DEFINING IMPACT

Talent Search. Simplified.

Principal to CXO level.

Company-defining impact.

The earlier the market, the greater the leverage of the individual.Defining Impact focuses on companies pioneering emerging science and technology.These are environments where individual contribution can shape company success, entire industries and the future.Success is rarely individual. But contribution is rarely equal.Behind successful companies, projects and teams are individuals whose contribution was exceptional.They solve difficult problems, set standards, build capability and elevate the people around them.As companies grow, that contribution compounds.

Experience is not equal.

Ten years’ experience can mean ten years of progress. Or one year repeated ten times.Prestigious employers, tenure and titles are useful signals. They are also reassuring proxies. Somebody else has already made part of the judgement.

But they do not reveal the scale of an individual’s contribution.When search becomes anchored around those signals, exceptional people can remain camouflaged.

Impact lives in stories.

The people behind exceptional outcomes are not always the easiest to identify.Their impact often lives in reputation and in the stories told by the people who worked alongside them.That knowledge exists within human networks and conversations, not simply searchable data.But finding the story is only the beginning.Impact has to be understood in context.Through thousands of hours of purposeful conversations, from the lab bench to the boardroom, Defining Impact discovers and understands the individuals behind those outcomes.

Beyond boundaries.

Companies pioneering emerging science and technology rarely find all the expertise they need within one obvious industry or geography.Defining Impact searches interconnected markets where problems and capabilities overlap.The same principle applies across borders. One experienced hire in a new territory can bring relationships, credibility and market knowledge that would otherwise take years to build.Search should follow problems, capabilities and impact, not simply conventional cues and boundaries.

Defining Impact.

Defining Impact connects exceptional individuals with companies shaping the future.Principal Scientists & Engineers to CXO level.Across functions. Across markets. Across borders.18+ years of hands-on search. No junior hand-off.Contact Harvey Clear to discuss career-defining and company-defining introductions.

