Simon Francis, Partner
Christian & Timbers

Simon Francis has a bit of a James Bond complex. The British-born-barrister-turned headhunter likes to cultivate an air of mystery about the executives and companies he's worked with. But the word around Silicon Valley is that Francis has placed execs at Hewlett-Packard and high tech-focused private equity firms and hedge funds.

He's reluctant to confirm or deny any of those rumors. As a partner in the elite search firm Christian & Timbers, Francis insists that the only ones who need that information are the members of the boards he serves on and the high-tech executives he's placed. Christian & Timbers has, however, been known to work with corporate heavyweights like Goldman Sachs, Wachovia, and JP Morgan.

Francis insists he'll go to any lengths to protect a candidate's anonymity—including, he claims, meeting in dark alleys with prospects he thinks would make perfect additions to private equity firms with household names. "Discretion is everything," he says. "There's a lot of secrecy, it's very emotional, and there are huge amounts of money riding on the right C.E.O."

To identify talent, Francis relies on referrals and intel from a closely guarded network of former clients that he's developed over the past 13 years. By the time you shake hands with him, chances are he's heard about you from several sources. Still, he'll put you to the test. "We're very pleasant and professional, but I'll dial it up and down in the interview," says Francis, 36. "Sometimes I'll walk in, shake hands, and say, ‘I know Bill, Jane, and Ian from this company you worked at, and I know you must have reported to Peter and overlapped with these six employees. If I call all 10 of them and ask what they thought of you, what are they going to say?'" It's not a trick question; he just wants to test your grace under pressure.

Francis' interpersonal style can be quick, sharp, and a little off-putting to some. But he does get results, so don't let a bad first impression be a deal breaker. He doesn't. A stickler for due diligence, Francis values the importance of a well-earned reputation. He once met with a candidate he didn't initially believe was aggressive, innovative, or creative. "But I checked it out, and they said, ‘She's a marine—she takes the hill,' and I said, ‘That's a perfect fit.'" It turned out that Francis needed someone who could execute, not an egomaniac who would clash with the visionaries already on the team.
 
Unless he calls you, getting facetime with Francis is going to be tough. He prides himself on flying under the radar. "We're not like Hollywood agents, and [I'm] not like Jerry Maguire," he says. "It's much more discreet than that." When asked by strangers about what he does, he says "tech stuff" and then turns away. His reasoning: Once people find out, they either hound him for a job or clam up for fear he'll raid their company's C-suites. Once, at a dinner party where the hostess immediately announced who he was, "half the table wouldn't talk to me all night, and the other half wouldn't stop," he says. "That's my biggest nightmare."