Testimonials
Executive Director, Hong Kong Jockey Club
Had a pleasant and professional hiring experience with Damien. Insights and job market information beyond formal JDs and company profiles, other candidate stories – all was really helpful. Additional guidance through the interview process and insight into the personalities of the interviewers also helped to pass through it flawlessly. Damien has my highest recommendation!
Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Damien is a driven, responsible and responsive consultant with whom I have recently partnered. As recommended to me, he has an impressive network and a superb working knowledge of the industry. Thanks for all the support thus far.. Keep it up!
Regional Practice Director, Accenture
Damien is a very open and sincere consultant who can advise what is right for the individual. He will coach and hand-hold through the executive hiring process like a humble careers counsellor. You’ll have a great time…
Business Development Manager, Amazon Web Services
The team were lovely to work with and I’m grateful for them making this happen.
Principal AI Advisor, Amazon Web Services
Damien is an interesting character and I appreciate the time he puts in to his work. I’m very happy in my new role and would like to keep in touch.
Chief Information Security Officer, NTUC
Damien is very helpful and goes the extra mile for his clients. I really appreciate his efforts. Thanks for everything..
Chief People Officer, Centrus Corporate Finance
Abayenko helped us hire an infrastructure, derivatives and commodities valuation specialist for our analytics team, a treasury system implementation associate and an accounts assistant. They also partnered with our HR and compliance teams and we would like to thank you for the support over the last couple of years in placing the candidates you did with us.
Chief Data Scientist, Standard Chartered Bank
Damien is a very experienced headhunter. He sees the potential in everyone and is able to align them with roles that shine their talents. For companies seeking to hire, Damien is linked to a large pool of talents and will ensure your company makes the right hires.
Chief Technology Officer, CyberForce
Damien was everything you could want from a recruiter. He got to know me and my skillset rather than ticking off a checklist. He communicates well and explains why you may (or may not) be a good fit. His empathy is refreshing and somewhat new to the industry. This likely comes from two decades spent in Asia, which clearly made him aware of local culture and Chinese language. Damien is hands down one of the Top 3, if not the Top, recruiters I have ever worked with.
Associate Director – Cyber Security, FWD Insurance
I had a fantastic experience with Damien. He was simply brilliant and spontaneous throughout the engagement. He listens carefully to the entire story and always suggests viable, if not the best possible solutions. He’s easily the most technical recruiter I’ve come across, or at least the only one I know that taught himself to code in JavaScript and Python. Keep up the good work mate.
CEO, LemonEdge
Abayenko has become a trusted partner for our UK and US software development, project management, system implementation and cloud engineering teams. They also hired account executives and GTM staff for us like our SVP of Sales in the US.
CEO, Adeta
ABAYENKO is our go-to recruiter and preferred supplier for corporate finance, real estate, FP&A and M&A professionals. Damien has introduced many of our current team members including our Head of Finance, Head of HR and Accounts Manager.
Bug Bounty Programmer & Security Engineer, Crypto.com
Damien and his friends did a big favour for me. I highly recommend him as a recruiter and would love to work together again.
Enterprise Account Executive, Red Hat
Damien is known to my friends as an expert recruiter who brings out the best in any candidate. I hope to have the pleasure of working with him again and I recommend him to anyone searching for a new career opportunity.
Head of Enterprise Services, Aruba
Damien is hardworking, results oriented and collaborative. He consistently produces high quality work, helping clients to achieve their goals and exceeding expectations. I love working with him.
Director of Pre-Sales, Skybox Security
I had the opportunity to collaborate with Damien and I really appreciated his straight forward approach, clear communication and honesty. All good qualities to set the ground for success!
Specialisms
SENIOR APPOINTMENTS & BOARD
REGIONAL DIRECTORS & C-SUITE
INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
TEAM MANAGEMENT & SPECIALIST HIRES
Technology & Corporate Functions
FinTech
Identifying future leadership in modern financial technology spanning the fields of digital banking, payment systems, treasury management, quant trading, blockchain engineering, cryptography and low-code fund management platforms.
Cyber Security
Enlisting information privacy and security personnel forming lines of defence to combat the evolving cyber threat landscape.
Electromobility
Connecting chemical, electrical and mechanical engineers fuelling the advancement of electric vehicles and autonomous systems with electromobility organisations utilising sensors, simulators and sustainable energy practices to drive decarbonisation for future generations.
Health & BioTech
Assisting technologists with a passion for improving the quality of human life through advancements in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostic technology, ranging from quality assurance analysts to testing, inspection and certification professionals.
Big Data & Cloud
Hiring data engineers, cloud architects, infrastructure, platform and site reliability engineers alongside other DevOps practitioners with experience handling containerised applications and automating deployments across hybrid cloud environments.
Sales & Marketing
Partnering with go-to-market leaders, enterprise sales, channel partner, marketing and customer success strategists going above and beyond for their clients.
Renewable Energy
Supporting environmental technologists shaping the world around us through the adoption of renewable energy sources, modern agri-tech and food science.
