Sector Practices
Corporate and Trust Services Executive Search
Leadership and commercial hires for corporate, trust and fiduciary services providers
Phoenix Search runs retained executive search for corporate services, trust and fiduciary providers, entity management businesses and the groups that combine fund and corporate services. We work across Ireland, the UK, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Malta, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands, the UAE, Asia and the US.
We hire the leaders who run these businesses, and we build the commercial functions that grow them: Heads of Business Development, client and relationship directors and sales teams, designed as a team so each hire complements the last.
The sector is changing hands at speed. Our Fund Services Leadership Index found three of the sector’s largest platforms in some stage of changing hands in the same six months: JTC, IQ-EQ and Gen II Fund Services. New ownership brings new leadership, and a small pool of proven country heads, client directors and commercial leaders is being competed for by every acquirer and integrator.
How we run a corporate services search
We start with the market map. Phoenix maintains a leadership register covering around 100 firms across four tiers, from global administrators to specialist providers, and publishes what it shows in our Funds and Corporate Services sector reports. Every search starts with a clear view of who holds the role and who is likely to move.
We build commercial teams, not just single hires. For growth, a new jurisdiction or a new service line, we hire the commercial leader first and then the business development and relationship team beneath them, benchmarking compensation so offers land at market.
We test for regulatory standing. Many senior roles need approval from the local regulator, from PCF roles in Ireland to senior manager functions in the UK and key person approvals offshore. We assess candidates against those expectations before they reach your shortlist.
We manage the close. Senior people in this sector are often tied in by deferred compensation or a live integration. We deal with buyouts, notice and timing early, so an accepted offer becomes a start date.
Roles we search for
- CEOs, Country Heads and Managing Directors of corporate, trust and fiduciary businesses
- Heads of Corporate Services, Entity Management, Trust and Private Client
- Client Directors and senior relationship leaders
- Heads of Compliance, MLROs and Chief Risk Officers, including PCF and SMF roles
- CFOs, Heads of Tax and Accounting, and finance leads for multi-jurisdiction groups
- COOs and integration and transformation leaders after an acquisition
- Commercial functions: Heads of Business Development and Sales, Heads of Client Solutions and complete business development teams
See also our fund administration executive search, Luxembourg and PCF executive search pages.
Frequently asked questions
Which jurisdictions do you cover?
Ireland, the UK, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Malta, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands, the UAE, Asia and the US. Many searches cross jurisdictions, and we search wherever the right experience sits.
Do you build commercial and business development teams?
Yes. Alongside leadership searches, we build commercial functions for corporate and trust services businesses, from the Head of Business Development to the relationship and sales team beneath them, designed as a team rather than hired one seat at a time.
Do you work with private equity owned corporate services groups?
Yes. Much of the sector is now sponsor backed. We work with management teams and investors on leadership hires through acquisition, integration and growth.
Do you handle regulated roles?
Yes. We search for PCF roles under the Central Bank of Ireland’s fitness and probity regime, senior manager functions in the UK and approved roles in other jurisdictions, and we build approval timelines into the search plan.
How long does a senior corporate services search take?
A typical retained search runs 10 to 14 weeks from briefing to accepted offer. Senior notice periods are commonly three to six months, so start dates need planning well ahead.
