01
Dedicated Retained Search Team
Dedicated search resources focused on successfully completing the mandate rather than simply generating résumés.
Retail & Consumer Executive Search Firm
Retail & Consumer Executive Search Firm
Recruit the Leadership Behind Your Next Stage of Growth.
Retained executive search for retail and consumer companies
building, transforming, and scaling their leadership teams.
Scion Executive Search identifies and recruits CEOs, Presidents, COOs, CFOs, CMOs, commercial leaders, ecommerce executives, merchandising leaders, supply chain executives, people leaders, technology executives, and other senior talent across retail and consumer markets nationwide.
98%+ long-term executive retention
1,000+ executive placements
National retained search
Since 2006
98%+
long-term executive placement retention
1,000+
Executive placements nationwide
16M+
Executive & professional network reach
2006
Executive search experience dating back two decades
What does Scion Executive Search do for retail and consumer companies?
Scion Executive Search provides retained executive search services for retail and consumer organizations nationwide. We help employers define leadership requirements, map relevant executive markets, recruit passive and active senior talent, assess candidates, manage stakeholder alignment, and support the organization through selection, offer, and successful hire.
What Clients Get
A Search Built Around the Leadership Outcome, Not the Candidates Already in a Database.
Executive search should give you access to the market, not simply the people who happen to be available.
98%+ long-term executive retention
More than 98% of placed executives remain successfully
in their roles beyond the first year.
Build Your Search Strategy →
02
National Market Mapping
Research across relevant brands, retailers, manufacturers, competitors, channels, markets, functions, and executive populations.
03
Passive Executive Recruitment
Direct, confidential outreach to high-performing executives who may never respond to a public posting.
04
Customized Search Strategy
Search strategy built around the organization's business model, ownership, stage, culture, objectives, and leadership mandate.
05
Experienced Executive Assessment
Candidates evaluated for leadership capability, relevant outcomes, scale, sector alignment, organizational fit, and long-term potential.
06
High-Touch Search Management
Active calibration, market intelligence, candidate management, stakeholder communication, and guidance through the entire engagement.
Also included throughout the engagement
Deep discovery and success-profile development
Industry and functional alignment
Board and search committee guidance
Confidential executive outreach
Interview and finalist selection support
Offer strategy and candidate closing
Reference and diligence support
Search guarantee subject to engagement terms
Why Retail & Consumer Employers Choose Scion
Built for Leadership Searches Where Fit, Market Access, and Execution Matter.
The best executive is rarely defined by title alone. We build each search around the business context in which that leader must succeed.
Consumer + Retail Context
Search strategy can account for channel mix, customer model, category, margin structure, growth stage, merchandising, operations, digital maturity, and ownership.
National Executive Market Access
We do not limit the search to a local applicant pool. Relevant executives can be identified and approached nationwide based on the mandate.
Search Beyond Active Applicants
The executive you need may already be successfully leading another organization. Our process is designed to find and recruit that market.
Leadership + Culture Alignment
Candidates are assessed for outcomes, leadership behavior, context, organizational fit, motivation, scale, and long-term potential.
High-Touch Search Management
Clients receive ongoing communication, market feedback, candidate management, calibration, and decision support.
Leadership Built to Last
Our 98%+ long-term executive retention rate reflects an approach focused on sustainable placement outcomes, not short-term résumé matching.
Leadership Searches by Business Situation
Search Strategy Changes When the Business Situation Changes.
Employers often come to Scion because something important is changing. We shape the search around that reality.
CEO Succession
Plan a leadership transition while balancing continuity, stakeholder expectations, and future strategy.
Confidential Replacement
Approach the executive market discreetly while protecting employees, incumbents, candidates, and business continuity.
Rapid Growth
Recruit experienced leaders who have already navigated the next level of organizational complexity.
PE-Backed Value Creation
Target leaders aligned to growth, operational rigor, margin expansion, professionalization, and the investment thesis.
Omnichannel Transformation
Find leaders who can integrate stores, ecommerce, marketplaces, customer data, fulfillment, and brand experience.
New Executive Function
Define and recruit a leader for a role that has never existed in the organization before.
Turnaround + Transformation
Identify executives with demonstrated experience rebuilding teams, economics, systems, and operating models.
Founder-to-Scale Transition
Add experienced executive leadership while preserving the brand strengths and entrepreneurial speed of the company.
Why Retained Executive Search
The Executive Market Is Larger Than the Applicant Pool.
Different recruiting approaches reach different parts of the market. Retained executive search is designed for high-impact leadership roles where proactive identification and assessment matter.
Applicant-Driven
Job Posting
Primarily reaches people who see the opening, choose to apply, and are available at that moment.
