FOUNDER · TALENTSMITHS
JAMES SMITH
THE SPECIALIST EA RECRUITER THAT PRINCIPALS CALL FIRST.
500+
PLACEMENTS
20+
YEARS
5
CITIES
10,000+
VETTED EAS IN ELEVATE
88.97%
EA RETENTION SINCE 2021
WHO JAMES IS
James Smith founded TalentSmiths in 2004 with a single conviction: that the best executive assistants are never found on a job board, and the best principals don't have time for recruiters who don't already know the answer before the brief is written.
Over 20 years later, that conviction is the firm's methodology.
TalentSmiths is a specialist executive assistant recruitment agency. James places senior EAs, Chiefs of Staff, and Private Assistants with UHNW principals, family offices, private equity firms, hedge funds, and high-growth founders across London, New York, Miami, San Francisco, and Austin. Every search is personally led by James. No junior consultants. No hand-offs. No exceptions.
Since 2004, he has completed over 500 placements. 86% of those mandates were never advertised. The reason is Elevate.
ELEVATE
Elevate is TalentSmiths' private network of over 10,000 vetted senior EAs, built and maintained since the firm was founded. Every person in it has been engaged directly by James. He knows their background, their working preferences, their principal preferences, their motivations, and their capabilities — not from a CV, but from years of direct contact and repeated conversation.
When a brief arrives, James does not post a job advert or query a database. He picks up the phone to someone he already knows. The search begins with a call, not a click.
This is why TalentSmiths shortlists are short. Principals receive a maximum of three candidates. Every one of them was called, not sourced. Every one of them has been psychometrically assessed. Every one of them comes with a written rationale explaining why this person, for this principal, in this context.
Elevate took 20 years to build. It is not replicable. It is the reason TalentSmiths can search a mandate the same day the brief arrives.
“The 12-month guarantee is real. We had a situation at month eight. James handled it personally. A replacement was placed within three weeks.”
— MANAGING DIRECTOR, PE-BACKED PORTFOLIO · LONDON
THE METHODOLOGY
James is precise about what he will and won't take on.
He does not accept every mandate. If he doesn't believe he can place the role well — whether because of timeline, compensation, or the complexity of the brief — he will say so before taking a retainer. Principals who have worked with other firms appreciate this. The conversation is honest from the first call.
He knows the difference between an EA who thrives in chaos and one who needs structure. Between someone who manages a calendar and someone who runs an operation. Between a private household role that demands absolute discretion and a Series B environment that demands velocity. Between discretion and avoidance. These distinctions are invisible on a CV. They are not invisible to James.
Every TalentSmiths placement comes with a 12-month guarantee. If the placement breaks down within that period, the search reopens at no cost. It is not a marketing device. It is a reflection of confidence in the match.
The firm's EA retention rate since 2021 is 88.97%. That number reflects what happens when the match is right from the start.
THE PRINCIPALS WHO COME TO US
Most principals who come to TalentSmiths have tried another route first. Contingency firms. In-house searches. Referrals that went nowhere. Eighteen months of attempts that produced nothing credible.
They come to James because someone told them to. A principal who placed through TalentSmiths, or an EA in Elevate who suggested it. The firm does not advertise broadly. Its reputation travels through the networks it operates in.
What they find when they arrive is a 30-minute call with James. Not a pitch. A conversation. By the end of it, he will know whether he can help, and he will tell them honestly either way.
“Three firms. Eighteen months. No placement. James took the brief on a Tuesday. We had a shortlist by the following Wednesday. The offer was accepted before the month was out.”
— MANAGING PARTNER, HEDGE FUND · NEW YORK
“What I valued most was the honesty. James told me early on that my compensation expectations were below market. He was right. We adjusted. We hired. They are still here two years later.”
— FOUNDER, UHNW · AUSTIN
INTELLIGENCE
JAMES PUBLISHES THE EDITION — AN INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING FOR THE EA MARKET.
Compensation data. Hiring trends. Candidate behaviour. Market intelligence from 500+ placements across 5 cities. Published via Substack.
Read The Edition on SubstackTHE BRIEF TAKES 30 MINUTES.
James takes every brief personally. No junior consultants. No intake forms. A conversation about your world — the role, the principal, the non-negotiables — and whether TalentSmiths can help.
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