Managing Director & CEO Recruitment in Belgium

Archetype recruits managing directors and CEOs for private companies in Belgium and for subsidiaries setting up in the Benelux. We approach executives already in post, assess their leadership before introducing them to you, and the search can be run without a public advert. We work on a retained basis, with fees set before the search starts in a written proposal and never a success fee. Allow 12 weeks on average, with a 6-month replacement guarantee, in French, Dutch or English. Tell us about the role and our proposal will reach you within 48 to 72 hours.

Managing director candidate in conversation with two board members in a boardroom — Choosing a managing director is decided in front of the board, on evidence and on the project.

Why hiring a managing director works differently

The right candidates do not read job adverts. They already run a company, a business unit or a subsidiary, and they will only move for a project explained to them in person. The search is often confidential: the current head is not always informed, and neither are the teams. The final decision rests with a board or with shareholders who do not all have the same profile in mind. For a foreign subsidiary setting up in Belgium, there is also a market that works in French and Dutch, and often in English with headquarters: we run the search and the interviews in all three languages.

Nearly half of our assignments are initiated directly by managing directors, CEOs or founders. We know who we are talking to, and what a poor choice costs at the top of a company. Management roles, including CEO and managing director positions, account for a fifth of our assignments.

Our method, from the first call to the final choice

The first call puts the requirement back on the table: what the board expects from the new managing director over three years, the pay range, the points on which shareholders disagree. You receive our proposal within 48 to 72 hours, then a summary of the requirement, the role scorecard and the sourcing strategy. On average, the assignment is signed 12 days after first contact.

We then approach candidates directly. Each finalist goes through an in-depth interview, a competency analysis against the scorecard and the KOAN personality test, which we have used for three decades. For each one you receive a structured presentation: scorecard, interview transcripts, validated job description and KOAN reading.

What KOAN reads in a future managing director

1. Competencies

What the person can do. For a managing director: making trade-offs, delegating, running a management committee.

2. Drivers

What moves them forward and what holds them back. The project you offer has to feed those drivers.

3. Behavioural dynamics

How they react under pressure, in a team, in the face of change. How well they fit your board and your culture.

About Archetype

Archetype is a Belgian family business founded in 1993 by Marc Diamant and now co-managed with Davy Diamant and Steve Diamant. A member of Federgon, it won Talent Business Innovation of the Year 2025 for its ethical and structured use of AI.

Our first call isn’t about validating your brief. It’s about challenging it. Most agencies take the order, go sourcing, and come back with ten CVs. We put the requirement back on the table first: is the role properly defined, does the scorecard hold up, is the market aligned with your range? If the brief drifts, so does the sourcing. This discipline isn’t comfortable for everyone, but it’s what’s kept us in business for 33 years.
The Archetype method, since 1993

Fees, timescales and guarantee

We work on a retained basis only. The fee is set before the search starts in a written proposal, according to the level of the role, the languages required and the complexity of the assignment; it does not depend on the time spent. A search takes 12 weeks on average between signing the assignment and the candidate’s acceptance, notice period not included. We follow the new managing director’s onboarding during their first three months, and a 6-month replacement guarantee applies if they leave the company.