Why Sports & Wellness brands need a smarter kind of Executive Search

By Consumer Exec

Wellness is no longer a trend — it’s a business model. And for many brands in the space, business is booming.

Whether you’re in performance nutrition, boutique fitness, connected health, or activewear, one thing is true across the board: it’s getting harder to find the right senior people to drive real growth.

You’re not alone if you’re struggling to fill a leadership role.
What worked five years ago — or even one year ago — no longer cuts it.

At Consumer Exec, we work with brands across sports, wellness, and active lifestyle sectors to hire senior talent that doesn’t just fit the job description, but brings the mindset and pace to push your business forward.

And we do it differently.

The Sector is Surging — But Talent Can’t Keep Up

The health, wellness and fitness economy is growing fast. Consumers are more invested in what they put in their bodies, how they move, and the brands they align with. Whether it’s supplements, studio memberships, wearables or performance apparel — spend is up, and the market is packed with opportunity.

But for businesses in the space, that growth comes with new complexity:

Product expansion
International scale
Digital transformation
Investor scrutiny
Leadership stretch

That means hiring the right talent at the right time becomes business-critical. And yet… it’s often the piece that takes the longest, causes the most friction, or gets put off until “later”.

What’s Going Wrong?

In our view? Most hiring is still done in too narrow a lane.

We see founders, CEOs and investors defaulting to the same industry-specific recruiters or network referrals — and recycling the same candidates as everyone else.

The result: too much sameness.
And not enough stretch, innovation, or diversity of thought.

That’s where we come in.

Consumer Exec: Cross-Sector Headhunting with a Consumer Focus

We don’t just recruit. We headhunt. And we do it across sectors, with a focus on consumer.

Our model is built around deep understanding of the consumer space, paired with the ability to look beyond it — into sectors where pace, agility, and customer obsession are part of the DNA.

So the next great hire for your wellness brand might come from luxury fashion, premium food & drink, health tech, or DTC skincare. Not just another hire from your direct competitor.

This is the kind of search you can’t automate.
And it’s definitely not in anyone’s CV database.

The Advantage of Cross-Sector Search

What we offer isn’t just more candidates — it’s better candidates. People who:

Bring new thinking from adjacent industries
Can adapt quickly in high-growth or high-change environments
Are already operating at the level you need
May not be on the market — but will move for the right opportunity

Whether you’re PE-backed, founder-led, or post-Series A, our approach means you’re not limited by your own sector’s churn.

You get access to real, hard-to-reach talent — the kind that transforms businesses.

We’ve Helped Brands Hire:

An MD to lead UK expansion for a global wellness brand
A Commercial Director for a scale-up in the plant-based nutrition space
A Head of Growth from outside the category — who brought sharp DTC skills and serious ROI
An Interim GM to steady the ship during a leadership transition

And we’ve done it fast, without compromising on cultural fit or long-term potential.

We Understand What You’re Really Hiring For

Let’s be real — you’re not just hiring a job title.

You’re hiring someone who can:

Lead a team and bring others with them
Navigate fast-moving operational realities
Communicate with investors or boards
Make decisions that impact growth
Build a culture that reflects your brand

That takes more than industry experience. It takes clarity, maturity, pace and, yes — the right kind of ambition.

We’ve spent 15 years placing these kinds of people into senior roles at consumer-facing businesses, from FTSE brands to purpose-led SMEs. We know what “great” looks like, and how to find it — across functions and across continents.

Built for Global Growth

Our reach extends far beyond the UK. As part of EMA Partners, one of the world’s largest executive search networks, we’re connected to 50+ offices across 37 countries — giving us real on-the-ground insight and search capabilities wherever your growth is happening.

Need someone in New York, Paris or Amsterdam? We can help.
Need a UK-based leader with global expansion experience? We’ve got you covered.

What Next?

If you’re trying to fill a senior role in a wellness or sports-led brand and you’re not seeing the quality you need, it’s probably not the market — it’s the method.

Let us help. We bring you a wider, stronger, and more diverse slate of candidates than traditional recruiters can access. More importantly, we’ll challenge your brief, ask the right questions, and help you land someone who can actually move the needle.

📩 Drop us a message. Or email the team directly to get started.
Let’s find someone exceptional.