Great leadership appointments are built on evidence, not instinct alone.
At Six Degrees Executive, we combine proven assessment methodologies with deep executive search expertise to help organisations make confident, informed leadership decisions.
Whether appointing a CEO, selecting a Board Director or evaluating internal successors, our tailored approach brings together our proprietary Six Degrees of Excellence (6Dx) framework, Hogan psychometric assessments and bespoke simulation exercises to provide a comprehensive understanding of leadership capability, potential and risk.
Six Degrees of Excellence (6Dx)
Developed by Six Degrees Executive and benchmarked against leading global leadership assessment frameworks, 6Dx provides a structured, evidence-based approach to evaluating executive capability.
Our framework assesses 14 core leadership competencies across six dimensions, including strategic and commercial leadership, digital and data literacy, governance, risk and ethical judgement. It reflects the evolving demands of executive leadership and the capabilities required to navigate complex business environments.
Each assessment is tailored to the specific role, incorporating additional functional competencies relevant to the appointment. From financial leadership and capital allocation for a CFO to technology strategy and data governance for a CIO, our approach ensures candidates are evaluated against the requirements of the position.
By evaluating candidates against a consistent framework, 6Dx provides an objective comparison of leadership capability, helping organisations identify strengths, potential gaps and suitability for the role.
Hogan Psychometric Assessments
Working with trained Hogan practitioners, we use psychometric assessments to complement our 6Dx framework, providing a deeper understanding of leadership capability and behavioural risk.
These insights can also support executive onboarding, leadership development and succession planning, helping organisations build stronger leadership capability beyond the initial appointment. Hogan assessments evaluate three key aspects of leadership:
Leadership
strengths
Understanding an individual's everyday leadership style, interpersonal approach and strengths that influence how they lead, collaborate and perform.
Behaviour under
pressure
Identifying behaviours that emerge under pressure, helping organisations understand potential leadership risks.
Values and
motivations
Exploring the drivers, preferences and values that influence an individual's decisions, engagement and alignment with organisational culture.
Executive Simulation Exercises
For complex or high-stakes executive appointments, our bespoke simulation exercises assess how candidates approach the challenges they may face in the role.
Developed around the organisation's specific business context, these exercises can incorporate financial information, strategic decisions, board-level considerations and competing stakeholder priorities. Candidates analyse the scenario and present their recommendations to a selection panel, demonstrating their judgement, commercial awareness and problem-solving capabilities.
Each exercise is tailored to the organisation and evaluated against our 6Dx framework, providing a consistent, evidence-based comparison of candidates. This approach can also support succession planning by assessing internal and external candidates against the same expectations.
Beyond the interview: Assessing leadership capability
Our Executive Search team has applied this approach to complex leadership appointments, including the recruitment of an external CEO for a family-owned food manufacturing business.
In an article for The CEO Magazine, Nick Hindhaugh explores how tailored assessment exercises can reveal the leadership capabilities that traditional interviews may overlook.
Why partner with Six Degrees Executive
Our approach combines the experience of specialist executive search consultants with structured assessment methodologies to support more informed leadership decisions.
Proprietary
assessment methodology
Our 6Dx framework is developed and maintained by Six Degrees Executive, allowing us to continually refine our approach to reflect changing leadership expectations and organisational needs.
Tailored to your organisation
We recognise that no two leadership appointments are the same. Our assessments are designed around the role, organisational context and specific capabilities required for success.
Evidence-based decision-making
By combining leadership benchmarking, psychometric insights and practical assessment, we provide a consistent approach to comparing candidates and identifying potential risks.
Expertise beyond recruitment
Our assessment methodologies support executive and board appointments, internal leadership development and succession planning, providing value beyond the initial hiring decision.
Our Executive Search specialists
Our dedicated Executive Search consultants combine deep market knowledge, established professional networks and leadership assessment expertise to support organisations in making critical executive appointments.
Working closely with clients, our team provides tailored advice and assessment solutions aligned with their leadership needs and long-term business objectives.
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Paul Hallam
Founder & Executive Director
Executive search,
National, Melbourne
Nick Hindhaugh
Founder & Executive Director
Executive search, Education, Consumer & FMCG, Not for profit, Services, Healthcare, Retail,
National, Melbourne
David Braham
Founder & Executive Director
Executive search,
National, Melbourne
John Whitehead
Chief Commercial Officer
Executive search,
National, Melbourne
Alastair Pennie
Director - New South Wales
Executive search, Procurement, Contracting, Supply chain, Consumer & FMCG, Healthcare,
Sydney
Katrina Park
Partner - Executive Search
Executive search, Technology, Education, Healthcare, Services, Retail,
Melbourne
Ben Maurer
Partner - Executive Search
Executive search, Business to Business, Services,
Sydney
Sarah Cox
Associate Partner
Retail, Executive search, Consumer & FMCG, Property & Construction,
Melbourne
Rachel Shermer
Director
Communications & Corporate Affairs, Executive search, Marketing, Sales, Digital, Contracting,
Sydney
Jesse Moore
Executive Search & Operations Associate
Corporate Services, Executive search,
National
Rohan McMaster
Client Partner
Executive search, Accounting & Finance, Business to Business, Consumer & FMCG, Retail, Education, Not for profit, Services,
National, Melbourne
Ryan Webster
Client Partner
Executive search, Government, Consumer & FMCG, Not for profit, Healthcare, Services, Property & Construction,
National, Brisbane
Nicola Wortley
Research Manager
Executive search, Government,
Brisbane, National
Executive Leadership insights
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