A Corporate Development executive search firm identifies and recruits senior leaders responsible for areas such as mergers and acquisitions, deal sourcing, valuation, diligence, transaction execution, integration, strategic partnerships and inorganic growth. Scion uses retained market research, direct executive outreach and leadership assessment to recruit candidates aligned with the organization's specific mandate.

Scion first defines the leadership mandate and then maps executives across relevant organizations, sectors, ownership structures and transaction environments. Qualified active and passive executives can then be approached directly and assessed against the organization's needs.

Scion can recruit Chief Development Officers, Heads of Corporate Development, SVPs and VPs of Corporate Development, Corporate Development Directors, Heads of M&A, Strategy and Corporate Development leaders, strategic investment executives, corporate venture leaders and M&A integration leadership.

The right experience depends on the mandate. Employers may prioritize acquisition sourcing, financial modeling, valuation, diligence, negotiation, transaction execution, integration, sector expertise, board communication, team leadership or experience building a Corporate Development function.

Investment banking can provide strong transaction, valuation and financial analysis experience, but it is not the only relevant background. Depending on the role, employers may benefit from executives with in-house Corporate Development, private equity, corporate strategy, strategic finance, consulting or operating experience.

Yes. Retained executive search is designed to reach beyond executives who are actively applying to jobs. Scion maps relevant markets and directly engages qualified leaders whose transaction experience, leadership capability and industry background align with the mandate.

Yes. Scion conducts executive searches nationwide and can build search strategy around geography, relocation, hybrid expectations, industry markets and relevant executive talent hubs.

A retained search can identify relevant leaders at comparable or adjacent organizations and approach them directly and professionally. Outreach can be conducted confidentially when the organization or prospective executive requires discretion.

The search should reflect the sponsor's investment thesis, acquisition pace, add-on strategy, portfolio environment, integration expectations and required board interaction. Scion can target leaders with direct experience operating in sponsor-backed and buy-and-build environments.

Corporate Strategy typically focuses more broadly on enterprise priorities, competitive positioning and long-term direction, while Corporate Development often owns inorganic growth, acquisitions, strategic investments and related transaction activity. Some leadership roles intentionally combine both functions.

Yes. Confidential search protocols can support succession, replacement and other sensitive leadership situations where discretion is important for the organization, incumbent executive and prospective candidates.

Dedicated leadership may become valuable when M&A is becoming a repeatable growth strategy, transaction volume is increasing, leadership needs a stronger acquisition pipeline, transaction complexity is growing or the CEO and CFO no longer have the capacity to carry Corporate Development alongside other responsibilities.

The process begins with a confidential conversation about the organization, leadership need, growth strategy, transaction environment, reporting structure, geography, experience requirements and measures of success. Scion can then help translate those priorities into a targeted retained search strategy.