Team Moves
Don’t Build the Capability One Hire at a Time.
When the right people already work better together.
Sometimes growth requires more than another individual appointment.
If you are launching a new desk, entering a new market, expanding geographically or accelerating an existing operation, acquiring an established team can bring leadership, relationships, market knowledge and complementary skills in one coordinated move.
Imperium identifies relevant teams and desks, approaches them discreetly and facilitates the commercial conversation around a potential move.
Don’t just fill the vacancies.
Acquire the capability.
A Team Move Can Take Different Forms
INTACT DESK
An established team or desk moving together as a functioning unit.
LEADER & SELECTED TEAM
A senior hire accompanied by key colleagues whose skills and relationships complement the move.
SMALLER GROUP
A defined group within a larger operation moving collectively.
BUILT TEAM
Complementary individuals identified across different organisations and brought together around the required capability.
Why a Team Move?
Established capability can compress the time between strategy and execution.
Recruiting sequentially can work well for individual appointments. But where the objective is to establish a desk, enter a market or build meaningful capability quickly, hiring one person at a time can leave gaps between strategy and execution.
ESTABLISHED WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Strong teams already understand how each member operates and where individual strengths complement one another.
FASTER CAPABILITY BUILD
Moving several complementary professionals together can allow a new desk, product or geography to become operational more quickly than sequential hiring.
MARKET KNOWLEDGE & RELATIONSHIPS
A team can bring established understanding of products, counterparties, clients and the structure of the market they operate within.
LEADERSHIP & STRUCTURE
The right move can bring not only revenue-generating professionals, but the leadership and internal structure needed to develop the operation.
STRATEGIC MARKET ENTRY
An established team can provide a route into markets where building credibility, specialist knowledge and relationships organically could otherwise take years.
A team move is a commercial proposition, not simply a collection of CVs.
Historic performance, revenues and relationships should be investigated carefully rather than assumed to transfer automatically to a new platform.
Start With the Commercial Case, Not the Names
A successful team move has to make sense as a business proposition.
Before approaching a team, we work with the client to understand what the move needs to achieve commercially.
That means looking beyond individual CVs and considering the revenue opportunity, client relationships, team structure, remuneration, portability and practical requirements behind the proposed move.
01. Historic Performance
Understand the team’s historic revenues, profitability and contribution within its current platform.
02. Client & Revenue Portability
Assess which relationships and revenue streams may realistically transfer — and which may be dependent on the existing business.
03. Team Structure
Identify who is genuinely critical to the proposition, how responsibilities are divided and which individuals need to move together.
04. Remuneration & Economics
Understand compensation expectations and whether the commercial case works for both the client and the proposed team.
05. Restrictions & Practicalities
Consider notice periods, restrictive covenants, contractual obligations, geography and other factors that could affect timing or feasibility.
06. Platform Fit
Assess whether the client can provide the infrastructure, culture, support and commercial environment required for the team to succeed.
The objective is not simply to move a successful team. It is to understand whether that success can be recreated on a new platform.
One hire has two parties. A team move can have many.
Our role is to keep the opportunity, the people and the process aligned.
Map & Target
We identify the teams, desks and leaders whose collective capability could match the client’s commercial objective.
Approach & Qualify
Potential team leaders and key individuals are approached discreetly to establish genuine interest and understand the shape of a possible move.
Shape the Opportunity
Where there is mutual interest, we help both sides explore team structure, roles, economics, infrastructure, timing and the practical requirements behind the move.
Coordinate the Transition
Imperium remains involved as an intermediary through negotiation, sit-outs and transition, maintaining communication throughout.
Moving a Team Takes More Than Moving People.
More Than a Recruitment Search
A Team Move combines search, market intelligence and commercial investigation.
COMPETITOR MAPPING
Understand where relevant teams, leaders and individuals currently sit across the target market.
TEAM STRUCTURES
Build visibility around how desks are organised and where leadership, trading, sales, brokerage and support responsibilities sit.
MARKET INTELLIGENCE
Develop insight through confidential market conversations around talent movement, expansion, remuneration and potential appetite.
COMPENSATION
Build a clearer picture of existing and expected remuneration structures where that information is available.
COMMERCIAL ASSESSMENT
Gather information that helps determine whether pursuing a particular team warrants further investment and discussion.
SEARCH STRATEGY
Prioritise the teams, organisations, individuals and markets most relevant to the business objective.
Know the Team — or Just Know What You Need?
A Team Move mandate can begin with a specific target or a wider commercial objective.
Targeted Team Move
You already know who you want to speak to.
You may already have a particular competitor, desk, team leader or group in mind.
Imperium can act as a confidential intermediary, discreetly approach the agreed target and establish whether there is genuine appetite to explore a move.
The mandate remains controlled and specific, with communication parameters agreed before any approach is made.
Useful when:
- A particular competitor team is already of interest
- A known desk or leader fits the growth strategy
- Confidential third-party approach is preferred
- The client wants to test appetite without making direct contact
Exploratory Team Move
You know the capability you want to build.
You may know the market, product, geography or commercial capability required without knowing which team would provide the strongest fit.
Imperium maps the relevant market, identifies suitable teams and leaders, and progressively refines the search before agreed approaches are made.
This gives the client visibility across the market.
Useful when:
- Entering a new commodity or product market
- Building a new desk or geographical focus
- Several potential teams could provide the capability
- Market intelligence is needed before deciding whom to approach
You don’t need to arrive with the target. You need to know what you’re trying to build.
Confidentiality Is Built Into the Mandate
Team moves involve multiple people, employers and commercial relationships. Control over information matters.