Corporate Finance
Furthering careers in M&A, capital raising, treasury advisory and quantitative risk while broadening our network of management accountants and specialist audit, tax and assurance professionals.
Project Management
Collaborating with programme and project managers overseeing digital transformation campaigns and technical development lifecycles from inception to deployment.
Software Engineering
Working with staff software engineers and technical leads to expand development teams and improve end-user experiences, ranging from full-stack developers and quality assurance to frontend and backend engineers.
Electronics & Batteries
Fostering creative minds in consumer technology and hardware manufacturing ranging from semiconductors to batteries, charging systems, smart devices, central and graphical processing units alongside virtual and augmented reality computer games.
Data Science & Analytics
Pairing analytical minds with businesses seeking to change the ways in which we collect, visualise and interpret data through predictive analytics, business intelligence and data science.
Automotive & Aerospace
Creating opportunity for test engineers, build technicians, propulsion architects, avionic design engineers and quality assurance professionals alongside power systems and thermal control specialists furthering aerospace capabilities, satellite, drone and defence technology.
Product & Graphic Design
Tapping into long-standing relationships with graphic designers, UI/UX solution architects and product managers versed in Agile, Scrum, Waterfall & RAD methodologies.
Quantum Computing & AI
Forming strategic alliances geared towards the next generation of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, deep learning technology and machine learning operations.
Telecommunications & IoT
Coupling connective and mobility technology specialists, 5G and IoT professionals with technical network design, pre-sales and post-sales implementation opportunities.
ESG Advisory & Compliance
Representing environmental sustainability, risk advisory and regulatory compliance professionals reviewing policies and establishing robust controls in accordance with international standards of governance.
Locations
Europe
UK Headquarters, London
North America
US Headquarters, California
Singapore & Hong Kong
Home and birthplace of our founder, 20 years in Asia
Applying retained search practices to contingent recruitment
We are international executive search specialists seeking to make a difference through an alternative search process carefully designed to consolidate detailed research and due diligence while uncovering hidden talent and future leadership.
Attention to detail
One size rarely fits all, which is why we offer a range of solutions from retained advisory to contingent appointments, embedded talent and recruitment process outsourcing subscriptions.
Going beyond the traditional recruitment model, our uniquely tailored solutions are designed to help build high-performing and diverse leadership teams.
Our primary objective is to deliver personalised candidate journeys and implement hiring processes of the highest standard, as recruiting is not only about attracting talent but developing and retaining the best on the market.
We add a personal touch to the candidate narrative and contribute towards their ongoing development through an extensive network of carefully selected leadership coaches and transformation partners.
As part of the selection process we anonymise shortlists and include candidates from underrepresented groups to broaden our searches.
We also utilise technical, psychometric and situational judgement assessments to give your business greater confidence in candidate suitability alongside a nuanced understanding of key competencies, individual personalities and leadership styles.
We combine this analysis with comprehensive market mapping, salary benchmarking and competitor analysis to pinpoint the best talent both locally and regionally.
As a team we strive towards continuous improvement, reflecting on feedback to drive better experiences for both our candidates and industry partners alike.
We take pride in the depth of our leadership assessments, exceeding expectations through a range of immersive simulations, pre-recorded video introductions exhibiting candidate qualities and extensive reports offering a multifaceted view of individual leadership skills.
We also support our clients in designing organisational structures, talent development and reward strategies that motivate high-performance teams and retain future leaders for lasting success.
It’s about human connection, intrinsic passion and leaving no stone unturned in finding it.
Our solutions
Retained Advisory
Contingent Appointments
Interim & Embedded Talent
The global skills shortage in technology and corporate functions remains a concern at both the executive and non-executive level.
Our solutions are uniquely tailored and designed to bring candidate qualities to life, adding further detail to the selection process.
Assisted by bespoke research systems, we can discover new solutions and assess candidate suitability in greater detail, ensuring no-one is overlooked.
Our ability to delve deeper into specialist areas, exploring larger talent pools and covering greater workloads on a more cost-effective basis derives from this.
Our multilingual consultants specialise in a particular market and region, enabling employers to overcome language barriers, expand existing networks and look internationally for competitive edge.
The selection services we provide are defined by an established global network and a unique technical depth across our team of contributors; many of whom have relatable industry experience.
Whether engaged on a retained, contingent or fixed-term RPO project, our search process caters to all selection requirements and can adapt to any change in circumstances.
By entrusting our specialist professional network and experienced consultants, you can focus on other tasks at hand and what ultimately matters most to your team.
It’s about attracting the highest standard of talent in an increasingly competitive digital landscape, forging deeper connections and finding synergy.
Matching the best talent of today with opportunities that will shape their future is what we do.
We align values with shared purpose to promote sustainable talent acquisition, exploring motivational and behavioural attributes to ensure cultural fit.
We further careers, identify future leaders and establish hiring processes of the highest standard.
Through our partnerships we enable unfettered access to relevant talent and foresighted intelligence.
Together we provide options to inform better decisions and the ultimate full service solution for specialist hires globally.
Alex Marin Gasga
Senior Partner Director, Microsoft