You may have built a successful desk, developed complementary expertise or spent years working alongside people you trust. If you are considering a different platform, the opportunity may be more compelling together.
Imperium welcomes confidential conversations with established teams, desk heads and small groups of colleagues across commodity trading, brokerage, origination and related functions. You do not need to have decided to leave or identified a particular employer before speaking with us.
We begin by understanding what the group would want from a move: the commercial platform, leadership, resources, remuneration and scope to develop. That gives us a basis for discussing whether there is a credible opportunity to explore.
An initial conversation does not authorise an approach to employers or colleagues. We agree who can be contacted, what can be shared and how any further discussions will proceed.
A team move does not have to involve an entire department. The starting point is understanding who may wish to explore a move, how their strengths fit together and what each person would need from a new platform.
Considering a team move can be sensitive. You may be testing an idea with one trusted colleague, speaking as a desk head or trying to understand whether another platform could offer the group something better.
Our work on confidential retained searches and team recruitment means we are accustomed to conversations where discretion matters from the outset. We can begin with your objectives, the broad shape of the team and what would make a move worth considering, without needing everyone’s CV or a list of names.
An initial discussion does not authorise us to approach employers, contact colleagues or circulate a team profile. Before progressing, we agree what can be shared, with whom and at what stage. We also establish each person’s interest and permission before representing them.
You can explore whether there is a credible basis for a move before deciding whether to take the conversation further.
A team may work exceptionally well together and still need a different environment to fulfil its potential. The question is what another business could provide that makes a move worthwhile for both the group and the receiving firm.
Depending on the team, that might mean stronger access to capital or credit, better infrastructure, complementary market coverage, greater autonomy or a clearer route to building the business.
We help turn those ambitions into a practical basis for discussion. That includes understanding how the team operates, which capabilities need to stay together and what each person would require from a move. Individual motivations matter alongside the collective opportunity.
Capital, credit appetite, market access and the operational resources needed to support the team’s activities.
Responsibilities, reporting lines, autonomy and how the group would fit within the wider business.
Remuneration, incentives and the scope to develop the business and individual careers.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CONVERSATION
A receiving firm needs to understand the capability it could bring in, what would support it and whether the opportunity works for everyone involved. You do not need a finished business plan before speaking with us.
Explore the discussion pointsThe combination of experience, market knowledge and working relationships that makes the group valuable. This may include product coverage, geographical reach, trading or brokerage expertise and complementary commercial or support skills.
A useful starting point: What can this group do particularly well together?
How the team could contribute to the receiving business, the markets it understands and the assumptions behind its ambitions. Any discussion of track record should distinguish past results from what could realistically be achieved on a different platform.
We agree an appropriate level of detail before sharing anything. Do not provide customer lists, confidential P&L reports or other proprietary information belonging to your employer. Existing relationships do not guarantee that business will move with you.
A useful starting point: Where could the team add value, and what would that depend on?
The resources and operating environment behind the opportunity: capital or credit, risk appetite, systems, operational support, reporting lines and decision-making authority. Remuneration expectations and the priorities of individual colleagues also need to be understood.
A useful starting point: Which requirements are essential, and where is there flexibility?
Who has personally expressed interest, which capabilities need to move together and whether people have different motivations or timescales. We distinguish an exploratory idea from an agreed intention to move.
Notice periods, garden leave and any contractual restrictions may affect feasibility and sequencing. Where relevant, independent legal advice should inform the next steps.
A useful starting point: What has each person actually agreed to explore?
Strictly confidential from the outset. These are discussion points, not a request to send sensitive documents. Any employer approach, identifying information or further disclosure is agreed with the people concerned before it happens.
The strongest teams often bring more than individual experience. They have complementary skills, established working relationships and an understanding of how to get things done together.
We welcome conversations with teams considering whether a different platform could better support that capability. You might be a few colleagues exploring an idea or an established desk weighing its next chapter. The examples below show the types of teams we speak with.
PHYSICAL MARKETS
Traders and complementary commercial colleagues across energy, metals and agricultural markets.
Product desks · Regional teams · Complementary booksBROKERAGE
Established brokers and colleagues whose market coverage and working relationships fit together.
Physical · Derivatives · Interdealer brokerageBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Originators, salespeople and business developers seeking a platform that can support their ambitions.
Origination · Structured solutions · Commercial developmentSHIPPING & MARINE
Groups working across freight, chartering, shipbroking and marine fuels, with complementary market expertise.
Chartering · Shipbroking · Bunker tradingFINANCIAL MARKETS
Teams combining product expertise, execution or client coverage across commodity-linked financial markets.
Futures & options · Environmental markets · Sales & executionMARKET INSIGHT
Researchers, analysts and quantitative specialists whose combined expertise supports commercial decisions.
Fundamental research · Quantitative analysis · Market intelligenceTHE OPERATING PLATFORM
Specialist colleagues who work closely together, or whose capabilities are integral to a wider commercial team.
Risk · Trade finance · Operations · LogisticsWe start with a confidential conversation about the team, your current situation and what a better platform would need to offer. You do not need a prepared presentation or a collective decision to leave.
If there is a credible basis to explore further, we clarify who wishes to be involved, the team’s priorities and the boundaries around any approach. Before contacting a potential employer, we agree the basis on which we would act and what information can be shared.
Where there is mutual interest, we help coordinate discussions around responsibilities, resources, remuneration and timing. Each person needs to reach their own informed decision, even when the opportunity is being considered together.
You can pause or stop the discussion before authorising any further step.
Practical answers before you begin a confidential conversation.
Yes. Conversations about a potential team move are strictly confidential. Contacting Imperium does not authorise us to notify your current employer, contact your colleagues or approach other businesses on your behalf.
Before progressing, we agree who may be contacted, what information can be shared and at what stage. We also consider whether an unnamed description could identify the team in a specialist market.
Yes. A desk head or individual colleague can begin an exploratory discussion about the situation and the broad shape of the group. Please distinguish between people who have expressed an interest and those you think might be interested.
We establish each person’s interest and permission before representing them. One person’s enquiry does not give authority to act for everyone else.
No. You can speak with us while considering whether another platform could offer a better fit. You do not need to have resigned, identified a particular employer or reached a collective decision.
An initial discussion helps clarify priorities and feasibility. It does not commit anyone to a move or guarantee that a suitable opportunity will be available.
Yes. A team move may involve two or three colleagues, a leader with selected people or a wider established desk. The starting point is understanding the capabilities involved and which relationships are important to how the group works.
We consider the people who have personally agreed to explore a move. We do not assume that an entire desk is available or that everyone wants the same outcome.
No. We do not charge candidates or team members a recruitment fee. Imperium’s search services are retained by hiring businesses.
A confidential enquiry is welcome, but it does not mean we will circulate the team around the market. We agree the basis for any further work and any employer approach before proceeding.
A broad outline is enough: the type of work you do together, the markets you cover, why you are considering a different platform and what would make a move worthwhile. It helps to explain who has expressed interest and any important timing considerations.
You do not need to send everyone’s CV or prepare a business plan. Please do not provide customer lists, internal reports or other confidential information belonging to your employer. We can agree what further information is appropriate as the discussion develops.
Whether you’re interested in a current search or simply considering your next move, get in touch for a confidential conversation with our team.
"*" indicates required fields
Tell us what you’re looking to achieve and one of our partners will reach out to you directly.