Executive Search Research Lab and AI Talent Incubator
Intellerati is an executive search research firm that offers unbundled executive recruiting services. Intellerati offers candidate identification and candidate development (candidate outreach and screening), executive candidate sourcing, executive talent mapping, organizational intelligence, and AI-assisted human capital intelligence. Unlike traditional recruiting research firms, our investigative approach makes candidate sourcing smarter. We consistently uncover top executive talent that other firms miss, outperforming traditional search firms and outflanking executive recruiting research and candidate sourcing firms.
Transparent, Conflict‑free Partnering
We avoid percentage‑of‑compensation fee structures that create misaligned incentives, operate on clearly defined fees, and provide a client portal with real‑time visibility into target lists, outreach, and research progress. Our collaborative, transparent approach lays the groundwork for greater collaboration. That trust enables us to consistently surface qualified executives that conventional, résumé‑driven approaches miss.
Investigative Recruitment Researchers
ΩIntellerati Founder and CEO Krista Bradford leads every engagement. Once you know more about her — see below — you will understand what makes Intellerati so different.
CEO Krista Bradford
Before founding Intellerati, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Krista Bradford served as a three-time Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and television journalist. Ms. Bradford held positions with WNBC and WWOR in New York and with stations in Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. She was a national news correspondent for “The Reporters” on the Fox Television Network and a senior correspondent for Tribune’s nationally syndicated “Now It Can Be Told” news magazine show. She studied at Harvard University and Columbia University, obtaining her B.A. in Liberal Arts at The New School.
Investigative Executive Search Researchers
Ms. Bradford specialized in investigative journalism within the subspecialty of data journalism. She harnessed the power of data to break stories that previously were impossible to report. The investigative method used by data journalists is known as computer-assisted research.
How Intellerati Became the First Investigative Recruitment Research Firm in the Nation
Krista went to work at an elite Manhattan retained executive search firm. There, she was surprise to learn how little the search firm knew about computer-assisted search. I lacked the research expertise required to ensure the success of the executive search engagement. While myriad industries ranging from financial services to advertising and marketing invest in robust research as a “best practice”, the recruiting industry has failed to match force with that trend. It goes a long way toward explaining why 40% of retained executive search engagements fail to complete. Retained search firms fail because they insist on searching with their eyes closed.
The executive search research industry has been slow to change despite the accelerate rate of transformation in the global business landscape. In fact, many of the executive recruiting industry’s core practices have remained unchanged for decades. Traditional executive search has relied heavily on personal networks, reputation, and anecdotal evidence rather than data-driven insights, leading to biases and a lack of innovation. The incentive structures in traditional retained search, where firms are paid based on candidate compensation, often misalign with client success, further compromise the integrity of the firms.
Investigative Research Finds Dream Candidates
Typical candidate sourcing is not equipped to sift through hundreds of millions of candidate profiles. AI tools help, but they are not yet operating at the level you need to make inferences, spot patterns, and follow the breadcrumbs that lead to ideal candidates. Therein lies the opportunity.
“Research is the execution engine of executive search that identifies, develops, and ultimately delivers star talent. Build a better engine and you create the ultimate recruiting machine.”
— Krist Bradford, CEO Intellerati
A treasure trove of candidate information exists outside traditional recruiting databases and inside LinkedIn’s 1.1 billion-member records. Yet to discover dream candidates, you need investigative research experts capable of harnessing the power of data. Think Nate Silver. Think Moneyball. That is precisely what Intellerati does.
Intellerati’s executive search services are ideally suited to clients seeking the quality of retained search, yet prefer a more flexible month-at-a-time model with the opportunity to save. For employers seeking full-service retained executive search through to hire, The Good Search offers next-generation retained search services that consistently outperform traditional retained search firms. To learn more, visit our Candidate Sourcing Video, and our Executive Recruiting Research Blog.
Got questions? Let’s talk.
If you’d like to explore possible ways to work together, let’s talk. We understand that no recruitment research firm is the right firm for every engagement every time. But, regardless, we make it a practice to listen and to try to help.