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 20261. Who we areDefining Impact Ltd is an executive search and recruitment business connecting senior and specialist professionals with organisations in the UK and internationally.For the purposes of UK data protection law, Defining Impact Ltd is the data controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy.Email: [email protected]2. Who this policy applies toThis policy applies to personal information we process about:• candidates and prospective candidates;
• clients and prospective clients;
• hiring managers and other professional contacts;
• referees and individuals who recommend or introduce people to us; and
• visitors to our website.3. Information we collectDepending on our relationship with you, we may collect information including:Candidate information: your name, contact details, CV, LinkedIn or other professional profiles, employment and career history, education, qualifications, skills, responsibilities, achievements, current or previous employers, compensation information, location, willingness to relocate or travel, career preferences and availability.We may also keep records of our communications with you, opportunities and organisations discussed, introductions, applications, interviews, feedback, offers, placements and notes relevant to our professional relationship.Client and business contact information: your name, job title, employer, professional contact details, hiring requirements, correspondence, searches and assignments, previous introductions or placements and other information relevant to our business relationship.Website and communications information: information you provide when contacting us and limited technical information generated through your use of our website.4. Where we obtain informationWe may obtain personal information directly from you or from other sources, including:• LinkedIn and other professional platforms;
• publicly available websites and professional information;
• our existing professional networks and records;
• referrals and recommendations;
• clients, candidates and other professional contacts;
• CVs and information provided to us; and
• recruitment databases, research tools and other professional information services.Executive search involves proactively identifying people who may be relevant to opportunities. We may therefore hold professional information about you before we have spoken to you.5. How we use personal informationWe may use personal information to:• identify people who may be suitable for opportunities;
• contact prospective candidates;
• assess experience and suitability;
• discuss career opportunities;
• identify and introduce relevant candidates to clients and prospective employers;
• manage searches, applications and interview processes;
• communicate feedback and offers;
• make and manage placements;
• maintain relationships with candidates for future opportunities;
• understand and respond to clients' hiring requirements;
• identify and contact prospective clients;
• provide and market our executive search and recruitment services;
• maintain records of conversations, introductions and previous work;
• obtain references or assist with appropriate pre-employment checks;
• administer and improve our business and services;
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
• comply with legal and regulatory requirements.6. Introductions to prospective employersAn important part of our service is connecting people and organisations where we believe there may be a relevant professional opportunity.We may share relevant professional information about candidates with clients or prospective employers where we reasonably believe this is appropriate in connection with our recruitment and executive search services.This may include information contained in a CV, professional profile or information provided to us during our communications.Where appropriate, we will discuss specific opportunities with candidates before making an introduction.We do not sell or rent candidate information, CVs or our candidate database.7. Our lawful basesDepending on the circumstances, we process personal information on one or more of the following lawful bases:Legitimate interests: including identifying and approaching suitable candidates, providing recruitment and executive search services, maintaining professional relationships, developing our business, communicating with business contacts and maintaining appropriate business records.When relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are proportionate and whether your interests, rights or freedoms override them.Contract: where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you.Legal obligation: where we are required to process information to comply with applicable law.Consent: where consent is appropriate or legally required. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.8. Sensitive informationWe do not ordinarily seek to collect sensitive or “special category” personal information.However, you may choose to provide information concerning matters such as health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or other sensitive circumstances, for example where relevant to an interview or recruitment process.Where we process special category personal information, we will only do so where an appropriate lawful basis and additional legal condition applies.Information concerning criminal convictions or offences will only be processed where permitted by law and where genuinely necessary.9. Calls, meetings and AI-assisted notesTelephone calls or video meetings may sometimes be recorded for legitimate purposes such as training, quality assurance or maintaining accurate records. Where we record a call or meeting, we will provide appropriate notice.We may also use technology, including artificial intelligence-enabled tools, to transcribe, summarise or assist us in taking notes during or following conversations.These tools may process personal information on our behalf. Where we use third-party providers, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate data protection arrangements are in place.We do not intend to rely solely on automated decision-making to make significant recruitment decisions about candidates.10. Who we share information withWhere appropriate, personal information may be shared with:• clients and prospective employers;
• service providers supporting our business, such as CRM, email, communications, cloud storage, recruitment and IT providers;
• professional advisers;
• reference, verification or background-screening providers where appropriate;
• regulators, courts, law-enforcement agencies or other authorities where legally required; and
• other parties where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.We only share information where we consider there is an appropriate reason to do so.11. International transfersDefining Impact operates internationally. Personal information may therefore be shared with clients, candidates or service providers outside the United Kingdom.Where UK data protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we will use an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism.12. How long we keep informationExecutive search relationships can remain professionally relevant for many years.We retain personal information for as long as we reasonably consider necessary for recruitment, executive search, professional relationship management, business record, contractual or legal purposes.We periodically review the information we hold and may delete or anonymise information that is no longer reasonably required.13. Direct marketing and professional outreachWe may contact candidates about relevant career opportunities and professional matters.We may also contact existing and prospective clients about our executive search and recruitment services where permitted by law.You can ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing at any time. We may retain limited information on a suppression list where necessary to ensure that your preference is respected.14. Your rightsDepending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights to:• request access to your personal information;
• ask us to correct inaccurate information;
• ask us to erase certain information;
• ask us to restrict certain processing;
• object to certain processing, including direct marketing;
• receive certain information in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where we rely upon consent; and
• complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions.To exercise your rights, contact [email protected].You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office.15. SecurityWe take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.Access to personal information is restricted where appropriate to people and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes.16. Cookies and our websiteOur website may use technologies that are necessary for it to function properly.We do not currently use the website for behavioural advertising or to track visitors across other websites.If we introduce analytics, advertising or other technologies that require consent or additional information under applicable law, we will update our practices and this Privacy Policy as necessary.Our website may contain links to third-party websites, such as LinkedIn. Those organisations are responsible for their own privacy practices.17. Changes to this policyWe may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, technology, services or legal obligations.The latest version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated.18. Contact usIf you have questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your information or wish to exercise a data protection right, contact:Defining Impact Ltd
Company number: 17444296
Registered office: 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

