#273: Et Halstead – COO at Search Capital

Et Halstead is currently COO of Search Capital, a firm he founded alongside Jamie Woods in 2021. The organization focuses on the incubation, growth and development of companies working in the talent space from recruiting and consulting to Rec Tech and RTD. Having joined JCW, the recruitment arm of Search Cap, in 2009 fresh out of university the last 15 years have been busy for Et who has seen the organization grow from 3 people in a small office in London to over 300 team members spread across 6 countries, 8 brands, 5 sectors and annual revenue in excess of £60 Million pounds

An unusual mix of experience, Et has bounced between back and front office throughout his career responding to whatever the the organization needed as it moved through its start up phase. He graduated from London South Bank with a degree in industrial design before falling into the recruitment industry in a post credit crunch world. Starting out as a junior headhunter he quickly moved into a managerial role growing and leading high performing teams that enabled organizational growth. In 2012, at the age of 25, Et moved to New York to set up the organization in the American markets. As the business grew so too did Et’s remit, moving from management to executive leadership and eventually in 2018 to the Chief Commercial Officer role that pinpointed his key skill set – operationalizing business initiatives. In 2021 he was asked to move into the COO role focusing on the development of the groups corporate services functions.

But Et sticks firmly to the fact that turning idea into reality is not his passion. An avid reader he created the Future Managers and Leaders training course for Search Capitla which pulls together the knowledge of hundred of business and psychology writers to develop management expertise across the group. When not in the office you’ll find him pursuing one of his endless hobbies (much to his wifes frustration) from fishing, and shooting to wood working and tennis. Most frequently you’ll find him playing with his growing family on his farm in Massachusetts.

His Top Leadership Tip: 1st Asses and Issue. Sharpen the Axe in Steven Covey advice. Isolate to execute. Never Assume you understand the problem.