Sherrington Co-Founder and CEO Rob McKay reports back from this year's AGILIUM WORLDWIDE Europe meeting in Warsaw, Poland, where leaders from 20+ member organisations convened to discuss the executive search landscape in 2026.
A NAVI Executive Hiring Landscape
So far 2026 has been anything but predictable for executive search firms, and a gathering of search leaders from across Europe was an opportunity to put aside cross-border differences and discuss collaborative solutions to shared challenges facing the executive search profession across the continent, and indeed the globe. 'VUCA' (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) once accurately described the rising uncertainties business leaders faced through the late teens and early 20's, yet now a new buzzword has risen to prominence, one which seemed to capture the new normal for executive-level recruiters in Europe.
NAVI - Non-Linear, Accelerated, Volatile, Interconnected. More management buzz-speak, or an accurate description of leadership recruitment right now? In 2026, the talent pool for exceptional leaders no longer moves in predictable cycles. More than ever candidate's openness to new opportunities seems to shift abruptly, driven by sudden new geopolitical pressures, technological leaps and a constant flow of data influencing their decision-making and levels of risk adversity. Simultaneously, the velocity of change compresses hiring timelines, volatility reshapes role mandates mid-search, and deep interconnection means talent decisions in one market ripple globally. In this context, executive search firms are forced to operate with sharper judgement, real-time intelligence, and far greater adaptability—because the old, linear playbook simply doesn’t hold. This would be the backdrop of a fascinating conference in Warsaw last week.
The Power of Collaboration
As a relatively new member of AGILIUM WORLDWIDE, with Sherrington Associates having officially been appointed as the UK partner in September 2025, what has become quickly apparent is how member firms who invest in proactive engagement with their international counterparts are able to take advantage of collaboration opportunities for shared work. One such example was a recent consortium bid led by French member firm Elatos to deliver a multi-year project to recruit senior executives across Europe for an emerging renewable energy group, keen to work with an executive search group with specialist knowledge of each of the seven countries they were about to enter. Sherrington was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with other members on this exciting opportunity, courtesy of our friends in France, but this was just one of several examples of innovative collaboration across the group where member firm's combined experience and in-country expertise has led to new partnerships. Despite the volatile global economy, 2026 appears to have started strong for cross-border collaboration between AGILIUM members.
A Groundswell in Defence & Security
Unsurprisingly, much of the talk was about concerning global geopolitics and the impact on our respective local markets. Unsurprisingly still, many firms reported slow growth in some traditional industrial sectors including advanced manufacturing, chemicals, engineering, as well as in other areas such as construction and public sector. One sector where member firms are seeing increasing hiring activity is defence and security, with a new AGILIUM Sub-Committee emerging in January led by members in the UK, Poland and Lithuania. This group has emerged to capitalise on the rising opportunity to support defence and security clients across the globe, as the trend in defence spending translates into new senior-level hiring requirements for defence companies at every end of the supply chain.
Long-Term Investor Relations
Founded in 1984, AGILIUM WORLDWIDE is comprised of leading independent, owner-managed executive search firms, each specialising in their own home markets, many of whom have built their organisations by partnering with private equity and investment companies to appoint senior leaders across their portfolios over many years. In Warsaw, members described how in times of economic uncertainty, it's these relationships that create sustainability. Firms in Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands commented how investor's expectations of executive search partners are changing from simply just "filling holes in leadership teams", to now "creating enterprise value" by adopting the role of strategic advisor, providing crucial market insights, deeper assessment, and demonstrating tangible ROI, much like any other investor-backed service. Where executive search differs from other service lines, is their unique opportunity to scale portfolio companies at pace with the appointment of the right senior executive, so whilst price is always important in times of economic uncertainty, wise investors seem ever-ready to continue retaining their trusted search partners for those crucial C-suite appointments.
Traversing the Energy Transition
Energy and industrial engineering have long been a bedrock for many of AGILIUM WORLDWIDE member firms. Countries like the UK, Norway and France held historical dependance on fossil fuel markets but have demonstrated impressive adaptation to alternative energies in recent years, with the energy transition heavily influencing the Norwegian economy and both France and Poland benefitting from major investments in nuclear new-build. Member firms in these countries reported continuing growth in renewables, as well as firms in Italy and Germany. But hiring demands are changing. Clients in these sectors now require leaders who can operate effectively at the intersection between policy, capital, engineering and people, requiring search partners to think more laterally about headhunting in adjacent sectors like advanced manufacturing, infrastructure and other areas of heavy industry. In the UK, Sherrington Associates has also witnessed a similar shift, in clients placing less emphasis on 'energy experience' and more focus on appointing leaders with proof of execution in ambiguous, capital intensive environments, whilst simultaneously requiring inspiring people leadership qualities to motivate the workforce through volatile operating conditions.
Sailing Choppy Seas - Maritime & Logistics Hiring
Since Sherrington Associates was founded in 2014 following a lengthy track record recruiting senior leaders in maritime and logistics, we've been fortunate enough to recruit senior leaders for some of the most well-known names in the UK shipping sector including carriers, agents, insurers, shipbrokers and charterers, port operators and 3PL outfits. Whilst evidently some AGILIUM members firms have stronger pedigrees that others in these sectors, largely due to geographic parameters and economic forces in their local markets, it was encouraging to see our shared experience recruiting in maritime and logistics is exceptional, with particular strengths in the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Finland, with shared case studies of successful leadership recruitment with organisations including CMA CGM, Wallem Group, Stena, Peel Ports, Atlantic Container Line, Shell and Unifeeder to name a few. Whilst current turbulence in the Middle East is putting uniquely challenging conditions on shipping companies, the outlook for future hiring remains optimistic with pressure to decarbonise placing ongoing pressure on firms to recruit new leadership skills, and whilst investors continue to allow capital to flow into the sector, sharper expectations on returns, operational rigour and regulatory compliance are prompting leadership upgrades, translating into new assignments for executive search firms.
Professional Search for Professional Services
Much like the increasingly demanding expectations from clients in investment markets, the shared experience of AGILIUM member firms recruiting senior leaders for professional services clients across Europe appears to be that clients are now expecting their executive search partners to go way-beyond transactional search and selection, and increasingly provide a range of complementary 'talent services' including but not limited to talent pooling and pipeline management, executive coaching and leadership development and wider talent consultancy. Sherrington Associates has seen a similar trend in the UK with increasing appetite to invest in 'value-add' services such as culture diagnostics, particularly from professional services firms experiencing rapid growth or M&A activity where cultures change fast and the need to understand shared values across the organisation is paramount for recruiting the right leaders in key roles.
Summary
So, an exceptionally insightful Europe meeting following an equally positive AGM in France last October. Sherrington Associates is proud to be amongst such esteemed company alongside such experienced executive search leaders within AGILIUM WORLDWIDE and looks forward to continued collaboration with members ahead of the next meeting this Autumn.