Defining Impact Ltd Terms of Business

Version 1.0
Effective September 2026COMMERCIAL SUMMARY
Permanent / fixed-term introduction fee: 25% of First-Year Remuneration, subject to a minimum fee of £20,000.
Consulting / contractor / fractional fee: 25% of projected gross fees over the first 12 months, subject to a minimum fee of £20,000.
Introduction protection: 12 months.
Payment: 14 days from invoice.
This summary is provided for convenience only. The full Terms below apply if there is any inconsistency.These Terms govern recruitment, executive search and candidate introduction services provided by Defining Impact Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 17444296, with its registered office at 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom ("Defining Impact", "we", "us") to the recipient of these Terms ("Client", "you").1. DEFINITIONS
1.1 Candidate
"Candidate" means any individual identified or introduced by us to you.
1.2 Client Group
"Client Group" means you, any parent or subsidiary undertaking, and any entity under common control with you.
1.3 Engagement
"Engagement" means employing, appointing, retaining or otherwise using a Candidate, directly or indirectly, whether as an employee, fixed-term employee, director, non-executive director, adviser, consultant, independent contractor, fractional executive, board member, through a personal service company, employer of record, consultancy, agency or any other intermediary or arrangement.
An Engagement includes an engagement for a different role or in a different capacity from the one originally discussed.
1.4 Introduction
"Introduction" means our disclosure of a Candidate's identity or information from which the Candidate can reasonably be identified, including a name, CV, profile, LinkedIn profile, career summary, contact details, or the arranging or facilitating of contact, a meeting or interview.
1.5 Active Process
"Active Process" means a genuine recruitment or engagement process which began before our Introduction and involved substantive, documented direct contact with the Candidate about a specific role or engagement.
A historic CV, ATS or CRM record, LinkedIn connection, previous application, contact list entry or general awareness of the Candidate is not, by itself, an Active Process.
1.6 First-Year Remuneration
"First-Year Remuneration" means the total compensation expected, stated or made available to the Candidate during the first 12 months of an employment or similar Engagement.
It includes base salary; any guaranteed, target, expected or anticipated bonus, commission or incentive payment, whether contractual, discretionary or performance-linked; signing payments; cash allowances; employer pension contributions; and other cash benefits.
1.7 Standard Fee
"Standard Fee" means 25% of First-Year Remuneration, subject to a minimum fee of £20,000, plus any applicable tax.2. HOW THESE TERMS APPLY AND BECOME BINDING
2.1 We may provide these Terms by attachment or by a clear link to our website before or with an Introduction.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you should tell us promptly and must not use, progress or forward the Candidate information we provide.
2.2 These Terms become binding on the earliest occurrence of you or a member of your Client Group:
a) asking for further information about a Candidate;
b) asking us to arrange or facilitate contact, a meeting or interview;
c) using or forwarding Candidate information for recruitment or engagement purposes;
d) making an offer to a Candidate; or
e) engaging a Candidate.
2.3 If, having received an Introduction and these Terms, you subsequently engage the Candidate within the protected period, that Engagement constitutes acceptance of these Terms.
2.4 A person communicating with us on your behalf will be treated as having authority to bind you unless you notify us otherwise before we act on that person's request.3. INTRODUCTION PROTECTION AND FEE ENTITLEMENT
3.1 If you or any member of your Client Group engages a Candidate within 12 months after our Introduction, the applicable fee is payable whether the Engagement is for the role originally discussed or another role, and whether it is made directly or indirectly.
3.2 Our fee remains payable if, following our Introduction:
a) the Candidate applies directly to you;
b) you contact the Candidate without our involvement;
c) another recruiter, adviser or intermediary subsequently becomes involved;
d) the Candidate is engaged through another legal entity or intermediary; or
e) the Candidate is engaged in a different role or capacity.
3.3 If you pass Candidate information to a third party outside your Client Group and that third party engages the Candidate within 12 months after our Introduction, you will be responsible for the applicable fee as though you had made the Engagement yourself.
3.4 You must notify us promptly of any offer or Engagement and provide the information reasonably required to calculate our fee.
3.5 If an Engagement is deliberately or materially not disclosed to us, the 12-month protection period will be treated as suspended until we have actual knowledge of that Engagement, to the extent permitted by law.4. CANDIDATES ALREADY IN PROCESS
