Executive Search & Leadership Advisory
Finding the right executive is only the beginning. Helping them succeed is what protects the appointment.
The search shouldn’t end when the contract is signed. A senior executive appointment represents a major investment in leadership, performance and future strategy.
Kylie Hammond Executive Search & Coaching Group combines executive search with structured onboarding and transition support designed to help the appointment succeed — through the first 100 days and across the first year.
Most executive search relationships finish at placement. Congratulations are exchanged, the search firm moves on, and the newly appointed executive is left to navigate culture, politics, mandate and stakeholder expectations alone.
That is the moment when many appointments become fragile. The organisation has invested in recruitment, remuneration, Board and leadership time, and strategic expectation. The executive has accepted a role that will reshape their career. Neither side benefits from a transactional hand-off.
“We do not consider an executive search complete when the appointment is made. We stay involved to help the appointment succeed.”
That continuity — search connected to onboarding — is the differentiator behind this practice.
When I entered executive search in 2000, one of the things that struck me was how abruptly the recruitment relationship often ended. Months could be spent identifying, assessing and securing an exceptional executive. The contract would be signed, congratulations exchanged, and the search firm would move on.
But from the executive’s perspective, some of the hardest work was only beginning. Clients were tired of the “love you and leave you” approach that is still common in recruitment. I believed there had to be a better model.
That thinking led to our executive onboarding approach: continuing to support selected executives through the critical transition into their new organisation — not as a courtesy call, but as structured first-year transition support designed to protect the appointment.
An offer accepted is not the same as an appointment secured. The appointment is successful when the executive succeeds in the role.
Executive onboarding is leadership risk management, not induction administration. A senior appointment involves:
Organisations that treat onboarding as a systems checklist leave the hardest work — mandate, influence, culture and first-year performance — to chance. That is where appointments quietly unravel.
Corporate induction gets people started. Executive onboarding helps them become effective.
| Corporate induction | Executive onboarding |
|---|---|
| Systems, payroll, technology, compliance | Mandate, expectations, decision rights |
| Policies and organisation charts | Board, CEO and stakeholder relationships |
| Introductions | Culture, politics and influence |
| Administrative readiness | Leadership effectiveness and first-year performance |
| Getting started | Becoming effective |
The first 90 to 100 days set the tone for credibility, relationships and early performance. Kylie’s support extends across the full first year — because lasting integration takes longer than a 90-day plan.
In those early months, executives need clear answers to questions that induction manuals never ask:
A five-phase structure that follows the real arc of a senior transition — from pre-start clarity through to established organisational leadership.
Clarify mandate, expectations, stakeholder landscape, appointment context, known challenges and leadership priorities.
Understand culture, team capability, strategy, political landscape, operating rhythm and Board/CEO expectations before trying to transform.
Set priorities, align the leadership team, build confidence, establish communication rhythms and identify early wins.
Shift into execution: strategy, organisational change, team performance, stakeholder management, Board communication and leadership effectiveness.
Move from new executive to established organisational leader: longer-term strategy, team development, succession, Board relationships and sustained performance.
This is a premium transition program — not a list of coaching calls. Sessions are scheduled around real onboarding milestones and the issues that surface as the executive settles into the role.
Sessions align with the five-phase framework: denser early support when listening and diagnosis matter most, then sustained advisory through the middle of the year as execution and consolidation take hold.
Where organisations engage the standalone Onboarding for Executives program, behavioural assessment and structured feedback can also be included as part of a deeper integration package.
“It doesn’t cost any more to use my services in comparison with other executive search firms — and you gain genuine first-year transition support behind the appointment.”
The agenda follows the appointment — not a generic coaching curriculum.
Every new executive needs somewhere they can speak freely. Inside the organisation, almost every conversation carries political weight. The Chair, the CEO, the executive team and HR all have legitimate stakes in the outcome.
Kylie provides a confidential, independent external sounding board — particularly valuable because she understands executive recruitment, Boards, governance and organisational politics. Where she managed the search, she also understands why the executive was appointed in the first place.
That dual perspective — organisation and individual — is rare. It is the difference between generic transition coaching and advisory grounded in how senior appointments actually succeed or fail.
Commercial commitment
We stand behind our appointments. Eligible executive appointments made through Kylie Hammond Executive Search are supported by a 12-month replacement guarantee, subject to the firm’s engagement terms.
