I run one search at a time — and I run it like the hire is mine.

A smiling man with grey hair and a beard, dressed in a light grey suit and blue tie, stands outdoors with trees blurred in the background.

Most recruiters send you CVs. I carried the quota, built the teams, and made the hire myself — so I know the difference between a seller who looks good on paper and one who will actually hit the number in your market. Here is exactly how I work, and why it beats volume.

Schedule me a free consultation

The operator difference

I spent 25+ years in enterprise IT sales before I ever ran a search. I carried a bag, hit 200% of quota at Legato, won Brocade's EMEA revenue award, and launched five US technology vendors into Europe as one of the first people on the ground. I have sat on both sides of the table — the hiring manager making the decision, and the candidate being pitched.

That is not a line on an About page. It is the reason I can read a CV the way your hiring manager does, qualify a seller on real sales motion instead of keywords, and — just as important — convince a top performer to take your call when they were not even looking.

A volume headhunter cannot do either. That is the whole difference.

How a search actually runs

Every engagement is retained and exclusive. I take one search, I own it end to end, and I commit to a timeline.

1. Calibration — Day 0–2

We define the role for real — not the job description, but the profile that will actually succeed given your stage, your buying centre and your go-to-market motion. If the profile you are asking for is not the profile you need, I will tell you in the first 30 minutes.

2. Direct outreach — Day 1–10

No job boards. No LinkedIn spam. I go straight to the passive top performers in a network built over 19 years — the people who never answer a contingency recruiter — and I sell them your opportunity.

3. Qualified shortlist — Day 5–10

You get a short list of people I have personally vetted on sales capability, motion fit and culture. Not a stack of forwarded CVs for you to sift.

4. Process and close — Day 14–45

I manage the process on both sides — preparation, feedback, expectations, offer — so candidates do not ghost and deals do not fall apart at the finish line.

5. The guarantee

Every placement carries a 6-month replacement guarantee. 97% of the people I place are still there after a year, many after two to four.

Show me the packages

Why this beats volume

The real cost of a wrong sales hire is six figures — plus 9–18 months you do not get back. The honest comparison:

Volume / contingency headhunter
Nordh Executive Search
Sourcing
✗ Job boards and LinkedIn — the same CVs everyone sees
✓ Confidential direct outreach to passive A-players, network built over 19 years
Assessment
✗ Keyword match; never carried a quota
✓ Operator who carried quota and was the hiring manager — judges real sales motion
Focus
✗ Many roles at once; first to submit wins
✓ One exclusive search, run properly
Incentive
✗ Paid only on placement → fill fast, not right
✓ Retained + 6-month guarantee → aligned to the hire that stays
Candidate experience
✗ Transactional; ghosting
✓ A sparring partner, prep calls, honesty — 97% stay 12+ months
What you get
✗ A pile of CVs — you do the vetting
✓ The one right person, de-risked; a six-figure bad hire avoided
280+
Placements
97%
12-month retention
19
Years executive search
25+
Years IT sales
7+
Countries
Manager Magazin
Top-Experte 2025
FAQ

Questions I get before we start

What makes an operator-led search different from a normal recruiter?
I carried a sales quota for 25+ years and was the hiring manager myself before I ran searches. So I qualify a seller on real sales motion, not keywords — and I can convince a passive top performer to take your call, which a CV-forwarding recruiter can't.
Why a specialist solo advisor instead of a large search firm?
At large firms a junior often runs your mandate, not the senior you met. With me, the person you hire runs every phase — briefing, research, outreach, assessment, close. For hard-to-fill, senior sales roles that isn't a compromise; it's the advantage. And continuity is handled: a defined backup arrangement, a written 6-month guarantee, and the bulk of the fee due only when your hire signs.
How fast is a retained search?
Most retained searches deliver a qualified shortlist in 5–10 days and a signed offer in 14–45. I reach passive candidates directly rather than waiting on applications.
Do you work on contingency?
Not for first-in-region or senior sales hires. Those roles need committed, exclusive focus, so I run them retained. It's the only way the hard searches actually close.
Which roles do you place?
IT sales talent across cybersecurity, AI, SaaS, cloud and enterprise storage — Account Executives, Sales/Presales Engineers, Forward Deployed Engineers, Country Managers and VP-level sales leaders — across DACH and the Nordics.
What happens if the hire doesn't work out?
Every placement carries a 6-month replacement guarantee — if they leave or are let go for performance within six months, I run the replacement at no additional fee. In practice, 97% of the people I place are still there after a year.
Do you cover the Nordics as well as DACH?
Yes — Germany, Austria and Switzerland, plus Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. I grew up in Sweden and run searches in both regions.