About Headhuntly

Headhuntly is an executive search firm that headhunts AI-era leaders for Australian businesses: new AI C-suite roles such as Chief AI Officer, and the senior marketing, digital, technology and C-suite leaders who now need to know AI. We work one client, one role at a time, and we publish our fee.

What Headhuntly does

AI leadership search

New AI roles such as Chief AI Officer and AI Compliance Officer. Most businesses hiring one have never written the brief before, so we help define the role before the hunt starts.

Executive search

We define the role, find the people who fit it and approach them directly, most of whom aren’t looking. A typical search takes 3 to 6 weeks. How a search works.

C-suite search

COO, CFO, CSO, CCO, General Manager and similar roles. These are run as confidential headhunts, because a public job ad for a senior role tells the market something is changing.

Marketing leadership search

Head of Marketing, Marketing Director, CMO and digital leaders. Marketing and digital roles make up most of our placements, and every one of them now needs someone who can put AI to work. Marketing recruitment.

What makes Headhuntly different

We headhunt. We don’t recruit.

A recruiter posts an ad and works through who applies. We start from the brief and go after the people who fit it, whether or not they’re looking.

One client, one role

Every search is exclusive. Your role gets our full attention from brief to signed contract.

The fee is published

15% of the placed candidate's base salary plus super, plus an engagement fee. Many search firms charge 20 to 30%. We put ours on the website so you know the cost before the first call.

No candidate database

We don’t keep a pile of CVs and pitch whoever is in it. Every search starts from your brief and goes after the people who fit it.

No AI keyword screening

We don’t run candidates through applicant tracking software that filters on keywords. The people who change a business rarely have the CV a keyword filter is looking for.

A re-hunt if it doesn’t work out

If the placement doesn’t work out during the candidate’s probation period, we start the hunt again.

Senior roles only

We don’t place junior roles. Half of our placements over the last five years were on $150K or more base salary.

Who uses Headhuntly

• Established digital businesses replacing a C-suite leader
• Established digital businesses adding a new AI C-suite role, such as a Chief AI Officer
• Overseas companies hiring the leader of their Australian division
• Founders, CEOs and boards making a senior marketing, technology or executive hire

The team behind Headhuntly

Headhuntly was founded by Elizabeth (Libby) McDonald, who runs it as Founder and Director.Libby on LinkedIn.

Follow Headhuntly on LinkedInand Instagram.

How Headhuntly works

1. Brief. Tell us about the role through the contact form. We’ll say straight whether it needs a headhunt.
2. Define. We define your company, the role and the person, and set a 30, 60, 90 day performance framework.
3. Hunt. We identify who you need and approach them directly. Based on the Gold Coast, hunting Australia-wide.
4. Place. Your new hire signs their employment contract and the placement fee falls due. The engagement fee is paid upfront when the search starts, and we walk you through it on the first call.

A typical search takes 3 to 6 weeks. The full process is on how it works.

Key facts