- Active applicants
- Inbound interest
- Limited control over market coverage
Existing Network
Database Recruiting
Expands access to previously known candidates, but can still concentrate heavily on an existing database.
- Known candidates
- Previous relationships
- Available talent pools
Scion Retained Search
Mapped Executive Market
Builds the candidate universe around the mandate, then actively identifies, approaches, assesses, and recruits it.
- Passive + active executives
- Target-company research
- Confidential outreach
- Structured executive assessment
- Dedicated search management
Retail & Consumer Leadership Roles
Executive Search Across the Entire Consumer Enterprise.
We recruit senior leaders responsible for enterprise strategy, revenue, brand, customer, stores, ecommerce, merchandising, finance, operations, technology, people, and supply chain.
Enterprise
CEO & President
Strategy, succession, growth, transformation, organizational performance, and stakeholder leadership.
Operations
COO & Operations
Stores, fulfillment, service delivery, productivity, systems, supply chain, and scalable execution.
Finance
CFO & Finance
Margin, FP&A, capital, controls, forecasting, transformation, and profitable growth.
Brand + Growth
CMO & Marketing
Brand, consumer insights, acquisition, retention, loyalty, demand, and performance marketing.
Commercial
Chief Commercial Officer
Revenue strategy, wholesale, accounts, partnerships, channel development, and sales.
Digital
Digital & Ecommerce
Ecommerce, marketplaces, customer journey, digital merchandising, acquisition, and omnichannel.
Product
Product & Merchandising
Product lifecycle, category strategy, assortment, pricing, planning, and inventory.
Customer
Chief Customer Officer
Experience, loyalty, service, personalization, insights, and retention.
People
CHRO & People
Culture, talent, workforce strategy, organizational design, and leadership development.
Technology
CIO, CTO & Digital Leaders
Enterprise systems, AI, data, commerce technology, cybersecurity, and transformation.
Supply Chain
Supply Chain & Logistics
Sourcing, planning, inventory, distribution, procurement, resilience, and fulfillment.
Functional Leadership
VP & SVP Search
Senior leadership across merchandising, operations, sales, marketing, finance, people, and strategy.
Retail & Consumer Subindustries
Search Strategy Built Around Your Category, Customer, Channel, and Business Model.
Select an industry below to see examples of leadership mandates, roles, and executive backgrounds that may be relevant.
Retail & Omnichannel
Lead across stores, digital channels, merchandise, operations, and customer experience.
Retail searches can prioritize leaders experienced in physical stores, ecommerce, merchandising, operations, supply chain, customer experience, technology, and omnichannel transformation.
Common leadership mandates
Roles commonly searched
Target executive backgrounds
Already know the leader you need?
Tell us about the mandate. We'll help define the search parameters and build the executive market around it.
Executive
Leadership
Assessment
Leadership
Assessment
Leadership Track Record
Business Outcomes
Scale + Complexity
Organizational Alignment
Channel + Market Experience
Transformation Capability
Relevant experience matters. Context determines whether it translates.
What We Assess
Executive Search Requires Judgment, Not Just Sourcing.
Relevant titles can identify potential candidates. Successful executive search requires understanding which leaders can actually perform in your environment, create the required outcomes, and stay successful over time.
Leadership Track Record
How the executive has led people and organizations.
Business Outcomes
Evidence of growth, transformation, margin, or scale.
Category Relevance
Understanding of customers, products, and markets.
Scale
Company, team, revenue, geography, and operating complexity.
Channel Experience
Retail, ecommerce, wholesale, marketplace, DTC, or multi-unit.
Transformation Experience
Ability to lead change rather than only maintain systems.
Organizational Alignment
Fit with culture, ownership, stakeholders, and leadership model.
Motivation + Long-Term Potential
Why the opportunity fits the executive's trajectory.
Retained Search Process
Clear Deliverables From Mandate to Successful Hire.
Our process creates alignment early, builds the candidate market deliberately, and supports the client through the complete executive hiring decision.
01
Discovery
Strategy, culture, business needs, stakeholders, role outcomes, and success profile.
02
Market Map
Target companies, executive populations, industries, functions, geographies, and analogs.
03
Executive Outreach
Confidentially approach passive and active leaders and build genuine interest in the opportunity.
04
Qualified Slate
Present thoroughly evaluated executives aligned to the agreed success profile.
05
Assessment + Interviews
Support consistent candidate comparison, interviews, stakeholder calibration, and references.
06
Offer + Close
Maintain candidate engagement and support offer strategy through successful appointment.
Ownership + Growth Context
Building Leadership for the Investment Thesis— or the Next Chapter of the Brand.