4.1 If, before our Introduction, the Candidate was already in an Active Process with you which directly relates to the Engagement ultimately made, you must notify us in writing within 5 business days after our Introduction and provide reasonable contemporaneous evidence.
4.2 If you do not provide that notice and evidence within 5 business days, the Candidate will be treated as introduced by Defining Impact for the purposes of these Terms.
4.3 The fact that a Candidate was previously known to you, appears in an ATS, CRM or CV library, follows or is connected to someone on LinkedIn, or had historic contact with you does not by itself defeat our Introduction.5. PERMANENT AND FIXED-TERM FEES
5.1 For an employment, fixed-term, directorship or similar Engagement, the Standard Fee is 25% of First-Year Remuneration, subject to a minimum fee of £20,000.
5.2 Where a fixed-term Engagement is expected to last less than 12 months, we may calculate the fee on the remuneration payable during that fixed term, subject to the £20,000 minimum, unless a different basis is agreed in writing.
5.3 If the Engagement is extended, renewed, increased in scope or converted into another Engagement within 12 months after commencement, we may recalculate the fee by reference to the revised first-12-month value and invoice any additional amount due.6. CONSULTING, CONTRACTING, ADVISORY AND FRACTIONAL ENGAGEMENTS
6.1 For any Engagement as a contractor, consultant, adviser, fractional executive or other non-employment basis, the fee is 25% of the projected gross fees payable to the Candidate or the Candidate's intermediary during the first 12 months of the Engagement, subject to a minimum fee of £20,000.
6.2 The projected value will be calculated using the agreed or reasonably anticipated rate, working pattern and scope.
Where the working pattern is open-ended, variable or not disclosed, we may use a reasonable annualised estimate based on the available information and prevailing market practice.
6.3 If the Candidate's rate, working pattern, scope or anticipated commitment increases at any time during the first 12 months, the fee will be recalculated using the revised projected 12-month run-rate and you will pay any resulting additional fee.
6.4 You must notify us within 7 days of any such change and provide sufficient information to verify the revised Engagement value.
If you do not provide this information, we may calculate the additional fee using a reasonable market-based estimate, subject to correction if you promptly provide reliable evidence of a different amount.
6.5 If a Candidate initially engaged on a consulting, contractor, advisory or fractional basis becomes employed or otherwise moves into a permanent or fixed-term Engagement within 12 months after the original Engagement began, the fee will be recalculated as 25% of First-Year Remuneration, subject to the £20,000 minimum.
Any introduction fee already paid in respect of that Candidate will be deducted from the recalculated fee where this produces a higher total fee.7. OFFERS, INVOICING AND PAYMENT
7.1 A placement fee is earned when a Candidate accepts an offer of Engagement, whether the offer or acceptance is oral, written, conditional or unconditional.
We may invoice at that point.
7.2 If you make a formal offer and withdraw it before the Candidate accepts, we may charge a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the fee that would have been payable had the offer been accepted.
If the Candidate has already accepted the offer, the full applicable fee remains payable.
7.3 Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date.
7.4 The absence of a purchase order, vendor number or completion of an internal procurement or onboarding process does not postpone payment where the Engagement or other fee-triggering event has occurred.
7.5 You must provide sufficient compensation or fee information to enable us to calculate our invoice.
On reasonable request you will provide a written compensation breakdown, relevant extract from the offer documentation, consulting agreement or equivalent evidence.
7.6 If sufficient information is not provided within 10 business days after our request, we may invoice using a reasonable estimate based on the information available and prevailing market compensation or consulting rates.
We will correct the invoice if you promptly provide reliable evidence showing a different amount.
7.7 All payments must be made without set-off, counterclaim or deduction except where required by law.8. TAXES, CURRENCIES AND COSTS OF PAYMENT
8.1 Fees are exclusive of VAT, sales tax and similar taxes, which are payable in addition where applicable.
8.2 If a payment is subject to a legally required withholding or deduction, you will, to the extent lawful, increase the payment so that Defining Impact receives the amount it would have received without the withholding or deduction.
8.3 All invoices are payable in the currency stated on the invoice. The Client must pay the invoiced amount in full, without set-off or deduction except where required by law.
8.4 Where remuneration or other amounts used to calculate a fee are denominated in a currency different from the currency of the invoice, Defining Impact may convert those amounts using the prevailing mid-market exchange rate on the date the Candidate accepts the Engagement.

