Hofer & Stelmach — Boutique Expert Search
Since 2016, we've helped the world's leading companies locate rare specialists and subject-matter experts across every field — drawing from a talent pool in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet region that most firms have never mapped.
9 Weeks
Average search-to-placement (Q1 2026)
97.5%
Client satisfaction across 10 countries
100% Retained
Every mandate. No contingency. No shortcuts.
About Us
Founded in 2016
Built in Budapest. Now operating across 10 countries on three continents — always boutique by design, never by accident.
Cross-Sector Expertise
From quantitative analysts and materials scientists to regulatory specialists and rare-field engineers — we search across every discipline where talent is genuinely hard to find.
Eastern Europe Depth
Our network spans the post-Soviet region — Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and beyond. A vast, largely untapped reservoir of world-class specialists that most international firms have never accessed.
97.5% Satisfaction
Measured annually. Earned by finding people others couldn't.
Why Hofer & Stelmach
There are hundreds of search firms. Most of them will tell you they're different. Here is what actually sets us apart.
We Don't Work From Databases
Generalist firms search who's available. We search who's right — including people who have never appeared on any list, in any system, anywhere.
We Take Fewer Mandates
We limit the number of searches we run at any time. Not because we have to — because quality requires it. Every client gets a founding partner's attention from day one to placement.
We Understand the Field
We don't brief ourselves on your industry after you call us. Our consultants have field-level knowledge of the disciplines they search in — which means we can assess depth, not just credentials.
We Stay Accountable After the Hire
Most firms disappear after placement. We track retention, performance, and fit at 6, 12, and 24 months. If something isn't working, we want to know — and we act on it.
The Experts Nobody Else Can Find
Most search firms work from the same databases, the same networks, the same shortlists. When a role is standard, that works. When you need someone truly rare — a specialist in a narrow field, a practitioner with 20 years of irreplaceable experience, an expert who has never looked for a job — it doesn't. That's where we operate.
The Scarcity Problem
70% of leading international companies report being unable to source senior specialists with deep technical or analytical expertise through conventional channels. We were built to solve exactly that.
Both Worlds
EU compliance. Eastern networks. We understand the regulatory, cultural, and professional landscape on both sides — and know what it takes to make a placement that lasts.
Our Search Method
We don't post jobs. We identify, approach, and assess individuals who are not actively looking — people whose expertise is known only within their field. Every search begins with a deep brief and ends with a shortlist we can personally vouch for.
How We Measure Success
Placement is the beginning, not the end. We track expert retention, performance, and client satisfaction at 6, 12, and 24 months post-placement.
Our Partnership Model
We take a limited number of mandates at any time. That's not a constraint — it's how we ensure every client gets the attention their search deserves.
How We Work
Deep Brief First
We spend time understanding your organisation, your field, and the exact profile you need before we search for anyone.
Curated Network
Our contacts are not scraped from databases. They are known to us personally — specialists we've tracked, met, and assessed over years.
Rigorous Assessment
Every candidate on our shortlist has been evaluated for technical depth, cultural fit, and long-term potential. No filler.
5+ Year Average Tenure
Our placements stay. That's the metric that matters most to us — and to our clients.
Fields We Search In
Rare expertise doesn't belong to one sector. Neither do we.
Financial Services
Quantitative analysts, risk modellers, structured finance specialists, and regulatory experts placed at multinational banks, asset managers, and insurance groups.
Technology & Engineering
Deep-tech researchers, systems architects, and rare-discipline engineers — placed at companies where the wrong hire sets a programme back by years.
Manufacturing & Industrial
Materials scientists, process engineers, and technical directors across electrical engineering, maritime construction, metallurgy, and precision manufacturing.
Energy & Utilities
Specialists in grid infrastructure, renewable transition, and energy systems — people who understand the physics, not just the strategy.
What Our Clients Say
Sarah Mitchell, CEO
"We'd been searching for 14 months through three other firms. Hofer & Stelmach found the right person in seven weeks. The depth of their network is unlike anything we'd encountered before."
James Hernandez, CFO
"The specialist they placed had a profile we didn't think existed in Europe. They not only found her — they convinced her to move. That's a different kind of search firm."
Dr. Elena Patel, COO
"They understood the technical requirements of the role at a level that surprised us. This wasn't a generalist firm guessing at a brief — they knew exactly what we needed."
Dmitri Volkov, Chairman
«Они нашли специалиста, которого мы считали недостижимым. Именно такой уровень работы мы и ожидали.» — Dmitri Volkov, Chairman, Volkov Capital Group
Our Team
Field-Level Knowledge
Our consultants don't just understand hiring — they understand the disciplines they search in. That's what allows us to assess a candidate's depth, not just their CV.
Truly Global
We operate across 10 countries in multiple languages, with genuine cultural fluency on both sides of the East-West divide. Not a local office on a map — a real network, built over years.
Recognised by the Industry
International Executive Search Federation award recipients. 97% client retention. We let the results speak.
Client Results
GreenTech Corp
"They found a grid systems specialist we'd been unable to locate for two years. Within 18 months, that hire had reshaped our entire technical roadmap." — Mark Johnson, COO
FinServe
"We needed a quantitative risk expert with a very specific background. They delivered a shortlist of three credible candidates in under eight weeks." — Emily Nguyen, Director of Talent Acquisition
NexGen Solutions
"The researcher they placed was genuinely world-class — someone we would never have found through conventional search. The impact on our R&D output was immediate." — Sarah Whitman, CFO
Meridian Bank
"They understood the regulatory nuance of the role before we'd finished explaining it. That level of domain knowledge is rare in a search firm." — Thomas Delgado, HR Director
Atlas Manufacturing
"Three searches over four years. Every placement is still with us. That's the only metric that matters." — Laura Kim, CEO
Our Commitment
We stand behind every placement we make. Not as a formality — as a standard.
12-Month Replacement Guarantee
If a placed expert leaves or does not perform within the first 12 months for reasons within our control, we conduct a full replacement search at no additional fee. No conditions. No negotiation.
Post-Placement Tracking
We check in at 6, 12, and 24 months after every placement — with both the client and the expert. We want to know what's working and what isn't, before it becomes a problem.
Retained, Not Contingent
We work on a retained basis only. That means we are fully committed to your search from the moment we take the mandate — not racing against other firms, not cutting corners to close first.
Named Partner Accountability
Every mandate is owned by a named founding partner. You will always know who is responsible for your search — and that person will be reachable, informed, and accountable throughout.
The Numbers
We measure what matters — not activity, but outcomes.
9 Weeks
Average Search-to-Placement
Across all mandates in Q1 2026, including highly specialised and rare-profile searches.
97.5%
Client Satisfaction
Measured annually across 10 countries. Clients return because the placements hold.
5+ Years
Average Expert Tenure
Our placements don't leave. That's the measure of a search done properly.
Search Timeline Comparison
These are outcomes from completed mandates — not projections, not averages from a larger pool.
Get in Touch
Leadership
Martin Hofer
Founding Partner, CEO
martin.hofer@hsglobal.ch
Arthur Stelmach
Founding Partner, HR
arthur.stelmach@hsglobal.ch
Contact
General inquiries: info@hsglobal.ch; +43 699 81314587
Our Offices
  • Budapest (HQ): Bajcsy-Zsilinszky ut 46-4/102, Hungary
  • Vienna: Schottenring 16/2, 1010, Austria