Jonathan Margrave
Co-Founder & CEO
Senior client relationships, leadership appointments and strategic mandates across international commodity markets.
jonathan.margrave@imperiumcs.comWhy Imperium?
What Your Business Secures When You Retain Imperium
Exclusive market representation, visible research and a specialist team accountable for your search.
Choosing a search firm means deciding who will represent your business in a closely connected market. Their understanding of the brief, the people they can approach and the way they conduct those conversations all affect the appointment you can make.
Imperium Commodity Search works exclusively on a retained basis across commodity trading, brokerage and related financial markets. We agree the objective, commit our research and engage relevant professionals directly. Your search draws on our partners, consultants and researchers, with shared market knowledge behind the work.
That commitment is visible in how we operate: agreed exclusivity within your asset class and geography, access to the working market map and direct conversations about what the research reveals. You can assess the direction of the search and contribute to it throughout.
A Defined Mandate. A Committed Search Team.
Your market, delivery team and commercial terms agreed before the search begins.
A retained engagement establishes a commitment on both sides. You appoint us against an agreed objective, and we dedicate the research, market engagement and delivery capability needed to pursue it.
That commitment includes clear boundaries around competing mandates, direct access to our partners and an agreed commercial scope. You understand what you are commissioning and how the work will be delivered.
Your market commitment
Your agreed market. Our focus on your appointment.
What we commit
We do not accept competing mandates within your agreed asset class and geography while your search is active. Those boundaries are established before work begins.
What that means for you
Our research and candidate engagement within that scope are committed to your hiring objective. You understand the market we can approach and the existing client protections we must respect.
Your delivery commitment
A brief shared across the people delivering it.
What we commit
Our partners, consultants and researchers bring their relevant expertise to the assignment. We agree responsibilities and maintain a shared understanding of the brief as the search develops.
What that means for you
You have direct partner access, with dedicated research supporting candidate identification and market coverage. Recommendations draw on the team's work and the feedback gathered through the search.
Your commercial commitment
Scope and fees agreed before the search starts.
What we commit
We agree the hiring objective, research scope, fees and payment terms before beginning work. All recruitment engagements are retained, including specialist appointments and targeted approaches.
What that means for you
You understand the engagement you are commissioning and the commercial basis for it. If market evidence suggests a material change to the brief, we discuss the implications and agree any revised scope with you.
A Recommendation You Can Trace Back to the Market
Direct competitor research, proactive headhunting and visibility into the work behind your shortlist.
A shortlist is easier to judge when you understand the market it came from. We identify the relevant businesses, desks and professionals against your brief, then approach people directly to establish their suitability and interest. The search reaches beyond active applicants and the contacts already known to us.
From day one, you have access to the working market map used by our team. You can review targets, contribute market knowledge, prioritise individuals and exclude unsuitable approaches. As conversations develop, you see the responses and assessment behind our recommendations.
That visibility also helps you make better decisions about the appointment itself. If remuneration, location, responsibilities or the proposed platform repeatedly limit interest, we discuss the evidence early. You can decide whether to adjust the proposition with a clearer understanding of the trade-offs.
Direct Access to the People Responsible for Your Search
Partner involvement, dedicated research and shared market knowledge throughout the assignment.
The people discussing your requirement should remain connected to the work that follows. Our partners stay involved in shaping the brief, reviewing the direction of the search and addressing the decisions that need your attention.
Delivery brings together the relevant consultants and researchers around that brief. Market knowledge, candidate conversations and research findings are shared across the team, so recommendations draw on the work of the business rather than one person’s network.
At the outset, we agree who is responsible for the assignment and how communication will work. You have direct partner access when the brief needs refining, the market raises a concern or a hiring decision requires a fuller discussion.
Mark Taylor
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Search strategy, executive appointments, ongoing hiring relationships and strategic growth projects.
mark.taylor@imperiumcs.com
Zuzana Zvolenská
Head of Research & Resourcing
Research and resourcing leadership, spanning market mapping, candidate identification and direct outreach.
zuzana.zvolenska@imperiumcs.comYour Reputation Is Part of the Brief
Controlled disclosure, carefully managed approaches and respect for existing client relationships.
An approach to a competitor’s employee represents your business before an interview has taken place. The judgement behind that conversation matters, particularly for leadership changes, confidential replacements and searches within closely connected commodity markets.
Before entering the market, we agree who can be approached, what information can be shared and when your identity may be disclosed. We establish interest through Imperium as the intermediary, then coordinate introductions with the agreement of the people involved.
The same discipline applies to our existing relationships. We do not poach from our clients, and we respect agreed post-placement protections. Those boundaries are established when defining your search, so you understand which parts of the market are accessible and where exclusions apply.
The Results Behind the Commitment
Completed appointments, lasting hires and relationships that develop beyond the original brief.
The value of a search becomes clear through the appointments it delivers. Our experience includes specialist desk launches, leadership hires and coordinated international hiring programmes, with individual assignments developing into broader client relationships.
- Search fulfilment
- 96%
- 12-month retention
- 99%
Energy options · London
A Desk Launch Became a Wider Hiring Relationship
Research reshaped one leadership brief into two complementary broker appointments. Both joined and launched the desk. The relationship expanded to six completed appointments, including the Operations Director and other senior financial roles.
Read the case study (PDF)Agriculture · APAC & North Africa
Three Markets. Three Completed Appointments
A rolling retainer supported expansion across Australia, Thailand and North Africa. Each search addressed distinct product, customer and language requirements. All three traders joined, establishing local coverage across the target markets.
Read the case study (PDF)Ambition sets the direction. The right people make it possible.
Support Through the Move. Protection After Joining.
Continued involvement through assessment, negotiation, resignation and the start of the working relationship.
Identifying a suitable person is only part of making a successful appointment. We explore motivations, remuneration expectations, notice periods and potential restrictions alongside relevant experience, helping both parties assess whether the move makes sense.
As discussions progress, we coordinate feedback, support offer negotiations and address potential obstacles early. That includes counteroffers, resignation and the practicalities of joining. We stay in contact with you and the appointed individual as the working relationship begins, helping identify concerns while there is an opportunity to address them.
Our retained appointments are supported by a 12-month replacement guarantee, subject to the agreed terms. Your market mapping also remains available during that period, preserving the research behind the appointment and providing an informed starting point if a replacement search is needed.
For clients using an ongoing Search Partnership, appointment protection continues throughout the active engagement under the partnership terms.
Let’s Agree the Brief
Define the appointment, the search market and the commitment behind the engagement.
If this is the approach your business needs, the next step is to discuss the requirement in detail. We explore the responsibilities, commercial priorities, remuneration and timing, including any assumptions that need testing before entering the market.
We then set out the proposed research scope, delivery arrangements, market exclusivity and fees for your review. You have a clear basis for deciding how to proceed.
Speak directly with our partners. Scope, fees and terms are agreed before work begins.
