JGA STUDY · SAVED-TEXT EVIDENCE EXPORT Original answer wording and recorded date preserved. Answer ID: S02-A-perplexity-r1 Recorded UTC: 2026-10-19T10:57:09.373Z Product: Perplexity Observation: 1 Collection country: UK Access: Dedicated signed-in / Free Model label: Search; automatic/default Model Mode: Free Search; native Incognito EXACT QUESTION We need to confidentially replace our UK-based Global Payroll Director. We cannot advertise the vacancy or alert the current team. Which recruitment firms should we approach for a discreet senior payroll search? FULL SAVED ANSWER For a confidential replacement of a UK-based Global Payroll Director , use a retained, research-led search rather than advertising. The strongest shortlist combines UK payroll-specialist searchers with established HR/finance executive-search firms that can run a discreet, mapped candidate approach. robertwalters.co +2 Recommended firms | Firm | Why approach them | Best fit | | Frazer Jones | Has a dedicated UK payroll team; its payroll lead recruits executive payroll and benefits professionals with UK, EMEA and global remits, and the firm explicitly handles sensitive executive-search projects confidentially. frazerjones +1 | First call for a global-payroll leadership mandate | | Portfolio Payroll / The Portfolio Group | The largest UK specialist payroll recruiter, with a dedicated executive-search team for senior payroll directors and board-level payroll experts; it states it works discreetly and can reach candidates not accessible through standard adverts. theportfoliogroup +2 | Deep payroll-market coverage and speed | | Robert Walters Executive Search | Offers UK executive search using market mapping, confidential outreach and assessment to reach leaders not visible through conventional channels. [Trusted domain robertwalters.co](https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html) | Broader global/functional leadership pool | | Morgan McKinley | Provides discreet, confidential executive search for senior HR leaders, with global senior-level access and talent mapping. [morganmckinley](https://morganmckinley.com/uk/employers/recruitment-solutions/hr-recruitment) | If the role sits close to HR/People leadership | | Stone Executive | A research-led HR executive-search firm that maps the senior market and approaches passive candidates directly rather than advertising. [stoneexecutive.co](https://stoneexecutive.co.uk/industries-and-functions/function/human-resources-executive-search) | Confidential, retained HR-leadership search | | Sellick Partnership | Manages confidential senior campaigns and offers retained executive search with market mapping, profiling and end-to-end process control. [sellickpartnership.co](https://sellickpartnership.co.uk/specialisms/senior-executive-recruitment/) | Sensitive senior appointments requiring tight process control | How to sequence outreach 1. Start with Frazer Jones and Portfolio Payroll. They are the two most directly relevant options for a Global Payroll Director because both have explicit senior/global payroll-search capability. theportfoliogroup +1 2. Add one broad executive-search firm —Robert Walters, Morgan McKinley, or Stone Executive—to benchmark the market and avoid over-reliance on a single payroll network. robertwalters.co +2 3. Run it as a retained search. Ask for a written confidentiality protocol, a “do-not-contact” list covering the incumbent and internal team, blind candidate outreach, staged disclosure of your company name, and control over references and offer communications. stoneexecutive.co +2 Brief to give each firm • Title, reporting line, location, and global remit—without naming the company initially. • Key scope: multi-country payroll ownership, vendors/EORs, compliance, transformation, systems, and team leadership. • Explicit constraints: no advertising, no social-media posting, no approaches to named competitors or internal staff, and no disclosure of employer identity before candidate qualification. • Required controls: candidate NDA/confidentiality acknowledgment, search-status reporting, interview scheduling outside normal channels if needed, and reference handling only after offer-stage consent. For this assignment, I would approach Frazer Jones first , then Portfolio Payroll , and use Robert Walters or Morgan McKinley as a discreet second search channel. robertwalters.co +3 SOURCES S02-A-perplexity-r1-C1 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html S02-A-perplexity-r1-C2 | supporting_citation | https://morganmckinley.com/uk/employers/recruitment-solutions/hr-recruitment S02-A-perplexity-r1-C3 | supporting_citation | https://stoneexecutive.co.uk/industries-and-functions/function/human-resources-executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-C4 | supporting_citation | https://sellickpartnership.co.uk/specialisms/senior-executive-recruitment/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R1 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R2 | retrieved_result | https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html S02-A-perplexity-r1-R3 | retrieved_result | https://frazerjones.com/executive-search/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R4 | retrieved_result | https://frazerjones.com/consultants/john-obrien/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R5 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/recruitment-services/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R6 | retrieved_result | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R7 | retrieved_result | https://morganmckinley.com/uk/employers/recruitment-solutions/hr-recruitment S02-A-perplexity-r1-R8 | retrieved_result | https://stoneexecutive.co.uk/industries-and-functions/function/human-resources-executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-R9 | retrieved_result | https://sellickpartnership.co.uk/specialisms/senior-executive-recruitment/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R10 | retrieved_result | https://167solutions.com/clients/recruitment/executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-R11 | retrieved_result | https://cronertaxwise.com/partners/portfolio-payroll-group/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R12 | retrieved_result | https://engagedheadhunters.com/payroll-solutions S02-A-perplexity-r1-R13 | retrieved_result | https://vida-cs.com/payroll S02-A-perplexity-r1-R14 | retrieved_result | https://howardjamesrecruitment.co.uk/how-to-recruit-confidentially-for-a-sensitive-vacancy/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R15 | retrieved_result | https://gloroots.com/blog/international-recruitment-agencies S02-A-perplexity-r1-R16 | retrieved_result | https://alliancerecruitmentagency.com/director-recruitment-agencies/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R17 | retrieved_result | https://achieveprofessionals.com/about/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R18 | retrieved_result | https://recruit-mogul.com/uk/industries/human-resources/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R19 | retrieved_result | https://adjacency.co.uk/executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-R20 | retrieved_result | https://ashdowngroup.com/hr-recruitment S02-A-perplexity-r1-R21 | retrieved_result | https://cwexecutivesearch.co.uk/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R22 | retrieved_result | https://bondwilliams.co.uk/senior-appointments-executive-search/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R23 | retrieved_result | https://alliancerecruitmentagency.com/executive-headhunters-uk/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-R24 | retrieved_result | https://nigelwright.com/uk/hr-executive-recruitment-agency S02-A-perplexity-r1-C5 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html S02-A-perplexity-r1-C6 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C7 | supporting_citation | https://frazerjones.com/executive-search/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C8 | supporting_citation | https://frazerjones.com/executive-search/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C9 | supporting_citation | https://frazerjones.com/consultants/john-obrien/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C10 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/recruitment-services/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C11 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C12 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C13 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C14 | supporting_citation | https://frazerjones.com/consultants/john-obrien/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C15 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html S02-A-perplexity-r1-C16 | supporting_citation | https://morganmckinley.com/uk/employers/recruitment-solutions/hr-recruitment S02-A-perplexity-r1-C17 | supporting_citation | https://stoneexecutive.co.uk/industries-and-functions/function/human-resources-executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-C18 | supporting_citation | https://stoneexecutive.co.uk/industries-and-functions/function/human-resources-executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-C19 | supporting_citation | https://sellickpartnership.co.uk/specialisms/senior-executive-recruitment/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C20 | supporting_citation | https://167solutions.com/clients/recruitment/executive-search S02-A-perplexity-r1-C21 | supporting_citation | https://robertwalters.co.uk/our-services/executive-search.html S02-A-perplexity-r1-C22 | supporting_citation | https://theportfoliogroup.com/payroll/hire-with-portfolio-payroll/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C23 | supporting_citation | https://frazerjones.com/consultants/john-obrien/ S02-A-perplexity-r1-C24 | supporting_citation | https://morganmckinley.com/uk/employers/recruitment-solutions/hr-recruitment