---
title: "Executive Search Firms in New Zealand: Share of Search"
description: "Share of Search among Hobson Leavy, Alexander James, Inside Recruitment, Farrow Jamieson, Decipher Group and Ichor Leadership Search, the executive search firms Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/executive-search-firms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Executive Search Firms in New Zealand: Share of Search

Share of Search among Hobson Leavy, Alexander James, Inside Recruitment, Farrow Jamieson, Decipher Group and Ichor Leadership Search, the executive search firms Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Executive Search Firms
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 6
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Hobson Leavy, 26%

## Which brand has the highest Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand?

- Hobson Leavy holds the highest estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, at 26% in August 2026.
- Alexander James is in 2nd place, 1.4 percentage points behind at 24.5% Share of Search.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Hobson Leavy’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand decreased from 36.3% to 26%.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Alexander James’ estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand increased from 21.7% to 24.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Inside Recruitment’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand increased from 22.5% to 23.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Farrow Jamieson’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand increased from 8.2% to 13.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Decipher Group’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand increased from 7.9% to 10.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Ichor Leadership Search’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand decreased from 3.4% to 1.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Hobson Leavy’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand peaked at 36.5% in March 2026 and was lowest at 25.1% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Alexander James’ estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand peaked at 28.9% in July 2026 and was lowest at 17.9% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Inside Recruitment’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand peaked at 28.8% in May 2026 and was lowest at 20.1% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Farrow Jamieson’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand peaked at 21.1% in December 2025 and was lowest at 8.2% in September 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Decipher Group’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand peaked at 15.6% in January 2026 and was lowest at 6.5% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Ichor Leadership Search’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand peaked at 3.4% in September 2025 and was lowest at 0.76% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Alexander James rose from 3rd to 2nd among executive search firms in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending August 2026, Inside Recruitment fell from 2nd to 3rd among executive search firms in New Zealand.

