Your next VP-level design or product hire can’t fail.
So don’t start with resumes.
Executive Search & Leadership Design for Creative, Product & Design
Most growth-stage companies hire senior leaders before they’ve designed what success actually looks like.
Hive helps you define the leadership mandate, operating model, and success criteria—then runs a high-conviction executive search.
Talent Architecture™ = designing the leadership role, mandate, and success criteria before running executive search.
This is how leadership teams avoid six-figure hiring mistakes before they happen.
Start with a Leadership Readiness Assessment.
Get clarity on the role before you commit to search or restructure.
Leadership isn’t found, it’s designed.
20 years
designing creative, product, and brand leadership systems at inflection points
300 +
senior leaders advised and placed across design, product, and brand
Trusted by
founders and executive teams building category-defining companies
Most companies make the same executive hiring mistake.
The problem isn’t talent scarcity.
It’s hiring before the organization is ready.
They rush to fill a VP-level role before aligning on:
what the leader actually owns
how they’ll operate across teams
what success looks like at 6, 12, and 18 months
The result isn’t a talent problem.
It’s a design problem—and it’s why nearly half of executive hires fail within 18 months.
*Research from Heidrick & Struggles, Leadership IQ, and McKinsey & Company
That’s why we built Talent Architecture™.
Talent Architecture™ means we design the leadership role before we search for the leader.
In practice, that looks like:
Defining the mandate and decision rights
Aligning stakeholders on expectations
Designing the operating model for this stage of growth
Creating clear success metrics before interviews begin
Only then do we run executive search.
Choose the right starting point.
For most companies, that starting point is clarity.
We apply our Talent Architecture™ methodology through flexible engagement models designed for where you are and what you’re building.
Where you start depends on where you are — not what we want to sell you.
Avoid a six-figure leadership mistake before it happens
Leadership Readiness Assessment
For companies facing a high-stakes leadership decision — where clarity matters more than speed.
This path is right if:
You’re debating whether to hire, redesign the role, or pause — and don’t want to guess
A past leadership hire stalled, failed, or underperformed
The role feels overloaded, politically complex, or vaguely defined
Your team isn’t aligned on what “success” actually looks like
You want confidence before committing six months and a search fee
Most Hive engagements begin here — because the strongest leadership decisions are designed, not rushed.
When one leadership hire will change how the company operates
Executive Leadership Installation
For companies making a single, high-stakes leadership decision after role clarity, success criteria, and mandate are defined.
This path is right if:
One role will materially change how the organization functions
You already know who you need — but want the role designed before candidates are evaluated
The last hire didn’t work, and instinct alone isn’t enough this time
You need rigor and judgment — not resume volume
This path assumes clarity already exists — or has been established first.
Build a creative leadership engine, not isolated hires
Talent Architecture™ Retainer
For companies making multiple senior hires over time — where structure, sequencing, and continuity determine success.
This path is right if:
You’re building or rebuilding a creative or product organization
Leadership roles must reinforce each other — not compete
You want an embedded partner, not transactional placement
Hiring decisions are tied to broader organizational design
This works best once leadership strategy and structure are clearly defined.
What Changes When You Stop Guessing
“We stopped guessing and made the right call.
Kate didn’t just help us fill a role. She helped us clarify what the role actually needed to be, before we committed.
That clarity changed everything about the hire we made.”
“She understood what we were building before we finished the sentence.
Kate helped us find the right leader in half the time —
and made the process feel grounded, rigorous, and calm.
It didn’t feel like a transaction.
It felt like a true partnership.”
We’re not here to fill seats.
We help leadership teams make one of their highest-risk decisions with clarity and confidence.
Hive works with founders, CPOs, and Heads of Talent at inflection points—when the next hire will shape the next phase of growth.
If a creative or product leadership hire is on your roadmap, now is the moment to get clarity — before roles harden and momentum slips.
Not sure where to start?
The Leadership Readiness Assessment is designed to give you clarity—whether or not you move forward with search.
CREATIVE TALENT INSIGHTS
Creatively Crafted | POV Pieces
