Service · CEO succession planning
CEO succession is a process, not an event.
We advise boards, families and investors on CEO succession across luxury, private wealth and premium consumer businesses.
The case for early evidence
The strongest succession processes begin before a vacancy exists. They connect strategy, governance, internal development, external market evidence and transition planning. In founder- and family-led businesses, the work must also address legacy, authority and the future role of owners.
Who commissions the work
Luxury groups and houses, founder- and family-owned businesses, family offices, private-equity portfolio companies and boards preparing for planned or accelerated change.
What the mandate may cover
- Future CEO success profile and mandate definition
- Internal-candidate assessment and development
- External market benchmarking and mapping
- Emergency and accelerated succession planning
- Board and stakeholder alignment
- Selection, referencing, transition and onboarding
What good evidence looks like
Our role is to make the decision more rigorous and more discussable. We distinguish what the organisation has needed historically from what the next chapter requires, identify the evidence behind each candidate and help the board address risk without defaulting to familiarity.
Questions the work should settle
- What will be different during the next CEO’s tenure?
- Is there a credible internal successor and what must be developed?
- How should founders or family owners define their future role?
- What evidence will allow the board to choose with confidence?
An advisory mandate, closely held
This work is commissioned to improve a decision, not to produce activity. We agree the question, the evidence required and who should see it. Research is discreet, recommendations are concise and the work can remain independent or lead into a retained search when the board is ready.
- Define the decision: agree the business outcome, governance and constraints.
- Build the field: examine direct, adjacent and international talent markets.
- Engage with discretion: approach people chosen for the brief, not simply those looking for a role.
- Test the evidence: assess judgement, achievement, motivation and context.
- Stay through appointment: advise on selection, references, negotiation and transition.
Practical questions
Is this always part of an executive search?
No. Advisory and intelligence mandates can stand alone. If the evidence leads to an appointment, a retained search is agreed separately and conducted on an exclusive basis.
Will the search extend beyond luxury?
Where the brief calls for it. We consider relevant leaders in consumer, hospitality, technology, financial services and investment, then test whether their experience will travel. Adjacency is useful only when the evidence is convincing.
Can the work be international?
Yes. Luxury Executive is headquartered in London and conducts cross-border assignments across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
What is the first step?
A confidential client enquiry or a call to the London office. We will discuss the decision, timing and whether search, succession advice or market intelligence is the right starting point.
Start before the decision becomes urgent.
A private conversation is enough to establish the right scope.
Brief a confidential search