MU Demonstrates Resilience and Strengthens Market Position in 2025

Despite a challenging global market and continued economic uncertainty, MU once again demonstrated its resilience, adaptability, and long-term strength in 2025.

Throughout the year, MU further strengthened its position in the Executive Search and Leadership Advisory segment, while effectively adapting its cost base to a reduced project market. Although gross sales were 5% lower year on year, MU outperformed many industry peers through increased fee levels, strong productivity, an exceptionally solid balance sheet, and a continued focus on client needs.

In 2025, MU Expert Consultants increased both client work and productivity. New colleagues with less than two years of service increased their client work by 16% per head, while long-standing colleagues improved results by 4% per head. At the same time, clients continued to recognise the exceptional quality delivered by MU Experts globally. Fee levels in search services increased by 18%, revenues in MU Leadership Assessment™ grew by 41%, and client satisfaction reached 88%.

This performance reflects MU’s continued commitment to Reliable Leadership Advice™, combining scientific rigour, expert delivery, and a close understanding of client needs to help organisations acquire and develop leaders who perform and create lasting results.

Key achievements of 2025

• Increased value, impact and level of work: 18% increase in fee levels in our search services
  Sharply increased Leader Assessment demand: 41% growth in MU Leadership Assessment™ revenues
• Consistently high client satisfaction:
  • 88% client satisfaction
  • Number one preferred client choice for Executive Search and Professional Search services in an independent European survey
• Consistently high demand for international services: Continued growth in international business, the APAC region, and prioritised practices including Technology, Construction, Consumer, and ESG
• New services for Interim Executives: Launch of MU Interim Executive™, built on our MU Leader Selection Science® methodology
• MU strengthened its position in the Executive Search and Leadership Advisory segment despite difficult trading conditions.
• More successful colleagues: New MU Expert Consultants increased client work by 16% per head, while long-standing colleagues increased results by 4% per head.
• MU was ranked the number one preferred client choice for Executive Search and Professional Search services in an independent survey conducted by Mediacom and Alchemer in Europe, based on 984 respondents across Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
• Significant growth was achieved in prioritised locations and services, including the APAC region and the Technology, Construction, Consumer, and ESG practices.
• MU Research Institute continued to enhance MU’s industry-leading client offerings, including further refinements to MU Executive Search™ and MU Professional Search™.
• MU returned to increased sales volumes in the second half of 2025 following very challenging market conditions in the first half of the year.
• MU maintained strong financial resilience, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of over 6% despite difficult market conditions.

Key focus for 2026

Acquiring and increasing the effectiveness of leadership to improve clients’ results remains one of the greatest challenges organisations face and one of the most important factors in achieving sustainable outperformance. To serve clients even better, MU’s management will focus on the following priorities in 2026:

• Continued enlargement of MU’s presence in key markets, industry practices, and global reach through careful and selective hiring of senior consultants, new associates, and affiliated partner firms.
• Continued financial vigilance.
• A full focus on client sales, client care, and client development work.
• Continued strengthening of MU’s industry-leading quality assurance and certification regime for MU Experts, with an emphasis on the scientific basis for predicting leader success, inclusion, and diversity.

MU enters 2026 with confidence. Its strong balance sheet, proven methods, and exceptional experts provide a solid foundation for continued progress, enabling MU to support clients with effective leadership solutions whenever they need them most.