Actualise, Retained executive search for Insurance

Actualise Search & Selection is a French headhunting firm established in 2009. Based in London and Paris, it specialises in Actuarial and Risk Management in the European insurance sector.

Nicolas Ladoucette, founder and director of the firm, explains.

What is your background?

I specialised in recruitment in 2005, when I became Regional Director in China for the Executive Search Division of the Adecco Group. In 2007, I returned to London, the European capital of Executive Search, where I set up the RH Partners London office before joining the largest network of freelancers

IESF, as part of Ashley Harvey.

When did you start your consultancy ? In 2009, I set up my own company as a franchisee of the Antal International Network. Two years later, I left their network to strike out on my own, creating and registering the Actualise Search & Selection brand. What areas do you work in? An engineer by training and a scientist, I've always had a passion for statistics and in particular for actuarial science. I wanted to set up a headhunting firm dedicated mainly to the actuarial profession (80% of the firm's recruitment) and risk management in the European insurance sector.

Who are you headhunting ? Mainly in the "technical" areas of Insurance (Technical, Risk, Financial Technical, Risks, Finance, Investments, Underwriting and Markets), we are looking for managers, executive assistants, executives and members of management committees with between 2 and 35 years' experience, throughout France, the Benelux countries and Europe.

Are you thinking of the Big Data professions that are essential in insurance today? Few headhunting agencies have yet grasped the importance of the Big Data strategy for businesses. We decided to create a division specifically dedicated to Big Data recruitment 2 years ago, in order to meet the growing needs of our clients in this field and to be able to guarantee them professional recruitment that is totally in line with their objectives.

What is your method ? Years of experience in listening to our customers and in-depth knowledge of both the insurance and recruitment markets have enabled us to develop a unique recruitment method with very high added value, which we have dubbed "The Retained Search 100% Guaranteed", based on the Anglo-Saxon "Retained Executive Search" headhunting model. This method has clearly proved its worth. It enables us to offer genuine quality recruitment and to tailor our services to meet the urgent, strategic or specific needs of our clients, giving them the maximum possible guarantees.

Why trust Actualise Search & Selection ? In addition to guaranteeing the success, speed and satisfaction of the assignment, we make a contractual commitment to the results with "Satisfied or your money back" clauses. In particular, we will guarantee reimbursement of our fees if the delivery deadlines for the shortlist of selected candidates are not met, or if the company finds a candidate on its own, via its professional network.

How do you provide bespoke services ? A consultant and a team of researchers are dedicated to recruitment projects. They seek out the best talent on the market through meticulous selection of candidates and in-depth knowledge of the insurance markets. They identify, attract and select the best profiles by supporting them throughout the entire recruitment process. We take a genuine "career coach" approach to candidates. We need to present them with opportunities that will enable them to move to the next level level in their career. We have to coach them from start to finish.

Do you support customers after recruitment? Our job is not just to recruit a candidate. Our advisory role involves monitoring the client throughout the assignment, as well as when the candidate takes up the post, by means of satisfaction surveys and integration assessments. We also provide strategic information on the competition and the candidate environment, as well as important "Human Resources" advice, such as the definition of positions, the organisation and processes of the various departments and services concerned.

What are your ambitions ? Our ambition is to develop our services even further, particularly in the recruitment of board members and senior managers in the insurance sector, in France and the Benelux countries.