What do they value in a workplace? The answers to these questions help us match the right person to the right organization.

“The Exige team doesn’t just match word-for-word job descriptions to profiles; they use a more holistic perspective. William looks at not only the profile but also the culture of the company, the personality of the supervisor, and other less tangible factors.”
Sascha Weber, Chief Financial Officer, Polustech