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The executive search glossary.

The terms of executive recruitment and finance, explained — and linked to our expertise on each of them.

A
AI & executive search

AI doesn't replace the consultant's judgment: it multiplies its reach. Learn more →

Asset management

Asset management is a niche craft: it takes a headhunter who speaks its language. Learn more →

Asset management firm

Recruitment in asset management requires a fine understanding of performance, compliance and client relationships. Learn more →

Asset management firm CEO

Running an asset management firm means balancing performance, compliance and business development. Learn more →

Asset manager

The best asset managers are in post, performing well, and rarely actively looking. Learn more →

B
Bank director

A bank director combines commercial performance, risk management and regulatory compliance. Learn more →

Bespoke recruitment

Bespoke recruitment adapts to your corporate culture — not the other way around. Learn more →

C
C-level

CEO, CFO, COO, CTO: every C-level mandate demands an assessment equal to the stakes. Learn more →

CFO (Chief Financial Officer)

The CFO is no longer just the guardian of the accounts: they carry the company's financial trajectory. Learn more →

Confidential recruitment

Succession, a sensitive replacement, restructuring: some mandates demand absolute confidentiality. Learn more →

D
Direct approach

For the most strategic roles, only a direct approach reaches candidates who will never respond to a job ad. Learn more →

E
Executive search

Turgot Executive Search is an executive search firm that conducts your leadership recruitment with the rigour of a craftsman and the power of artificial intelligence. Learn more →

F
Family office

A family office isn't hiring a staff member: it's choosing someone to entrust with the intimacy of a family fortune. Learn more →

Family office (Paris)

Paris is home to a growing number of single- and multi-family offices, with very specific needs. Learn more →

Financial markets

Trading, sales, structuring: financial markets demand immediate technical credibility. Learn more →

Fintech

The best fintech leaders speak both the language of financial regulation and that of technology. Learn more →

H
Headhunter

Our craft as a headhunter is to identify and convince the best profiles, whether they're actively looking or not. Learn more →

Headhunter in France

Our knowledge of the French executive market lets us move fast — and accurately. Learn more →

Hedge fund

Hedge funds recruit rarely, but precisely: every profile must demonstrate a genuine edge. Learn more →

I
Investment banking

M&A, financing, capital markets: each business line has its own profile requirements. Learn more →

Investment fund

Every asset class — private equity, venture, infrastructure — has its own pool, and its own codes. Learn more →

L
Luxury real estate

Luxury real estate runs on narrow networks, where a professional's reputation always precedes them. Learn more →

P
Portfolio manager

A track record is never read in isolation: it must be weighed against the market context that produced it. Learn more →

Private banking

In private banking, the client relationship portfolio is a banker's most valuable asset. Learn more →

Private equity

Recruiting in private equity means assessing a profile on two fronts: the fundraise and the portfolio's performance. Learn more →

Private equity (France)

The French private equity market has its own codes, its own pools, and its own players. Learn more →

Property development

Property development demands profiles able to steer long, complex project cycles. Learn more →

R
Real estate asset management

Real estate asset management demands a long-term view of value creation across an asset portfolio. Learn more →

Real estate director

A real estate director steers both the financial performance and the physical value of a portfolio. Learn more →

Real estate investment

Real estate investment brings together financial and technical profiles, rarely actively looking. Learn more →

S
SCPI · OPCI

SCPI and OPCI vehicles demand profiles combining real estate expertise and investor relations. Learn more →

Senior executive

Recruiting a senior executive leaves no room for approximation: we conduct every mission with the rigour these roles demand. Learn more →

T
Top management

Recruiting for top management means composing a team — not just filling a seat. Learn more →

W
Wealth management

Wealth management runs on trust: recruiting in this sector demands the same discretion as the profession itself. Learn more →

Wealth management (Paris)

Paris concentrates a major share of the French wealth management ecosystem. Learn more →

Executive search glossary — key terms for leadership recruitment

Executive search, headhunting, C-level, family office, private equity — these terms circulate in discussions about senior executive recruitment but are not always precisely defined. This glossary collects definitions of the main terms used in executive search and senior leadership recruitment.

Turgot Executive Search publishes this glossary to help clients better understand the practices and vocabulary of the sector, and to contribute to transparency in a profession that operates largely in discretion.

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