Investor-ready teams built to scale

Building leadership teams and people systems for scaling impact ventures

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Early-stage ventures grow quickly, often faster than their internal systems can support. Investors place increasing weight on leadership capability, organisational clarity and the reliability of hiring decisions, because these factors directly influence a company’s ability to execute.

Unearthed creates the organisational clarity and people systems to scale well and delivers the senior leaders who fit and succeed within them. The approach is practical, evidence-led and tailored to the demands of building organisations under pressure.

Services.

Unearthed partners with impact founders and investors to strengthen the people side of growth through executive search and hands-on design and embedding of scalable, best-practice people systems.


Whether preparing for investment, building a leadership team, or formalising the foundations for scale, we help ventures prove they have the capability, credibility and discipline to grow with confidence.

  • Unearthed delivers expert search with the depth, precision and care expected from a true partner.


    We specialise in building leadership and delivery teams for early-stage, impact-driven ventures founders, boards and investors who know the right people decisions determine the pace and quality of growth.


    Our search process is built for alignment, speed and fit, underpinned by an intimate understanding of scaling mission-focused businesses and insight into what investors need at each stage of maturity.

    Typical roles: CEO, COO, CCO, CFO, Chief of Staff, Head of People, VP-level functional leads. Specialist roles across natural capital, climate finance, carbon, nature and data.

  • We help ventures transition form start-up to scale-up by designing and embedding scalable, repeatable people systems.


    That means clear structure, accountability, and data-driven processes across hiring, onboarding, performance, and culture, the same systems investors expect to see in scale-ready businesses.


    Our work is practical and hands-on: co-building with leadership teams to ensure best practice becomes everyday practice.

    Typical focus areas: Organisation design, hiring and onboarding frameworks, performance and feedback systems, compensation design, culture and values alignment.

  • We apply an investor lens to people; assessing, strengthening and evidencing the organisational side of growth.


    We help ventures demonstrate maturity to current or future investors through clear people metrics, leadership assessments, and robust reporting that links talent, execution and value creation.


    It’s about building investor confidence and reducing risk, proving that the business isn’t just ready to raise, but ready to scale.

    Typical outputs: Pre-investment people due diligence, readiness audits, board and leadership capability assessments, scale-up roadmaps.

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About Us.

Unearthed sits at the intersection of people, purpose and performance helping build the people infrastructure behind the UK’s most ambitious climate, nature and sustainability ventures.

With deep roots across the impact ecosystem, we connect founders and investors to exceptional people who combine mission alignment with the technical, commercial and leadership capability to deliver growth in complex, fast-moving environments.

We’ve built long-standing relationships across climate tech, nature finance, energy transition, and sustainability innovation, enabling us to find the people who are additive to role, culture and mission.

Our work blends high-calibre executive search with hands-on people system design, helping ventures build the people and structure to scale with confidence.

Our Team.

Chris leads a team of expert researchers and is one of the most experienced search directors in the impact world. 

He has helped countless scaling ventures from concept to scale ​understand their people strategy and build high-performing ​teams. He has also recruited C-suite leaders and teams in corporates and consultancies globally.

A Chartered Accountant and former Army Officer, Chris is passionate about maximising talent ROI and building mission-aligned, investor ready teams and systems that ​deliver sustainable impact.

When you work with unearthed you work directly with Chris.

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What people say about us.

  • "It was a real pleasure working with Chris and his team. They found the perfect candidate in an extremely niche space, modelling nature-related risks."

    Scott Kelly SVP. Rislience

  • “The team have always stayed laser focused on delivering what Carbon Responsible needs to achieve our growth objectives. Thanks for helping me build one heck of a team this year."

    Matt Paver CEO, Carbon Responsible

  • “I had a dim view of recruiters before I met Chris. He has changed my whole view of the industry."

    Ben Richards, MD Global Head of Sustainability, Hudson Advisors L.P.

  • “Chris took the time to really understand ​who Nattergal are and what we wanted ​in terms of building out a cohesive ​credible leadership team able to rapidly ​scale the business."

    Archie Struthers, CEO, Nattergal

  • "Chris is by far the best headhunter I have dealt with, combining sound, realistic and honest advice with good humour, authenticity, empathy and an easy and enjoyable communication style".

    Tassilo von Hirsch, Natural Capital Lead, LGIM

  • "A great partner helping us scale our team across various disciplines. Quick to grasp our bespoke needs and translate into high-calibre, culturally aligned candidates."

    Vicky Hudson, Head of Customer Success, Altruistiq

  • "It’s rare for candidates to highlight the recruitment experience so positively, and that speaks volumes about the quality and care Unearthed brings to every search.”

    Ivan de Klee, Head of Nat Cap, Nattergal

  • "Chris was extremely thorough and engaging throughout the entire process. He kept me fully informed and ensured I was thoroughly prepared with tons of background on the role and the company. Best recruiter I have worked with"

    Amy Sellers, Lead Nature Strategist, NatureMetrics

Contact us.

chrisbrooker@unearthedsearch.com
+44 (0) 7803036116