Hunters and Skipper, Executive Search
Industries we serve

Thirteen industries. One standard of assessment.

Senior hiring rewards sector judgement: the kind that comes from running searches in the same industry across cycles, geographies and ownership structures. For every industry we define, before any candidate reaches a shortlist, exactly what we assess in a leader.

What we assess

Core industries.

Each industry, and each area within it, has its own checks, applied before any candidate reaches a shortlist. Below are the headline checks; the full standard sits on each industry page.

TMT

Technology, Media and Telecom

  • IT and frontier technology
  • Media and telecom
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Shipped, not only governed

Products and platforms taken from design to scale, verified with the teams who built them.

AI to operating model

The ability to move artificial intelligence from pilots into the way the business runs.

Content to carrier

Leadership across content studios, distribution, streaming platforms and telecom operators.

Monetisation depth

A record across advertising, subscription and average revenue per user models.

CEI

Civil Engineering and Infrastructure

  • Contracting and project management, civil and infrastructure
  • Architecture and design
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Major programme leadership

Leaders of large capital programmes such as airports, metros and masterplans, mapped in detail.

Owner's engineer pedigree

Programme management, owner's engineer and construction supervision credentials.

Digital delivery

Building information modelling, common data environments and digital twin programmes.

Studio leadership

Principal and partner grade studio leadership mapped across design houses.

RE

Real Estate

  • Real estate development
  • Real estate consulting
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Land to launch P&L

Full capital cycle ownership, ticket size and delivered floor area mapped before assessment.

Regulatory readiness

Approvals, master developer and planning compliance record verified.

Promoter led fit

Leaders equipped for family owned, founder driven and listed developer environments.

Capital markets fluency

A record across investment sales, debt advisory and equity placement.

O&G

Oil and Gas

  • Operators and energy companies
  • EPC and project management, oil and gas
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Upstream to downstream

Leadership across exploration, refining, petrochemicals, pipelines and retail.

Health, safety and environment

Safety standards and incident free records verified.

FEED to start up

Concept, front end design, EPCm, construction and commissioning lifecycle leadership.

Process safety rigour

Process safety management and an incident free delivery record.

BFSI

Banking, Financial Services and Insurance

  • Banking and wealth
  • Insurance
  • Fintech
  • Payments
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Regulatory fit

Experience with the central bank and financial regulators relevant to the licence in scope, cross verified.

Book and AUM portability

A confidential evaluation of the transferability of relationships and assets.

Underwriting and actuarial depth

Pricing, reserving, capital and reinsurance portfolio leadership.

Unit economics literacy

Acquisition cost, lifetime value, margin and take rate fluency tested in depth.

PRO

Professional Services

  • Consulting and advisory
  • Legal services
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Partner track calibration

Practice P&L, promotion track and book of business credentials.

Client book portability

A realistic view of mandates, conflicts and lateral economics.

Practice specialisation

Depth in M and A, disputes, intellectual property, tax, banking, real estate and employment.

Ethics and independence

Independence, conflict clearance and ethics record confirmed.

C&R

Consumer and Retail

  • Retail and consumer brands
  • Hospitality
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Omnichannel P&L

Online, offline, marketplace and direct revenue ownership mapped and verified.

Luxury or mass lens

Leaders calibrated to brand tier, ticket size and customer cohort.

Brand and storytelling

Design taste and marketing flair validated through the portfolio.

Sell through intuition

Stock turns, open to buy and inventory economics tested in depth.

I&M

Industrial and Manufacturing

  • Industrial manufacturing
  • Logistics and shipping
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Plant leadership depth

Multi plant, integrated site and greenfield commissioning credentials.

Operational excellence

Leadership of lean, six sigma and total productive maintenance programmes.

Industry 4.0

Smart factory, industrial internet, execution systems and predictive maintenance.

Ocean to door

Leadership across container lines, ports, forwarding, third party logistics and last mile.

A&D

Aerospace and Defence

  • Aerospace and defence
  • Civil aviation
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Security clearance

Leaders with active or clearable credentials across jurisdictions.

Offsets and industrial partnership

Offset, localisation, manufacturer partnership and technology transfer record.

Safety culture first

Ownership of safety management systems, audit history and a just culture record.

Restricted talent pools

Former military, manufacturer and national programme talent, engaged with complete discretion.

AUT

Automotive and Mobility

  • Automotive and mobility
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Manufacturer to aftermarket

Leadership across manufacturers, suppliers, dealer networks and aftermarket.

EV and powertrain transition

Battery electric, hybrid, hydrogen and battery platform engineering.

Software defined vehicles

Driver assistance, infotainment and over the air capability.

Supply chain resilience

Localisation, dual sourcing and battery materials strategy.

Further industries

Further industries.

Industries in which we act for our clients, to the same standard.

E&P

Energy and Power

  • Power generation, transmission and utilities
  • Renewable energy
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Power asset spectrum

Thermal, nuclear, hydro, solar, wind, storage, hydrogen and transmission programmes.

Grid and transmission

High voltage, substation, overhead line and distribution network leadership.

Capacity delivered

Capacity built, commissioned and operated, cross verified before shortlisting.

Project finance fluency

Power purchase, offtake and independent producer economics, and blended finance structuring.

HLS

Healthcare and Life Sciences

  • Healthcare providers
  • Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Clinical operations fluency

Multi specialty hospital, critical care and theatre operating credentials mapped.

Accreditation and quality

Leadership of hospital accreditation and quality journeys.

Research to commercial

Leadership across discovery, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and commercial.

Market access

Health economics, pricing, reimbursement and payer engagement.

SUS

Sustainability and Environment

  • Sustainability and ESG
The full assessment standard
What we assess

Framework depth

Sustainability frameworks operated end to end, not only referenced.

Emissions rigour

Carbon accounting across all scopes and decarbonisation roadmap experience verified.

Disclosure readiness

Investor grade reporting and assurance experience.

Board level engagement

Sustainability as a P&L lever, with boardroom influence tested.

Who we work with

Ownership shapes the appointment as much as industry.

Across every industry, the structure of ownership decides who holds the decision, what the leader must navigate and how success is judged. We tailor every brief to it.

Family and promoter led groups

Founders, families and principal shareholders, where trust, succession and the relationship with the owner decide the appointment.

Government related entities

National companies and strategic enterprises, where public mandate, governance and national talent development shape the role.

Developers and major project owners

Master developers and the owners of large programmes, where delivery at scale and stakeholder management lead.

Multinationals in the region

Global companies entering or expanding in the Gulf, India and Africa, which need leaders who carry the brand and know the market.

Investor backed businesses

Private equity and venture backed companies, where value creation, pace and the board's investment thesis set the brief.

Listed and regional groups

Listed companies and regional conglomerates, where disclosure, boards and multiple business lines raise the bar for governance.

Our reach

Headquartered in Dubai. Working across five regions.

The GCC, India, Africa, Europe and South East Asia. We search directly, and through trusted associates where a market calls for it.

  • United Arab Emirates (headquarters)
  • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Kuwait
  • Oman
  • India
  • Egypt
  • Morocco
  • Nigeria
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • Italy

Markets in which the firm has worked with clients and candidates.

Where we search

An executive search firm in Dubai, working across the GCC.

Hunters and Skipper is a founder led executive search and leadership advisory firm based in Dubai. We search for chief executives, board directors and C Suite leaders across the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, with reach into India, Africa, Europe and South East Asia.

We work with listed companies, family owned groups, government related entities and investor backed businesses. Where national talent programmes such as Emiratisation and Saudisation apply, qualified national leaders are built into every longlist.

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