The guarantee sits alongside structured onboarding — because the most responsible way to protect a placement is to help the executive succeed, not only to replace them if something goes wrong.
Option one
For organisations appointing an executive through Kylie Hammond. Search, assessment, appointment and transition support become one connected process — with the 12-month replacement guarantee available on eligible placements, subject to engagement terms.
Ideal when the Board, CEO or HR Director wants continuity from shortlist through first-year performance.
Option two
For executives appointed through another search firm, internal promotions, succession appointments, first-time CEOs, executives joining larger organisations, board-facing roles, or organisations seeking added transition support for a key appointment.
Explore the Onboarding for Executives program in the shop, or book a conversation to design the right engagement.
Designed for senior appointments where the cost of a slow or failed transition is material:
Primary commissioning audiences include CEOs, Chairs, Boards, HR Directors, Chief People Officers and business owners making significant executive appointments. Newly appointed leaders also engage directly when they want independent transition support.
Kylie understands both sides of the appointment: what the organisation thought it was hiring and what the executive believes they were hired to achieve.
That is why the practice has a strong first-year retention track record — built through careful selection, honest assessment and continued support after the contract is signed.
Executive onboarding is structured transition support for a newly appointed senior leader. It focuses on mandate, expectations, relationships, culture, politics, leadership effectiveness and first-year performance — not systems access or compliance induction.
Induction gets an executive administratively ready. Onboarding helps them become organisationally effective: clarifying what success looks like, building critical relationships, reading culture and politics, and establishing credibility in the first 100 days and beyond.
Senior appointments carry significant commercial and reputational risk. Without structured support, even highly capable executives can struggle with unclear expectations, stakeholder dynamics or cultural complexity. Onboarding protects the organisation’s investment and accelerates the executive’s contribution.
A new CEO should listen and diagnose before transforming: map Board and stakeholder expectations, understand culture and executive team dynamics, clarify mandate and decision rights, establish communication rhythms, and identify a small number of early priorities. Kylie’s framework then continues through the first year.
Clarity of mandate, critical relationships, political sensitivities, what to change versus leave alone, and how success will be judged at 30, 60, 90, 180 and 365 days. Early listening usually beats early overhaul.
The first 90 to 100 days are pivotal, but meaningful integration often takes a full year. Kylie’s program is designed as twelve months of transition support, aligned to the phases from pre-start through consolidation.
Executive transition coaching is confidential one-to-one support that helps a leader navigate a new role, promotion or organisational context. In this practice it is grounded in executive search, Board dynamics and commercial reality — not a generic leadership curriculum.
Yes. Standalone executive onboarding is available for appointments made through another search firm, internal succession, or any organisation seeking independent transition support for a key leader.
Yes — and it is often underused. Internal promotions can be as politically complex as external hires. Former peers become reports; Board exposure increases; expectations shift overnight. Structured onboarding helps the promoted executive reset relationships and perform at the new level.
Yes. Newly appointed and first-time CEOs are a core audience. Where the ongoing need is board relationship and enterprise leadership advisory beyond transition, CEO Mentoring may also be appropriate.
It reduces appointment risk, accelerates contribution, strengthens retention, and gives the Board or People & Culture leaders confidence that the organisation is actively protecting a high-stakes hire — rather than hoping the executive “settles in”.
Private one-to-one sessions focused on the live issues of the appointment: mandate, stakeholders, culture, team dynamics, difficult conversations, early wins and first-year performance. Where relevant, assessment and feedback tools can deepen insight.
Yes. Coaching discussions are confidential. Where an organisation sponsors the program, the boundaries of confidentiality and any high-level progress reporting are agreed at the outset.
Yes. Delivery is flexible — virtual or face-to-face — scheduled around the executive’s diary and the rhythm of the transition.
Eligible executive appointments made through Kylie Hammond Executive Search are supported by a 12-month replacement guarantee, subject to the firm’s engagement terms. It reflects commercial confidence in the quality of the search and the seriousness of the onboarding commitment.
Onboarding sits within a broader executive search and leadership advisory practice. Contextual next steps:
Next step
Whether you are commissioning a search, protecting a key appointment already made, or stepping into a significant new role yourself, start with a confidential conversation.
Kylie Hammond Executive Search & Coaching Group takes responsibility for the quality and longevity of an executive appointment — not only the placement.
