The mentor
you would have called
had you known
their number.
A private search service placing current and former chief executives, chairmen and senior operators alongside the CEOs, boards and senior leaders of Australia's most significant organisations. Conducted on brief. Conducted with discretion.
Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane · Adelaide · Perth
This is not coaching. It is not a directory. It is a search.
A written brief, a private search
Every Executive Mentors engagement begins with a written brief drafted with you. We search against it actively and privately, looking first in the relevant city before widening nationally. We do not browse a standing list. We find the right person for your specific situation, then approach them directly.
Mentors who have operated at this level
The executives we place as mentors are current and former CEOs, MDs, Chairmen and C-suite operators who have personally held those roles. Many have led organisations turning over more than a billion dollars. Several have been appointed to boards by the organisations they first mentored. They bring direct experience of the decisions your leaders are navigating, not an observer's view of them.
A clean financial arrangement
A single transparent search fee paid to Executive Mentors for the brief, the search and the shortlist. The mentor is engaged and paid directly by your organisation. No commissions, no ongoing fees, no financial interest in the mentoring relationship after placement.
Complete discretion, by design
Executive mentor engagements at this level are private by necessity. Boards and organisations do not publicise that a CEO or senior executive is working with a mentor. We operate under a written confidentiality protocol covering every engagement. We do not publish client names, mentor names, or engagement details. The people we work with on both sides of the placement trust that this remains the case.
A practice designed for those leading significant Australian organisations.
Chief Executive Officers
The CEO of a significant organisation often has no peer they can speak to plainly. The board is above them. The executive team reports to them. An executive mentor provides a current or former CEO who has sat in the same chair, navigated the same pressures, and can speak without agenda. The mentor we place is not a peer. They are someone who has operated at a substantially higher level, typically an organisation an order of magnitude larger. We place mentors for sitting CEOs of organisations from $100 million to $1 billion and beyond.
C-Suite Executives
CFOs, COOs, CTOs, CHROs and their equivalents stepping into broader remit, preparing for the CEO role, or navigating the complexity of a significantly larger organisation. We place current and former executives who have done the role and gone beyond it. On several occasions the quality of the placed mentor has led the organisation to invite them directly onto the board.
Boards and Chairmen
Non-executive directors, committee chairs and chairmen seeking counsel on governance, succession or shareholder matters. We place current and former chairmen and company directors who have managed comparable boards through comparable challenges.
Senior Leaders Identified for Advancement
Organisations that have identified executives for succession or advancement invest in their development before the appointment, not after. We place operators with direct first-hand experience of the trajectory ahead of them. The engagement is private. The organisation's succession intentions remain internal.
Four steps, conducted in the order they should be.
The first call
A confidential conversation between principals. We learn the situation, the brief takes shape, and we determine whether we are the right firm for this engagement. Free, no obligation, no slides.
The brief
A written document authored with you. The remit, the character of mentor sought, the cadence, and the boundaries. We do not move into search until the brief is precise. The brief is a confidential document and does not leave the engagement.
The shortlist
Up to three candidates presented with full rationale. Each has been spoken to personally, has reviewed the brief, and is genuinely available and suited to the engagement. The search looks locally first. Candidates are not told the identity of the client organisation until they have confirmed genuine interest.
The placement
You choose the mentor. We make the introduction. Terms are documented. The mentor invoices your organisation directly. We step out of the relationship and remain available to either party if the engagement requires it.
A record built over 28 years.
Executive Mentors is led by search professionals who have placed at the chief executive and board level across ASX-listed and significant private Australian companies for nearly three decades. The methodology applied to executive mentor search is the same one used to conduct a retained board appointment. The discretion is identical.
Begin with a confidential call.
All initial conversations are private, held without obligation, and conducted between principals. We respond within one business day. Where appropriate we may decline a search. We will always say so plainly.
Your details and your organisation's name are held in strict confidence. We do not share, publish or reference client information at any point in the engagement.
Enquiry received
Your enquiry has been received. We respond within one business day.