Executive market mapping
Understand the organisations, sectors and leadership structures that matter to a brief. Explore adjacent talent pools, identify where relevant expertise sits and see the landscape beyond familiar names.
Executive research, reimagined
See beyond
the obvious.
C-suite and senior leadership searches begin with better intelligence. We combine experienced human judgement with specialist AI-assisted research to uncover the right people, understand the market and build longlists you can trust.
Human expertise. Intelligent research.
Eric ContrerasFounder & Research Director
Built for people who need to know more
Executive search firms
In-house leadership teams
Specialist recruitment partners
01 / What we do
Intelligence before
introduction.
An executive search is only as strong as the research beneath it. We give search partners and hiring leaders a clearer, more defensible view of the market.
Candidate identification
Find potential leadership talent against well-defined criteria. Bring career context, scope of responsibility and relevant evidence together so every name on the list has a reason to be there.
Longlists & research packs
Turn fragmented information into structured market maps, source-backed candidate summaries and clearly flagged questions. A working research product, not a spreadsheet of guesses.
Research leadership on demand
Add senior research direction to a search without building a permanent in-house function. From a difficult assignment to ongoing fractional Head of Research support, Eric remains directly involved.
Difficult-search diagnostics
When a mandate stalls, step back and re-examine the market, target profile and research assumptions. Identify overlooked talent pools and give the search a more informed next move.
For challenging leadership briefs, new markets and search teams that need more research capacity without adding unnecessary overhead.Let's discuss the assignment
The principle
Good research isn't about producing more names. It's about knowing which ones matter — and why.
Technology extends the search. Expertise makes sense of it. Every meaningful conclusion should be tied to evidence, every uncertainty should be visible and every final decision should have a human owner.
02 / Our research model
Specialist thinking.
One accountable lead.
Eric directs the assignment. Distinct AI research roles can plan, explore, check and challenge the work before the findings return to him for review.
01 / Human-ledDefineERICEric agrees the brief, priorities and success criteria.
02 / AI-assistedDiscoverROWAN → CLARA / THEO / MAYAResearch roles map markets and surface potential talent.
03 / AI-assistedChallengeFELIX / NORAIndependent checks test facts, relevance and assumptions.
04 / AI-assistedSynthesizeAMARAEvidence, gaps and candidate context form a draft.
05 / Human-ledDecideERICEric reviews the output, speaks to people and approves delivery.
Research can identify an interesting person; it cannot establish their interest or availability. That requires human conversation. The workflow above illustrates the intended operating model, which is validated and adapted for each engagement.
03 / The associates
The right specialist
for every question.
Meet the proposed software research roles supporting Eric's work. Select any associate to explore what that specialist is designed to do.
Proposed AI research specialist
Rowan
Assignment coordinatorTurns Eric's agreed search brief into an organised research plan, bringing together the appropriate specialist agents and escalating gaps that need a human decision.
- Translate the brief into research tasks
- Coordinate sector researchers
- Track progress, gaps and hand-offs
Important distinction.Eric is the human founder and research director. The seven named associates above are illustrative AI software roles, not human employees; their names and portraits are fictional. The model does not imply that every agent or capability is already deployed. Eric remains responsible for client relationships and every final deliverable.
What sets the work apart
Research you
can interrogate.
A credible longlist should reveal more than the names on it. It should explain where the information came from, what has been assessed, and what still needs to be confirmed.
- Evidence, not assertion. Key facts connected to identifiable sources.
- Reasons, not rankings. Clear fit rationale and relevant context.
- Questions, not false certainty. Gaps and conflicting data made visible.
- Accountability, not automation theatre. Human review before delivery.
CONTRERAS & ASSOCIATESExecutive research / Sample document
Illustrative candidate research recordExecutive profile 014Example: Chief Financial Officer · Sector mapping
Evidence checked ✓
Research reviewed ✓
Rationale attached ✓
Human follow-up needed
Illustrative format · No real candidate dataRESEARCH NOTE / 01
04 / How we work
From a difficult brief
to a clearer answer.
No generic talent lists. We begin by understanding what success would mean for your assignment, then build the research around that question.
Understand the challenge
Eric explores the business context, role requirements, market constraints and what your existing search has — or hasn't — uncovered.
Design the research
Agree which markets, sectors and criteria to examine, together with an appropriate process for evidence collection and review.
Investigate & challenge
Map the market, research people, test the evidence and challenge the reasons for including or excluding each potential candidate.
Review & move forward
Eric refines the findings with you, identifies what needs a conversation and agrees the next stage of the search.
A genuine research partner, not another black box.Our aim is to make your judgement better informed — not to replace it with a model's opinion.
Eric ContrerasFounder / Research Director
05 / The person behind the work
Technology expands
the possibilities.
People create trust.
Contreras & Associates is built around a straightforward idea: powerful research should still feel personal, considered and accountable.
Eric leads client conversations, shapes each assignment, exercises professional judgement and takes responsibility for what is delivered. Specialist AI tools support the investigation; they do not replace the human relationships at the heart of executive search.
One point of accountability
You work directly with the person directing the research — not an anonymous process.
Specialists where they matter
Research capabilities are selected to suit the brief, with findings reviewed rather than simply passed along.
Questions, answered
Clarity matters.
Executive research is changing quickly. Our commitment is to make the role of technology — and Eric's accountability — completely clear.
Are the associates real people?
No. The named associates are illustrative AI software roles, not staff members. Their portraits are generated imagery. Their purpose is to explain how distinct research tasks can be organised, with Eric directing and approving the work.
Does AI decide who should be hired?
No. AI-assisted research can identify people, organise evidence and challenge assumptions. It cannot determine whether a candidate is interested, available or ultimately right for your organisation. Those judgements require people and conversations.
Do you work with existing search firms?
Yes. The consultancy is designed to support executive search firms, specialist recruitment businesses and in-house leadership hiring teams that want additional research capacity, market insight or senior research direction.
What will I receive at the end of an assignment?
Deliverables are agreed around the brief. They may include market maps, evidence-backed candidate research, structured longlists and open questions for the next stage. Scope, review standards and hand-offs are agreed with Eric at the outset.
Let's talk
A better search
starts with a conversation.
Tell Eric about the leadership challenge, the market you need to understand or the assignment that needs fresh thinking. He'll help define the research worth doing.
Email Eric directlyeric@contrerasassociates.com
Tell us about your brief.
Complete a few details and we'll prepare an email to Eric for you to review and send.
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