## What changed among executive search firms in New Zealand?

- In August 2026, Inside Recruitment gained estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, from 20.1% to 23.6%.
- In August 2026, Farrow Jamieson gained estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, from 11.3% to 13.5%.
- In August 2026, Decipher Group gained estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, from 9.3% to 10.6%.
- In August 2026, Alexander James lost estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, from 28.9% to 24.5%.
- In August 2026, Hobson Leavy lost estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, from 27.8% to 26%.
- In August 2026, Ichor Leadership Search lost estimated Share of Search among executive search firms in New Zealand, from 2.6% to 1.9%.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Hobson Leavy | 26% | 540 | 0.0% | Hobson Leavy Limited |
| 2 | Alexander James | 24.5% | 510 | -8.9% | Alexander James Limited |
| 3 | Inside Recruitment | 23.6% | 490 | +25.6% | Inside Executive Recruitment Limited |
| 4 | Farrow Jamieson | 13.5% | 280 | +27.3% | Farrow Jamieson Limited |
| 5 | Decipher Group | 10.6% | 220 | +22.2% | Decipher Group Limited |
| 6 | Ichor Leadership Search | 1.9% | 40 | -20.0% | Ichor Leadership Search Limited |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sep 2025 | Hobson Leavy | 970 | 36.3% | 1 |
| Sep 2025 | Inside Recruitment | 600 | 22.5% | 2 |
| Sep 2025 | Alexander James | 580 | 21.7% | 3 |
| Sep 2025 | Farrow Jamieson | 220 | 8.2% | 4 |
| Sep 2025 | Decipher Group | 210 | 7.9% | 5 |
| Sep 2025 | Ichor Leadership Search | 90 | 3.4% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Hobson Leavy | 670 | 30.3% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Inside Recruitment | 490 | 22.2% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Alexander James | 470 | 21.3% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Farrow Jamieson | 270 | 12.2% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Decipher Group | 270 | 12.2% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Ichor Leadership Search | 40 | 1.8% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Hobson Leavy | 540 | 30.2% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Inside Recruitment | 490 | 27.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Alexander James | 380 | 21.2% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Farrow Jamieson | 180 | 10.1% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Decipher Group | 150 | 8.4% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Ichor Leadership Search | 50 | 2.8% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Hobson Leavy | 350 | 27.3% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Alexander James | 270 | 21.1% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Farrow Jamieson | 270 | 21.1% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Inside Recruitment | 260 | 20.3% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Decipher Group | 110 | 8.6% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Ichor Leadership Search | 20 | 1.6% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 530 | 25.1% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 490 | 23.2% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Alexander James | 470 | 22.3% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Decipher Group | 330 | 15.6% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 220 | 10.4% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 70 | 3.3% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 640 | 32.3% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 490 | 24.7% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Alexander James | 470 | 23.7% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 180 | 9.1% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Decipher Group | 170 | 8.6% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 30 | 1.5% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 960 | 36.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 730 | 27.8% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Alexander James | 470 | 17.9% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 280 | 10.6% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Decipher Group | 170 | 6.5% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 20 | 0.76% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 680 | 34.3% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 490 | 24.7% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Alexander James | 390 | 19.7% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 220 | 11.1% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Decipher Group | 180 | 9.1% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 20 | 1% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 600 | 28.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 550 | 26.4% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Alexander James | 400 | 19.2% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 330 | 15.9% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Decipher Group | 180 | 8.7% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 20 | 0.96% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 640 | 30.2% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 600 | 28.3% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Alexander James | 470 | 22.2% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Decipher Group | 210 | 9.9% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 180 | 8.5% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 20 | 0.94% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Alexander James | 560 | 28.9% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 540 | 27.8% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 390 | 20.1% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 220 | 11.3% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Decipher Group | 180 | 9.3% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 50 | 2.6% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Hobson Leavy | 540 | 26% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Alexander James | 510 | 24.5% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Inside Recruitment | 490 | 23.6% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Farrow Jamieson | 280 | 13.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Decipher Group | 220 | 10.6% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Ichor Leadership Search | 40 | 1.9% | 6 |

## Compare two brands head-to-head

- [Hobson Leavy vs Alexander James](/demand/nz/compare/alexander-james-vs-hobson-leavy): 26% against 24.5% Share of Search.
- [Hobson Leavy vs Inside Recruitment](/demand/nz/compare/hobson-leavy-vs-inside-recruitment-ltd): 26% against 23.6% Share of Search.
- [Hobson Leavy vs Farrow Jamieson](/demand/nz/compare/farrow-jamieson-vs-hobson-leavy): 26% against 13.5% Share of Search.
- [Hobson Leavy vs Decipher Group](/demand/nz/compare/decipher-group-vs-hobson-leavy): 26% against 10.6% Share of Search.
- [Alexander James vs Inside Recruitment](/demand/nz/compare/alexander-james-vs-inside-recruitment-ltd): 24.5% against 23.6% Share of Search.
- [Alexander James vs Farrow Jamieson](/demand/nz/compare/alexander-james-vs-farrow-jamieson): 24.5% against 13.5% Share of Search.
- [Alexander James vs Decipher Group](/demand/nz/compare/alexander-james-vs-decipher-group): 24.5% against 10.6% Share of Search.
- [Inside Recruitment vs Farrow Jamieson](/demand/nz/compare/farrow-jamieson-vs-inside-recruitment-ltd): 23.6% against 13.5% Share of Search.
- [Inside Recruitment vs Decipher Group](/demand/nz/compare/decipher-group-vs-inside-recruitment-ltd): 23.6% against 10.6% Share of Search.
- [Farrow Jamieson vs Decipher Group](/demand/nz/compare/decipher-group-vs-farrow-jamieson): 13.5% against 10.6% Share of Search.