9. CANDIDATE SUITABILITY AND CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
9.1 We will use reasonable skill and care in carrying out our services.
The final hiring or engagement decision is yours.
9.2 You are responsible for satisfying yourself as to a Candidate's suitability and for all references, qualifications, professional registrations, right-to-work or immigration permissions, background checks, health or medical requirements, regulatory approvals and any other checks required by law or appropriate to the role.
9.3 You will provide us with the information we reasonably require about the role or Engagement, including the nature of the work, location, working arrangements, remuneration, material health and safety risks and any qualifications or authorisations required.
9.4 We do not warrant that information supplied by a Candidate is complete or error-free, that any Candidate will remain available, or that a Candidate will perform to any particular standard after Engagement.
9.5 Defining Impact does not provide legal, tax, immigration, securities, accounting, compensation or employment-law advice.
You should obtain your own professional advice where required.10. CONFIDENTIALITY AND CANDIDATE INFORMATION
10.1 Candidate information is confidential and is supplied only for legitimate recruitment, assessment and Engagement purposes.
10.2 You must keep Candidate information secure and may share it only with personnel, Client Group members and professional advisers who genuinely need it for that purpose and who are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.
10.3 You must not publish Candidate information or pass it to an unrelated third party without our consent.
Clause 3 applies if a third party engages the Candidate following your disclosure.11. DATA PROTECTION
11.1 Each party acts as an independent controller of personal data it processes in connection with these Terms and is responsible for its own compliance with applicable privacy and data-protection laws.
This includes, where relevant, the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, EU GDPR and applicable US state privacy laws.
11.2 You will use Candidate personal data only for legitimate recruitment, hiring, Engagement and related compliance purposes and will maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures.
11.3 Our processing of personal data is described in our privacy notice at:
definingimpact.com/privacy12. LATE PAYMENT AND RECOVERY
12.1 Where applicable, we may claim statutory interest, fixed compensation and reasonable recovery costs under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 or any successor legislation.
12.2 Where that statutory regime does not apply, overdue sums bear interest from the due date at 8% per annum above the Bank of England base rate from time to time, subject to any lower maximum rate required by applicable law, together with reasonable recovery and legal costs.13. LIABILITY, PERSONAL LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY
13.1 All services are provided exclusively by Defining Impact Ltd.
No director, shareholder, employee, contractor or agent of Defining Impact has personal liability to you arising out of or in connection with the services, these Terms or any Engagement, except to the extent that such liability cannot lawfully be excluded.
13.2 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
13.3 Subject to clause 13.2, Defining Impact excludes liability to the fullest extent permitted by law.
13.4 Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, goodwill, anticipated savings, opportunity or business.
This does not limit your obligation to pay fees and other amounts properly due to Defining Impact.
13.5 Where Defining Impact has liability which cannot lawfully be excluded but may be limited, its total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the relevant services or Engagement will not exceed the lower of:
a) the fees paid or payable to Defining Impact in respect of the relevant Engagement; and
b) £20,000.
13.6 You will indemnify Defining Impact against third-party claims, losses and reasonable costs arising from:
a) your employment, engagement, management or use of a Candidate;
b) your unlawful processing or disclosure of Candidate information; or
c) your breach of these Terms,
except to the extent caused by Defining Impact's negligence, wilful misconduct or breach of these Terms.14. TERM, TERMINATION AND SURVIVING RIGHTS
14.1 Either party may terminate an ongoing relationship under these Terms on 30 days' written notice.
14.2 Termination does not affect rights already accrued.
14.3 Every Introduction made before termination remains protected for the remainder of its 12-month protection period.
14.4 The provisions concerning fees, payment, confidentiality, data protection, liability, indemnity and dispute resolution will continue after termination to the extent necessary to give them effect.15. GENERAL
15.1 These Terms and any written assignment schedule or agreement that expressly incorporates them form the entire agreement concerning the relevant services and replace prior discussions on the same subject.
15.2 If an assignment schedule or signed agreement conflicts with these Terms, that document prevails only to the extent of the conflict.
15.3 No purchase order, procurement portal term, vendor onboarding term or other Client term changes these Terms unless a director of Defining Impact expressly agrees the change in writing.
15.4 A variation to these Terms is effective only if agreed in writing by a director of Defining Impact.
Email is sufficient where the intention to vary these Terms is clear.
15.5 You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent.
Defining Impact may assign receivables and debt-recovery rights.
15.6 If any provision of these Terms is unenforceable, it will be modified or severed to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions will continue in force.
15.7 Neither party is liable for delay caused by events beyond its reasonable control, except that this does not excuse payment of amounts already due.
15.8 Each party will comply with applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption and sanctions laws in connection with the services.
15.9 Notices may be sent by email to the address ordinarily used for the business relationship and will be treated as received when transmitted unless the sender receives an error or non-delivery notice.
15.10 A person who is not a party to these Terms has no right to enforce them under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.16. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTES
16.1 These Terms and any non-contractual obligations arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
16.2 The courts of England and Wales have non-exclusive jurisdiction.
Defining Impact may also bring proceedings in any court of competent jurisdiction, including a court where you are incorporated, carry on business or hold assets.
16.3 Before commencing substantive proceedings, other than proceedings for an undisputed debt, urgent interim relief or action required to preserve a limitation period, the parties will use reasonable efforts for 20 business days to resolve the dispute commercially.Defining Impact Ltd
Company number: 17444296
Registered in England and Wales
Registered office: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom