Executive research firm Armstrong Craven has launched a new service for the private equity and venture capitalist sectors.

The new division, called PE Director Source, has pledged to avoid ‘director shuffling’, a practice of which some search companies are accused.

Armstrong Craven managing director Sue Craven explained: “It shouldn’t be a case of just accepting an ‘off-the-peg’ director from a limited supply of those who have made themselves available; the usual suspects offered a number of times.”

Armstrong Craven says it has a database of 65,000 UK and international executives.

The company does not request a fee upfront: clients only pay when an offer has been accepted.