## What is being compared

- **Alexander James**: Measured on the search terms “Alexander James”, “alexander james jobs” and “alexander james recruitment”, summed into one figure.
- **Decipher Group**: Measured on the search terms “Decipher Group” and “decipher group jobs”, summed into one figure.
- **Farrow Jamieson**: Measured on the search terms “Farrow Jamieson”, “farrow jamieson jobs” and “farrow jamieson recruitment”, summed into one figure.
- **Hobson Leavy**: Measured on the search terms “Hobson Leavy”, “hobson leavy executive search” and “hobson leavy jobs”, summed into one figure.
- **Ichor Leadership Search**: Measured on the search term “Ichor Leadership Search”.
- **Inside Recruitment**: Measured on the search terms “Inside Recruitment” and “inside recruitment jobs”, summed into one figure.

- [Alexander James](/demand/nz/brands/alexander-james)
- [Decipher Group](/demand/nz/brands/decipher-group)
- [Farrow Jamieson](/demand/nz/brands/farrow-jamieson)
- [Hobson Leavy](/demand/nz/brands/hobson-leavy)
- [Ichor Leadership Search](/demand/nz/brands/ichor-leadership-search)
- [Inside Recruitment](/demand/nz/brands/inside-recruitment-ltd)

## How is branded search demand measured?

### Where do these numbers come from?

Brandwave organizes categories, branded terms, and competitor groups using publicly available information about companies and brands. We obtain third-party modeled search-volume estimates from external search-data providers, then store and keep them up to date. Our Brand Demand Index shares this curated information with everyone for free. The figures cover the 12 months ending Aug 2026.

### What exactly is being compared?

We estimate branded-search demand in New Zealand for Alexander James, Decipher Group, Farrow Jamieson, Hobson Leavy, Ichor Leadership Search and Inside Recruitment using modeled search-volume estimates for each brand’s name or related terms. This approach has limitations, but it provides a directional view of relative branded-search interest and how it changes over time.

### Is Share of Search the same as market share?

No, Share of Search compares a brand’s estimated search volume with the estimated search volume of other brands in the same group. It measures searches for branded terms, not purchases, so it is not the same as market share, revenue share, or customer share. A brand might have a high Share of Search but still sell less than a competitor, and brands that people buy out of habit might be searched for less than brands people are still considering. Branded-search demand can provide an early signal that interest in a brand is changing. Watching for sustained shifts can help you spot trends sooner, but the metric does not establish what will happen to revenue.

### How reliable are modeled search volumes?

These numbers are estimates and should be seen as a general trend, not an exact count. The figures show rounded monthly search volumes, and a single month’s result might change for reasons unrelated to the brand. Smaller brands are rounded more roughly than larger ones. Search volume estimates searches, not unique people. The real value of these figures is in comparison: every brand in the group is measured the same way, in the same market, and in the same month. This means the differences between brands, and how those differences change over time, are more meaningful than any single number.

### Does a rise in branded searches mean a campaign worked?

Not always. It depends on what your campaign was meant to do. Our public marketing data shows when branded search demand changes, but it doesn’t tell you why. Branded search volume can rise or fall for many reasons. For example, a competitor’s campaign, a news story, a price change, the season, or more people shopping in your category can all play a part. Checking the timing of these changes can give you useful clues, so it helps to see what else was happening at the same time. Brandwave lets you track all your marketing activity and branded search volume together on one timeline, making this much easier.

### Can I use the Brand Demand Index data?

Yes. Anyone may use, share, adapt, and redistribute data published in the Brandwave Brand Demand Index, including for commercial purposes, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). Give appropriate credit to Brandwave, link to the source page and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, and indicate if you made changes. This permission covers Brandwave’s published compilation and measurements; it does not grant rights to third-party trademarks or logos. Automated access must use the public pages or API and respect published rate limits.

### Does appearing here mean a company uses Brandwave?

Not necessarily. Brandwave maintains these brand profiles using publicly available information and data sources. Brandwave never exposes private customer data publicly.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Executive Search Firms in New Zealand: Share of Search". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/executive-search-firms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/executive-search-firms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.