Empowering Leaders. Transforming Organizations.
We offer a personalized, high-touch approach to executive search, emphasizing exceptional client service and exclusive access to top leadership candidates.
See our Approach
How we can help you succeed
Expertise Across Sectors
We leverage decades of experience to help organizations win through talent
With robust capabilities and global reach, we lead a broad range of senior search mandates for boards and senior management teams, designed to drive long-term success. Our clients range from professional services organizations and investment banks to wealth management firms, financial sponsors and portfolio companies, among a host of others.
Celebrating our Clients’ Success
Leaders Placed
Successful searches across Canada & the US
Client Retention Rate
Client retention rate since inception
Fastest Time-to-Close
Time to place candidates in-role
Leading North American Boutique
Client Testimonials
“As part of a broad engagement focused on building out a diverse high performance team at Deloitte, Dean Executive Search attracted top-tier Partner candidates for various practice areas across the Firm. These ranged from corporate finance to financial crime in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary. It was one of the most important mandates that we’ve awarded a search firm. DES led a highly professional process, rooted in partnership, and delivered an outstanding client experience.”
“Adam and the DES Team led a critical search for our Vice President, Sales & Marketing, as we continued scaling to become a leading North American submetering company. Adam’s approach was strategic, comprehensive, and discerning. The search included an extensive market review and detailed competency-based assessments, allowing us to evaluate a diverse range of candidates both within and outside of the industry. Adam operates at the highest level of executive search, and we deeply value our partnership with Dean Executive Search.”
“The big differentiating factor that I saw in him compared to all the other headhunters across multiple firms is the depth of his knowledge of the industry. Our goal was to become a Top 3 investment bank in the country, and Adam’s leadership as our search partner helped us to attract the best people at a critical time.”
“Adam and the Dean Executive Search team built a strong rapport with CAI on an important CEO-succession mandate, providing strategic counsel and a thoughtful approach. They presented a slate of highly-qualified individuals who exceeded our expectations -- and did so with speed & urgency. The firm’s rigorous vetting process produced candidates from across industries who brought the competencies that aligned with our goals for the future. The new CEO has already made a measurable impact on the performance of our portfolio company.”
Why clients have turned to DES as their preferred search partner
“Batting 1,000” is a point of pride for DES: we have solved every mandate that we have ever been awarded.
This record of performance is what makes search committees turn to DES in their most challenging situations.
Since 2017, we have served more than 35 clients across six provinces, coast-to-coast. And now in the US, with our status as an E-1 Visa certified advisory firm, we continue to grow our US practice.
We understand what’s at stake and deliver results with conflict-free, white-glove service.
“Batting 1,000” is a point of pride for DES: we have solved every mandate that we have ever been awarded.
This record of performance is what makes search committees turn to DES in their most challenging situations.
Since 2017, we have served more than 35 clients across six provinces, coast-to-coast. And now in the US, with our status as an E-1 Visa certified advisory firm, we continue to grow our US practice.
We understand what’s at stake and deliver results with conflict-free, white-glove service.
Partners lead every aspect of your search; there are no juniors at DES. Senior advisors set the search strategy, make the calls, leverage our industry relationships, lead every update call and negotiate with the candidates until the search has closed.
With decades of experience at leading firms in Canada, our team advises Boards & Management teams on senior leadership roles and "buildouts".
Senior mandates:We lead senior searches for a diverse roster of clients, ranging from financial services institutions, professional services organizations and multi-strategy asset managers, to wealth management firms, a range of portfolio companies and corporate Canada.
Team buildouts:We also conduct large-scale team buildouts on behalf of organizations undergoing change, whether driven by new opportunities, the need to reconstitute teams or to support the entrance into new markets.
Beyond our track record, senior-level focus and tailored approach, we are forthright and plain-spoken with our clients. Searches can be challenging and filled with the unexpected, but our approach is focused and strategic.
We address complexities, navigate difficult situations and help you remain resilient. And that delivers the results you’re looking for.
Latest Insights
The matchmaker of Bay Street is out to fix hiring in Corporate Canada
Adam Dean believes that the way Corporate Canada hires top talent is broken. After years working as a banking executive, he’s out to fix things.
Read MoreThe matchmaker of Bay Street is out to fix hiring in Corporate Canada
Organizations adapting to executive shortage in wake of hot market
In a “candidate’s market,” compensation is being driven sky-high, while individuals, rather than employers, are dictating terms of their new deals.
Read MoreOrganizations adapting to executive shortage in wake of hot market
Bay Street's shortage of financial service executives causing a power shift
Adam joins Amanda Lang on BNN Bloomberg to discuss senior executives’ reluctance to change roles due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Read MoreBay Street's shortage of financial service executives causing a power shiftCertified as an E-1 Company by the U.S. Department of State
This special status allows us to continue to grow our U.S. client base and provide DES’s best-in-class boutique search advisory services to our ever-expanding list of American and global client organizations. These range from management consultancies and investment banks to venture capital, private equity, infrastructure and private credit groups and the portfolio companies that they have backed, amongst a host of other companies.
