Hanover Partner Laurence Ashby Named to the Talent 100

“You do not make something and then try to find someone to sell it to: you ask someone what their problem is, and then you make them something that solves it.”

Laurence Ashby built his executive search career on a principle he learned long before entering recruiting: understand the client’s problem before trying to sell the solution.

Today, as a Partner at Hanover, his work centers on private equity backed software, technology, and cybersecurity businesses. His conversations are typically with chief executives, chairs, operating partners, and M&A advisors, helping organizations evaluate leadership before an investment, build executive teams after an acquisition, and prepare those teams for an eventual exit.

An Advertising Education in Listening

Ashby’s path into executive search began in advertising.

He spent years working with major international clients, including Unilever and Procter & Gamble, eventually serving as a client leader for Clear Channel’s American out of home business. Working with senior executives and media leaders across markets taught him a lesson that would later become central to his approach to search: establish the need before proposing the answer.

As digital platforms began reshaping advertising, Ashby moved into technology consulting. He advised organizations on using emerging systems and later sold marketing resource management platforms. The work was increasingly consultative, requiring him to understand a client’s business problem before presenting a solution.

That mindset ultimately transferred directly into executive search.

Building a Search Practice From Scratch

The search firm that had previously placed Ashby on a board eventually recruited him into the business. He was given a straightforward mandate: build an advertising practice.

He relied heavily on the network he had developed during his previous career and adopted a simple test when evaluating candidates: would he want this person on his own team? If the answer was no, he did not move the conversation forward.

His work gradually expanded beyond advertising. Existing relationships led him into industrial and software engineering businesses, many of which were backed by private equity. Those clients began asking for help building technology capabilities in locations including Krakow, Ukraine, and India.

The assignments grew with the relationships. Searches for engineers eventually became searches for CIOs, CTOs, CROs, and chief executives.

Executive Search Across the Investment Cycle

Ashby now thinks about executive search in the context of an investment’s full lifecycle.

Before a transaction, that can mean placing domain experts alongside chairs to help evaluate an asset. Once an investment is completed, the focus shifts to assembling the leadership required for growth and value creation. As an eventual exit approaches, succession becomes increasingly important because the next investor needs an organization with a leadership team capable of carrying the business forward.

The work suits Ashby’s consultative style. Rather than beginning with a predetermined answer, he starts with conversations about where the business is going, what could prevent it from getting there, and what leadership capabilities will be required along the way.

The 20/60/20 Rule for AI

Ashby approaches AI with a framework he calls 20/60/20.

The first 20 percent is framing the question correctly. The next 60 percent is the work the technology can perform. The final 20 percent belongs to the person using it: iteration, judgment, and critical thinking.

His standard is straightforward. He should be able to defend the final result himself rather than simply pointing to the machine that produced it.

He has found practical uses for AI across research, analysis, contracts, and complex business documents. But he sees clear limitations when technology begins replacing personal communication.

One example came from outreach. A personally written message sent to 70 contacts generated a 50 percent response rate, while an AI generated campaign sent to 900 contacts produced only three replies. For Ashby, the more compelling opportunity is therefore not automating the relationship itself, but using technology to identify and organize the relationships that deserve attention.

Become an Advisor, Not Just a Solution Provider

Ashby’s advice to talent leaders follows the same principle that shaped his earlier career.

Do not simply become the solution to the problem a client believes it has. Understand the business deeply enough to help determine whether that is actually the problem.

That means asking leaders what challenges they see, how they know those challenges exist, what comparable organizations are experiencing, and what the company originally set out to accomplish. From there, the recruiter and client can work backward from the desired outcome rather than starting with a predetermined service.

It is a philosophy that connects Ashby’s careers in advertising, technology consulting, and executive search. Listen first. Understand the ambition. Then build the solution around the problem that actually needs solving.

About the Talent 100

The Talent 100 is an annual recognition spotlighting leaders who are advancing HR and talent acquisition. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees, with selection based entirely on merit and no pay-to-play requirements. The recognition is organized by Noon AI.

About Hanover Search Group

Hanover Search Group is a global executive search and talent advisory firm serving clients across financial services and adjacent sectors. With offices across the US, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East, Hanover partners with leading organisations to deliver senior leadership, specialist, and advisory talent solutions worldwide.