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Verity Search. — Verity Search Ltd

About

Ian would rather do fewer searches, properly.

Verity Search is one person, on purpose. No research pool, no associates, no partner who disappears after the pitch. Here is why.

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The market map — built for every search

Ian’s story

Fifteen years in, one conclusion

“15+ years in executive search, specialising in banking and financial services. Built Verity Search around transparency, quality and long-term relationships rather than high-volume recruitment.”

Ian Pope

Fifteen-plus years placing senior people into banks, specialist lenders and fintechs teaches you what clients actually complain about. It is rarely the fee. It is the search that was sold by one person and run by another. The month with no news. The shortlist padded to look like effort. The candidate who was never told why.

Nobody is being dishonest. The model just has the accountability in the wrong place.

Verity Search was set up in 2024 to put it back. Ian takes on the searches he can run personally, tells you what he is doing as he does it, and stays in touch after the appointment is made. Long-term relationships rather than high-volume recruitment — that is the business model, not a slogan.

Ian on LinkedIn

The principles

Smarter, fairer, more accountable

Ian’s one line for the business is “Making recruitment smarter, fairer and more accountable — combining data, technology and old-school headhunting to make better hires.” Here is what each word means when you are the client.

  1. 01

    Smarter

    The market is mapped before anyone is approached, using data and technology to find every credible candidate rather than the ones who happen to be looking. Then the old-fashioned part: a personal conversation with each of them, by Ian. The result is a shortlist you can defend to your board, not the same five names every firm sends.

  2. 02

    Fairer

    Every candidate hears the truth about the role, the process and where they stand — including a proper no. People who are prepared and respected arrive at interview at their best, which is exactly what you want to assess. Fair is not soft; it is what makes people pick up the phone the next time.

  3. 03

    Accountable

    One name on the search, from brief to aftercare. You can see progress at any point, not just when a report is due. If something is slipping you hear it from Ian first, with a plan, not from the silence.

In practice

How a search runs with Ian

  1. 01

    It starts with a call, not a proposal — 30–45 minutes. Ian needs to understand the role, the board and the politics before he can say whether he should take it on.

  2. 02

    Within five working days of instruction you have market feedback and the search strategy in writing, so everyone is hunting the same person.

  3. 03

    You see the map as it is built.

  4. 04

    Ian makes every approach and takes every first conversation himself.

  5. 05

    You see a shortlist of people who can do the job, with an honest view on each — not a long list to prove activity.

  6. 06

    Ongoing support throughout notice periods, onboarding and the first few months in role to ensure a successful outcome for both client and candidate.

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If that is how you would rather hire, let’s talk

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