As client demand grew, ECA expanded beyond project-based staffing into permanent executive search. Drawing on its management consulting roots, ECA applied a strategic, data-driven, and systematic approach to recruiting - emphasizing rigor, structure, and analytical precision rarely seen in traditional search.

This methodology proved highly effective not only for former consultants but across a wide range of leadership roles — from CFOs to technical executives and other hard-to-find specialists.

By 2016, ECA had entered a new phase of growth. The firm began hiring PhDs and former management consultants to lead and execute searches, reinforcing its analytical and structured approach to talent.

ECA also expanded its on-demand consulting offering to include interim and fractional leadership roles, meeting client needs for both strategic project talent and experienced executives. During this period, demand from private equity firms surged — with nearly half of ECA’s revenue now coming from PE sponsors and their portfolio companies.

In 2019, the firm rebranded from Ex-Consultants Agency to simply ECA, reflecting its evolution far beyond its original niche. By this point, ECA’s success rates for non-consultant profiles — from finance to operations and technical leadership — matched those for the consultant talent it was known for.

The firm had grown at an average of 65% year-over-year, expanding to 100+ employees across five global offices. ECA remained firmly committed to its mission: driving growth by helping clients — and its own team — hire exceptional people and build lasting value.

By 2021, ECA had reached a new level of scale and maturity. The firm’s executive search practice expanded rapidly, driven by a new generation of leaders — many of whom began their ECA careers as PhD or former-consultant hires and had since advanced into Director-level roles.

ECA deepened its partnerships with lower-middle-market private equity firms, as well as independent sponsors and search fund investors, supporting both fund-level and portfolio company needs. The firm also formalized its practice areas, spanning Private Equity Value Creation, Strategy & Transformation, and Finance, and began organizing by key industries including healthcare, business services, industrials & natural resources, consumer & retail, technology, and financial services.