How BlackSuite runs a mandate.
A defined process, built around your fund: from role definition to the appointment decision, with structured assessment throughout.
Six stages of a mandate.
Each mandate is scoped to the role, strategy and institution. The stages stay the same; the market, outreach and assessment criteria do not.
Role definition
Clarify the mandate, reporting line, objectives, scorecard, institutional context and decision process.
Market mapping
Define the relevant firms, strategies, geographies and candidate universe.
Direct outreach
Approach selected individuals discreetly and explain the opportunity without broadly circulating the mandate.
Structured assessment
Assess capability, motivation, environment, judgment, trajectory and institutional fit.
Focused shortlist
Present a limited number of credible candidates with a clear rationale, relevant risks and open questions.
Decision support
Support interviews, candidate comparison, referencing where agreed and the final appointment decision.
A supporting assessment framework.
Alignment Diligence supports candidate assessment within the search and advisory process. It examines capability, motivation, environment, judgment, trajectory and institutional fit against the agreed role and fund context.
Capability
Whether the individual can perform the role, tested against what the role actually requires rather than what the CV suggests.
Motivation
What the candidate wants from the move, and whether that stays compatible with the fund over several years.
Environment
The conditions in which the person does their best work, compared with the realities of the team they would join.
Judgment
How decisions are made when information is incomplete, incentives conflict and time is short.
Trajectory
Whether the role moves both the individual and the fund toward compatible long-term outcomes.
Institutional fit
The unwritten norms, incentives and relationships that decide whether an appointment lasts.
Where to start.
Engage us for a full search, a market map, or independent advice on candidates you already have.
What we need to begin.
A short role brief is enough to start. Include the following where available; open questions can be clarified together.
Role and reporting line
The responsibility, reporting line and objectives of the appointment.
Fund or strategy
The fund, strategy and investment context.
Geography
Where the role sits and which markets are relevant.
Seniority
The level and experience the appointment requires.
Timing
The desired timetable and any known constraints.
Compensation parameters
The expected range, if available.
Confidentiality constraints
Who can know about the mandate and how it may be described.
Off-limits firms and individuals
Any firms or individuals that must not be approached.
Give us one role.
Within 10 days, we’ll map the relevant market and show you exactly who we would target. It is an introductory market-mapping engagement and does not guarantee a hire.