Retail and consumer leadership requirements differ dramatically between PE-backed companies, founder-led growth brands, large private enterprises, public companies, and multi-brand organizations.
We build search criteria around the environment the executive is entering rather than assuming leadership experience transfers equally across every operating model.
PE-backed value creation
Margin expansion
Professionalization
Founder transition
M&A + integration
Scale + systems
Portfolio leadership
Transformation + exit readiness
98%+
Long-term executive retention
Search Partnership Built Around Successful Placement
High-Stakes Hiring Deserves Meaningful Risk Reduction.
Scion's retained engagements include a service guarantee. In qualifying circumstances where a placement does not meet expectations, the search may be reinitiated without an additional search fee, subject to the terms of the engagement.
Combined with Scion's 98%+ long-term placement retention rate, that structure reinforces our focus on identifying executives who can succeed beyond the initial hire.
Discuss Your Search →
Trusted Search Partner
20 Years. 1,000+ Executive Placements. One Standard: Leadership That Lasts.
Scion Executive Search combines national reach, retained search methodology, executive assessment, and high-touch client partnership to support consequential leadership hiring.
Our broader organization has received recognition from respected publications and industry organizations.
Forbes
ClearlyRated
Best of Staffing
Inc. 5000
Business Times
Business Journal
Employer FAQ
Questions Employers Ask Before Engaging an Executive Search Firm.
Have a specific leadership mandate? We can discuss the role, business situation, confidentiality needs, and appropriate search strategy.
Talk With Our Search Team →When should a retail or consumer company use retained executive search?
Retained executive search is commonly used when the role
has significant strategic impact, the employer needs access
to passive executives, confidentiality matters, the candidate
market is difficult to identify, or the organization wants
a dedicated search process rather than relying primarily
on inbound applicants.
How is retained executive search different from contingency recruiting?
Retained search typically begins with a dedicated engagement
focused on completing a specific leadership mandate.
The process can include deep discovery, target-market research,
proactive executive outreach, assessment, ongoing calibration,
stakeholder guidance, and support through successful close.
How much does retained executive search cost?
Executive search fees depend on the level and scope of the role,
search complexity, engagement structure, and other factors.
Scion can discuss the specific mandate and provide the applicable
engagement terms after understanding the search.
How long does an executive search typically take?
Timing varies based on the role, executive market,
geography, confidentiality requirements, interview process,
client availability, and candidate notice periods.
Can Scion replace an incumbent executive confidentially?
Yes. Confidential executive search can be appropriate
for incumbent replacement, succession, restructuring,
ownership changes, or other sensitive circumstances.
Can Scion recruit executives from competitors?
Market mapping can include relevant competitor and analogous
organizations when appropriate. Scion identifies executives
whose experience aligns with the mandate and conducts
professional outreach according to the search strategy.
Does Scion recruit passive executives?
Yes. Passive executive outreach is a core component of
retained search. Many successful senior leaders are not
actively applying to roles, so Scion proactively identifies
and approaches relevant executives.
What happens during the first stage of a retained search?
The engagement begins with discovery around the organization,
leadership mandate, strategy, role outcomes, culture,
ownership, stakeholders, target profile, geography,
compensation considerations, and definition of success.
What retail and consumer industries does Scion support?
Scion can support executive searches across retail,
ecommerce, direct-to-consumer, consumer packaged goods,
food and beverage, apparel, fashion, luxury, beauty,
personal care, wellness, grocery, convenience,
consumer durables, electronics, franchise, multi-unit,
and consumer services businesses.
What leadership roles does Scion recruit?
Roles can include CEO, President, COO, CFO, CMO,
Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Revenue Officer,
Chief Customer Officer, ecommerce and digital executives,
merchandising leaders, product executives, CHRO,
CIO, CTO, supply chain executives, and VP or SVP-level
functional leadership.
Does Scion offer a guarantee on retained executive placements?
Scion states that retained engagements include a service
guarantee. In qualifying circumstances where a placement
does not meet expectations, the search may be reinitiated
without an additional search fee, subject to the terms
and conditions of the applicable engagement.
How do we start a retail or consumer executive search?
Begin by sharing the leadership role, company context,
business situation, timing, and search objectives with
Scion Executive Search. The team can then discuss the mandate,
clarify search parameters, and outline an appropriate
retained executive search engagement.
Your Next Executive Search
Your Next Executive Will Influence Growth, Margin, Customers, Culture, and What the Organization Becomes Next.
Make the search as strategic as the role. Scion Executive Search can build a targeted national search around the leadership outcome your business needs.
Start a Confidential Search →
Explore Scion Executive Search
National retained executive search • Since 2006