Before any approach is made, we agree how the opportunity should be positioned, what information can be disclosed and at what stage identities should be revealed.
The objective is to create enough interest to open a meaningful conversation without creating unnecessary exposure for either the client or the potential team.
AGREED COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS
We establish what can be shared, with whom and at which stage of the process before entering the market.
CONTROLLED DISCLOSURE
Client and candidate identities can be protected until there is sufficient mutual interest to justify greater transparency.
TARGET & COMPANY EXCLUSIONS
Firms and Individuals that should not be approached are agreed in advance/excluded from the mandate.
CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTATION
Where appropriate, confidentiality agreements or NDAs can support more detailed commercial discussions once initial interest has been established.
Discretion does not mean secrecy for its own sake. It means controlling information until the right conversation is ready to happen.
What Types of Teams Can We Help You Build?
From established desks to specialist commercial groups.
PHYSICAL TRADING
Established trading teams across commodity and product markets.
BROKERAGE
Broker teams and desk structures with established client relationships.
SALES & ORIGINATION
Commercial teams focused on client development, sourcing and market coverage.
SHIPPING & CHARTERING
Teams operating across freight, shipping, chartering and related commercial functions.
DESK HEAD + SELECTED TEAM
A senior leader moving with the key individuals required to recreate the capability.
NEW BUSINESS BUILD-OUT
Complementary professionals assembled around a new desk, market or commercial objective.
The structure does not need to exist in exactly the form you want to hire it. We can identify the capability and determine how it could be assembled.
Already Part of a Team Considering a Move?
Team Moves work both ways.
If you and a small group of colleagues would consider moving together, Imperium can manage a confidential conversation around the team as a collective opportunity rather than treating each individual as a separate candidate.
Team Move FAQs
Do we need to know which team we want to approach?
No. A Team Move mandate can begin with a specific target or simply with the capability you want to build.
Where the target is not already known, Imperium can map the relevant market, identify suitable teams, desks and leaders, and agree priorities with you before any approaches are made.
Can you approach a specific competitor team on our behalf?
Yes. Where you already have a particular competitor, desk, team leader or group in mind, Imperium can act as a confidential intermediary and establish whether there is genuine appetite for a conversation.
The scope, messaging and level of disclosure are agreed before contact is made.
Does a team need to move completely intact?
No. A Team Move can involve an entire desk, a leader with selected colleagues, a smaller group within a larger team or complementary individuals assembled around a new opportunity.
The appropriate structure depends on the commercial objective and which individuals are genuinely critical to recreating the capability.
How confidential is the process?
Highly confidential.
Confidentiality is agreed at the outset of the mandate.
We establish what information can be disclosed, when identities can be revealed and whether any organisations or individuals should be excluded from the search. Where appropriate, NDAs can also support more detailed discussions once mutual interest has been established.
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Do you assess the commercial performance of a team?
Yes. A Team Move should be assessed as a commercial proposition rather than simply a collection of individual CVs.
Where information is available, we seek to understand areas such as historic performance, team structure, remuneration, client and revenue portability and the practical requirements behind the proposed move.
What about restrictive covenants?
Notice periods, non-competes, non-solicitation provisions and other contractual restrictions can materially affect the feasibility and timing of a Team Move.
Imperium can help identify these considerations during the process, but contractual restrictions should be reviewed by the relevant parties with appropriate independent legal advisers.
Can a Team Move become an M&A conversation?
Potentially.
Sometimes market mapping identifies a team whose capability cannot realistically be separated from the wider business, or where the infrastructure, licences, relationships or operations surrounding the team are strategically important.
In those circumstances, Imperium can help identify the relevant owners and explore whether a broader acquisition conversation may offer an alternative route. Where discussions progress into a formal transaction, the appropriate corporate finance, legal and professional advisers take the lead.
We are a Team looking to move, not a Company looking to hire a Team
We can assist team units in seeking appropriate opportunity on a fully confidential basis. This could be a large group, or a pair. Our team work with you to identify suitable opportunity and bring that opportunity to prospective firms in-confidence. Contact us here to learn more about moving as a team
Built for Complex Moves
Why commodity businesses trust Imperium to identify, assess and coordinate team opportunities.
Specialist Commodity Market Knowledge
We operate exclusively across international commodity markets, giving us an established understanding of the teams, desks, businesses and individuals within them.
Dedicated Research Capability
Our research team maps relevant organisations, structures and potential targets rather than relying solely on individuals already known to us.
Commercial Assessment
We look beyond individual experience to understand team economics, historic performance, portability and whether the opportunity makes commercial sense.
Confidential by Design
Team moves require careful handling. Approaches, discussions and introductions are managed discreetly throughout the process.
One Intermediary Across the Move
Imperium provides a consistent point of communication across the client, team leader and wider group, helping keep multiple conversations aligned.
Team Move & M&A Optionality
Where capability cannot move independently, the same market intelligence can identify whether a broader acquisition conversation may provide an alternative route.
Selective Mandates & Conflict Management
We deliberately manage the number of businesses we represent within individual markets. Where retained by a client, we do not target that client’s staff as part of another search.
Selected Team Move Experience
Examples of mandates Imperium has supported across international commodity markets.
Global Energy Brokerage Teams
USA • London • Singapore
Clearing & Execution Sales
New York • London
Institutional Sales Trading Teams
London • Dubai • Singapore
Physical Agricultural Trading Teams
South East Asia • Europe • Latin America
Softs & Agricultural Brokerage Teams
USA • Multiple Offices
Physical Oil Trading Teams
Singapore • North Africa • Europe
Our coverage extends across trading, brokerage, sales, origination, clearing, execution, risk, shipping and associated commodity-market functions.