FOUNDER AND PRIVATE BUSINESS
Founder and Private Business Executive Search in New Zealand
When a private business outgrows the owner's spreadsheet, the next leadership decision is the most important one a founder will ever make.
Behind every founder-led business is a leadership decision that defines what comes next. Infinitas is an Auckland executive search firm working with owners, family boards and PE sponsors across New Zealand to appoint independent chairs, successor CEOs and seasoned non-executive directors. Every search begins with a board-grade brief that respects the realities of private ownership.
The Market
Private businesses are quietly the biggest employer in New Zealand, and the leadership challenge is generational.
Founder-led and privately held businesses run on instinct, relationships and personal capital. Many are now navigating the transition from owner-operator to professionally led, either ahead of a sale, alongside a private equity partner, or simply because the founder is ready to step back. The right chair, NED or successor CEO is the difference between a smooth handover and a stalled one.
Where the sector is shifting.
Boards mature, founders step back.
More private businesses are appointing independent chairs and structured boards earlier. PE involvement is normalising governance practice in mid-market companies. Successor CEOs are being recruited 18 to 24 months ahead of full handover.
The founder shadow is real.
Successors have to honour the founder's edge without copying it. Boards have to balance family or owner interests with commercial growth. Information asymmetries make briefs harder to scope.
Operators who have done it before are in demand.
Demand is growing for chairs and NEDs who have led handovers before. Operators with PE exposure are highly sought after. Successor CEOs from larger corporates are increasingly open to smaller, founder-built businesses.
Who We Place
Leadership roles we search across founder-led and private businesses.
- Independent Chair
- Non-Executive Director
- Successor Chief Executive
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Family Council Chair
- Audit and Risk Committee Chair
- Remuneration Committee Chair
- Advisory Board Member
- General Manager
- Head of Strategy and M&A
- Investment Committee Member
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
01. Do you recruit across both founder-led and PE-backed?
Yes. We recruit across the full founder-led and private business spectrum. That includes wholly-owned family businesses, founder-managed companies, PE portfolio companies and trustee-controlled groups. Our retained search engagements cover both leadership and specialist roles.
02. Can you find chairs and non-executive directors with founder-business, family-board and private-company backgrounds?
Yes. We maintain a curated Board & NED Network that includes operators, finance specialists, governance veterans and senior leaders with deep founder-led and private business experience. We can build a chair shortlist, refresh a board, or place a single non-executive director.
03. What does an Infinitas founder-led and private business search engagement look like?
Retained search. Every engagement begins with a board-grade brief covering role architecture, success measures, the operating context and the cultural lens. From there we run a structured market map, a long-list of identified candidates, structured interviews and competency assessment, references and a written shortlist report. Engagements typically run 8 to 12 weeks and deliberately involve the founder, sponsor or family in the structure.
04. Where in New Zealand do you operate?
We are based in Auckland and run searches nationally. That includes Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Hamilton, Dunedin and the regions. Where a role requires a trans-Tasman or international map, we extend the search accordingly.
Related Sectors
Where leaders cross over.
Investment professionals, operating partners and CEOs for funds and the portfolio companies they back.
Managing Partners, Practice Leads and senior advisors who elevate client outcomes across legal, consulting and advisory firms.
GMs, Operations Managers, Production Managers and Manufacturing Directors who lead through complexity.
Ready to Talk
Ready to professionalise leadership in your private business?
Partner with Infinitas to recruit the chair, NED or successor CEO who will steward your business through its next chapter.