Fractional Executive Search & Headhunting Services
Our Fractional search service delivers high-impact Fractional talent to SaaS companies across the UK, EMEA, APAC & US.
Fractional Executive Search
What is a Fractional/ Interim Hire?
A Fractional or interim hire is an experienced executive who works on a part-time or project basis for a company. Unlike a full-time leader, a fractional leader brings specialised skills without a long-term commitment. They are seasoned professionals with a track record of success in optimising revenue streams and strategically guiding companies through critical growth phases.
Oakstone is able to assist with the following hires:
Fractional or Interim CEO
Fractional or Interim CRO
Fractional or Interim CFO
Fractional or Interim CMO
Fractional or Interim CTO

The Fractional Way of Working
The rise of fractional leadership is not merely a trend but a paradigm shift in how professionals approach their roles. More individuals are embracing a fractional way of working, allowing them to simultaneously bring their expertise to multiple organisations. This shift is reshaping traditional notions of employment, allowing businesses to tap into a diverse pool of talent without the financial and professional commitment of a full-time hire. The benefits for organisations include:
Expertise without a long-term commitment
Cost-effectiveness
Strategic revenue guidance

“The benefit of the fractional model is that startups can put the correct foundations in place for a synchronised revenue growth and retention strategy while managing costs. It delays the need to hire a full-time employee who would ordinarily put a financial strain on the organisation at such an early stage yet still benefit from a strategic perspective on revenue generation.
Often, startups need to be dynamic and pivot at will, so the fractional model allows them to have a flexible approach to hiring and bring in the desired leadership with the experience required to succeed in a specific growth stage."
– Steve Farr, Oakstone Divisional Director. Featured in Sifted.

Building Your Business
Executive leadership is essential; however, no individual can independently drive a company.
Oakstone can make key leadership hires and support leaders to hire entire GTM teams.
Oakstone has been assisting leading companies in hiring talent since 1995. Our history spans from making key hires such as the VP of Sales and their entire sales team and beyond.

