UK Property Executive Search for Senior Leaders: Why Process Is Everything 

When it comes to UK property recruitment at senior level, the difference between a successful appointment and a failed one rarely comes down to the talent pool. It comes down to process. 

That's the view of Andrew Deverell-Smith, Founder and CEO of the deverellsmith Group, who has spent over two decades partnering senior leaders across the UK property and real estate sector with world-class brands. In a recent conversation, he highlighted how a hiring process is often the reason senior candidates walk away, and the fix isn't complicated, it's discipline. 

Why senior candidates walk away from poorly run processes 

Senior property leaders, directors, and executives being considered for internationally critical appointments will evaluate a hiring process as closely as the hiring company is evaluating them. 

As Andrew explains, a disjointed process is perceived poorly by senior candidates. A lack of clarity, a lack of transparency, and a poorly mapped candidate journey, when muddled together, create a dysfunctional experience. And dysfunction at senior level has a cost where candidates walk away. 

This matters more than ever in a UK property market where executive search hiring campaigns carry significant business risk if they go wrong. Companies searching for the right leader can't afford to lose strong candidates halfway through a process because the experience felt disorganised. 

The "measure twice, cut once" approach to Executive Search 

Andrew traces his own approach in executive search firms work back to a lesson from his grandfather, a carpenter, who always told him: "You measure twice and you cut once." 

That principle has shaped how deverellsmith runs every senior search. Investing time upfront, before a role is even advertised, to properly define what a company is genuinely trying to achieve means the search process itself can be designed around that clarity rather than adjusted on the fly. 

The result, according to Andrew, speaks for itself: 99 times out of 100, a better-defined process saves time and delivers a stronger experience for everyone involved, the hiring company and the candidate alike. 

What this looks like in practice for UK property recruitment 

For hiring managers exploring executive search firms to support a senior appointment, this "measure twice" philosophy translates into a specific way of working: 

Why this matters for director and senior leadership appointments in property 

Directorship roles, and other senior leadership positions across UK property, tend to sit at the intersection of strategy, operations, and company culture. Getting these appointments wrong is expensive, not just financially but in lost momentum, disrupted teams, and reputational risk with future candidates. 

A well-run executive search process protects against this. It ensures companies aren't just filling a seat but bringing in a leader who fits the specific challenge ahead, whether that's scaling a residential development function, professionalising a property management operation, or leading an internationally significant appointment where the stakes, and the scrutiny, are higher.