H
EXECUTIVE SEARCH AND TALENT PLACEMENT, SINCE 1975

Fifty years of placing
exceptional people.

For half a century, America's most demanding organizations have trusted Hartwell to find the leaders who define their futures. We do not fill positions. We solve talent problems.

50+
YEARS IN PRACTICE
96%
FIRST-YEAR RETENTION
4,200+
PLACEMENTS MADE
18d
AVG. DAYS TO SHORTLIST
Executive Search
Direct Hire
C-Suite Placement
Confidential Search
Interim Leadership
Contract Staffing
Talent Advisory
Executive Search
Direct Hire
C-Suite Placement
Confidential Search
Interim Leadership
Contract Staffing
Talent Advisory
50

Half a century of earned trust.

Founded in New York in 1975, Hartwell has advised boards, CHROs, and founders through every market cycle, from the Reagan era to the digital age. Our reputation is not marketed. It is referred.

1975
Founded, Manhattan
1988
Chicago office opened
2001
1,000th C-suite placement
2014
Austin office opened
2025
50th Anniversary

Staffing solutions built for consequence.

Every engagement we take is consequential, to the organization, to the hire, and to us. We are selective about the searches we accept precisely because we guarantee the searches we do.

01
RETAINED

Executive Search

Retained search for C-suite and VP-level roles. We map the full market, approach passive candidates, and present only those we would personally vouch for.

02
PERMANENT

Direct Hire

Permanent placement for mid-to-senior professionals. Rigorous behavioral assessment, reference verification, and a 90-day guarantee on every placement.

03
CONTRACT

Contract Staffing

Specialized professionals deployed within 72 hours for project-based needs. Fully W2-compliant. Benefits administered. Zero disruption to your operations.

04
INTERIM

Interim Leadership

Seasoned executives placed fractionally or on an interim basis during transitions, M&A activity, or rapid scaling. Deployable within five business days.

05
DISCREET

Confidential Search

Discreet succession and replacement search. No market signals. No public postings. Known only to the principals.

06
ADVISORY

Talent Advisory

Compensation benchmarking, organizational design, succession planning, and talent market intelligence. Fifty years of data informing every recommendation.

"

The measure of a placement is the person, not the position. Anyone can fill a seat. We change the trajectory of organizations.

Martha Hartwell, Founder 1975

Built on discretion. Driven by results.

Hartwell Staffing Group was founded in New York in 1975 with a single conviction: that the right person in the right role changes everything. Fifty years later, that conviction remains the only thing we advertise.

We work with a selective roster of clients, boards, CHROs, and founders who understand that a search firm is only as good as its judgment. We are not a volume business.

  • Active in 30+ US markets, three offices
  • Average shortlist delivered in 18 business days
  • 96% first-year retention across all direct hires
  • C-suite to specialist, across all major industries
  • Fully compliant, W2, 1099, PEO arrangements

A methodology refined over five decades.

We do not improvise. Every search follows a structured methodology tested across 4,200 placements in every market condition. Discipline produces results that luck cannot.

1
Week One

Discovery

We learn your organization deeply, culture, strategy, team dynamics, and what success in this role actually looks like three years from now.

2
Weeks 1-2

Market Search

We map the full universe of relevant talent. We approach 40+ targeted prospects with a confidential brief calibrated to attract the right people.

3
Weeks 2-3

Assessment

Structured behavioral interviews, competency mapping, and discreet reference checks. We present only candidates we have fully assessed.

4
Week 4+

Placement

Offer negotiation, close management, onboarding support, and 30/60/90 day check-ins. The engagement is not complete until the person performs.

Deep sector expertise. No generalists.

T
Technology
F
Finance
H
Healthcare
O
Operations
L
Legal
E
Energy
"

Hartwell did not send us a stack of resumes. They sent us three people, any one of whom we would have hired immediately. The person we chose has transformed the division.

Margaret L. Chen
Chief Human Resources Officer
Fortune 200 Healthcare
"

In 22 years as a CHRO, I have worked with every major search firm. Hartwell is different in one important way: they tell you the truth, even when it is not what you want to hear.

Robert D. Morrison
Board Member
Global Financial Services
"

Our CFO search was confidential, time-critical, and complicated by a pending acquisition. Hartwell delivered a shortlist in 16 days. The placement closed a week later.

James T. Whitfield
Chief Executive Officer
Mid-Market Technology

Your next critical hire begins with a conversation.

We respond to every inquiry within 24 hours with a candid assessment of whether and how we can help. No obligation. No pitch deck.

Confidential • No obligation • Response within 24 hours

Let's discuss your search.

NEW BUSINESS
hello@hartwellstaffinggroup.com
TELEPHONE
+1 (212) 555 0194
HEADQUARTERS
1185 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST
New York
Chicago
Austin

All inquiries are treated as confidential. We respond within one business day.