While companies worldwide are striving to find the perfect balance between hybrid, remote, and in-office models, there is no clear winner when it comes to productivity. According to McKinsey, all working models, whether fully remote, hybrid, or in-person, report similar levels of engagement, intent to stay, and overall satisfaction. The key lies not in rigid policies but in companies' practices to foster connectivity, innovation, and growth.
The SaaS sector is one of the most competitive industries for attracting and retaining top sales talent. With countless companies competing for the same high performers, differentiating your company and making it the preferred choice is critical. Here’s how to effectively position your SaaS company to sales candidates and secure the best talent for your team.
The last 4 years have been a rollercoaster from hiring surges to mass redundancies, remote working to return to office and back again. The unpredictable talent trends in sectors such as technology have proven challenging for everyone in the industry to navigate.
Making sense of current talent trends can help us predict future trends, including desirable skills, ways to attract talent and ways to boost retention.
LinkedIn recently published the findings of their 2024 Global Talent Trends. The data comes from LinkedIn's Economic Graph, the LinkedIn Executive Confidence Index survey, and the global community of more than 1 billion members on the LinkedIn platform.
Every leader aims to build a team that consistently delivers exceptional results, especially in highly competitive sectors like SaaS and sales. However, balancing diverse talents within the team can be challenging. High-performing individuals, or "A-players," often carry the heaviest load, innovating, problem-solving, and setting the standard for success.
If your internal acquisition team are expected to find your ideal candidate through advertising the job alone, they are set up to fail. And if your company is working with a recruiter who advertises the job and boasts about having 3000 applications, you are most likely wasting time and, therefore, money.
We asked our Divisional Directors and Managing Consultant thoughts on London workers spending less time in the office.
At Oakstone, we've honed our approach to finding high-performing leaders and creating results-driven teams for our clients. Our success is built on our people and experience, and we maximise effectiveness to deliver exceptional results for both candidates and companies.
This guide will walk you through the process, from understanding the need for an external CEO to making the final hiring decision.
Businesses often turn to recruiters to save time and money on talent acquisition, however, a specialist recruiter offers even more significant advantages for sectors with unique skill requirements, such as technology, SaaS and FinTech.
Talent acquisition is a crucial component in driving organisational success. However, the traditional methods of advertising job roles, while providing broad exposure, often result in an influx of unqualified candidates. This inefficiency can be particularly detrimental when hiring for executive-level positions, where the stakes are higher, and the need for the right fit is critical.
While AI enhances efficiency and decision-making, it can also impact the candidate experience in ways that might not align with your company's values and goals.
Start up advice from Fractional CRO and Sales Leader Nick Bareham, Ex VP of Sales at Cyara Perry Gale and Advisor at One Peak Partner Investors Martin Moran.
The Software as a Service (SaaS) industry's success hinges on more than just cutting-edge technology; it relies on the ability to build high-performing go-to-market teams that drive revenue growth and customer satisfaction.
It's not only AI companies which are expanding on the new technologies. Data shows that countless organisations are building out an AI-skilled workforce. That includes the decision to appoint or hire a chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO). Guest contributions from Dr. Andrea Isoni, Guillaume Laport and Dan Hammond Smith.
Companies constantly seek innovative solutions to streamline operations and cut costs without compromising productivity. In 2023, we witnessed drastic cost-cutting in the form of global redundancies. However, we are now seeing different strategies being increasingly adopted.
Fractional CROs have emerged as critical players in navigating companies through crucial growth phases.
Oakstone International are witnessing an unprecedented surge in demand for fractional CROs, marking a notable shift in how companies approach revenue generation and strategic decision-making. This surge is a direct response to the increased demand from companies seeking the unique advantages fractional CROs bring to the table and a broader shift towards a fractional way of working.
It is not a secret that executive leadership and talent are needed to spearhead companies’ growth and innovation. Organisations often turn to a specialised breed of professionals known as executive headhunters, recruiters or consultants in this pursuit.
These high-ranking executives are at the helm of strategic decision-making, and finding the right individuals to fill these roles is essential.
The executive search process to fill these roles is specialised to ensure the right individual is hired, minimising organisational costs and disruption.
This article will delve into retained executive search and its benefits. We will explore what retained executive search entails, its unique approach, the access it provides to hidden talent, its comprehensive process, and why the fees associated with it are often worth the investment.
The secret weapon of many successful companies is leveraging recruitment partners, but why do so many companies with internal talent teams still use recruitment partners, and how can using a recruitment partner help build a strong team together?
In the complex and competitive business world, finding exemplary executive leadership can make all the difference in strategy, direction, and growth. These individuals can steer the company towards success; however, identifying and securing this talent can be challenging.
Oakstone offers advice on C-Suite recruitment, executive search and planning C-Suite succession.
In the fast-paced and competitive world of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the role of executive talent and leadership cannot be underestimated. These people play a crucial role in driving the success, growth, and direction of SaaS companies.
Knowing what is right and what is wrong in leadership can be confusing. Many leaders strive to maintain an image of invincibility by avoiding uncomfortable situations and shielding themselves from any form of vulnerability. What if vulnerability could be considered a strength?
It’s no exaggeration to say that the people in your C-Suite can make or break your company. Poor management can cause operations to take a nosedive, leading to downsizing, closures, and potentially hundreds of people out of work.
With such high requirements, it’s easy to see why companies lean on executive search firms for assistance, however, the main challenges still remain.
While the shift in well-being is changing, not all companies are adapting and adopting preventative measures to keep well-being a priority.
A great candidate will know that they have options to turn down an opportunity that possibly a few years ago would have been their ideal next step.
In our latest blog, we are focussing on the top five priorities every company should be considering in their recruitment strategy.
Contact Us for a Fractional Leadership Consultation
Are you looking to hire a fractional or interim leader? Contact Oakstone to arrange a no-obligation discovery call with our experienced directors.
I’m Jobseeking
As a client-driven firm, we work exclusively for clients to find people who have a specific set of skills and experience.
However, if you would like to submit your CV, it will be passed on to our divisional directors, and we will keep you in mind for future roles that are appropriate to your background and goals.