When a business asks AI who can fill a senior leadership role, build a commercial team or support multi-location hiring, the answer can shape the shortlist before a recruitment brief is even written.
That matters because recruitment is built around consideration. A firm does not need to win every search, but it does need to enter the conversation.
The Tenacious AI Visibility Index tracks that conversation over time.
Each month, we ask the same buyer-focused questions across leading AI platforms and record every recruitment or executive-search provider explicitly named.
The aim is not to decide which agency is best. It is to measure which firms AI systems currently recognise strongly enough to recommend.
July is Month 2 of the Index. Compared with June, the leadership group has changed sharply.
The market has moved away from broad staffing brands at the top of the combined table and towards executive-search firms with stronger cross-model agreement.
Korn Ferry ranks first in July, climbing from seventh place in June.
Odgers Berndtson enters the Top 10 at number two, followed by Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds, Egon Zehnder and Heidrick & Struggles. All six appear across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity.
That creates a very different consensus group from June.
June’s seven full-consensus firms were Hays, Randstad, Reed, Robert Walters, Adecco UK, ManpowerGroup and Korn Ferry. In July, only Korn Ferry remains in the complete-consensus group. The other five all-four-model firms are executive-search specialists.
The wider dataset also becomes slightly more concentrated. July detects 75 unique providers, down from 82 in June.
However, the methodology is broader in July. ChatGPT now contributes 10 question-level responses rather than one sector shortlist, Gemini has been added, and Perplexity returns named providers in 9 of 10 responses rather than 4 of 10.
The clearest story is therefore not simply that one group rose and another fell. It is that AI agreement shifted from general recruitment brands towards executive-search firms.
| Metric | June 2026 | July 2026 | Change |
| AI models included | 3 | 4 | Gemini added |
| Buyer questions | 10 | 10 | No change |
| Unique providers detected | 82 | 75 | Down 7 |
| Full-consensus providers | 7 | 6 | Down 1 |
| Top-ranked provider | Hays | Korn Ferry | Changed |
| Full-consensus names retained | Korn Ferry | Korn Ferry | One retained |
| Perplexity responses with named providers | 4 of 10 | 9 of 10 | Much broader coverage |
| Top 10 firms retained | Hays, Reed, Robert Walters, Korn Ferry, Michael Page | Same five | 5 of 10 |
June was the most model-consistent sector in the first edition, with seven firms appearing across ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity.
July still shows meaningful consensus, but the names inside that consensus group have changed.
Korn Ferry records the strongest month-on-month rise among firms present in both Top 10 tables.
It moves from seventh in June to first in July.
Its July visibility comes from all four models:
That gives Korn Ferry 15 total mentions and complete four-model agreement.
The important point is not simply its total. Robert Walters records more mentions overall, but Korn Ferry ranks higher because the combined methodology prioritises broader model agreement before total frequency.
Robert Walters receives the highest total mention count in the July Top 10, appearing 20 times.
It is also ChatGPT’s and Claude’s most frequently named recruitment brand, appearing in all 10 ChatGPT responses, 6 Claude responses and 4 Perplexity responses. It is absent from Gemini’s aggregate count, which keeps it outside the four-model consensus group.
This illustrates one of the central lessons from the Index: high frequency within three models is valuable, but it is not the same as consistent cross-platform visibility.
Hays remains one of the most visible broad recruitment brands, with 15 total July mentions across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
However, it does not appear in Claude’s aggregate count, so it falls from first in June to eighth in July.
This should not be interpreted as Hays becoming invisible. It remains second in ChatGPT’s July model leaderboard and first in Gemini’s. The change is about combined breadth across all four platforms.
Reed stays in the Top 10 but moves down seven places.
Its 11 July mentions come from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Like Hays, it lacks four-model agreement and is therefore overtaken by executive-search firms with lower totals but broader coverage.
Michael Page is the most stable firm in the combined table.
It ranked ninth in June and remains ninth in July.
Its 14 mentions come from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, making it one of the strongest three-model performers.
Five firms enter the combined Top 10:
All five achieve complete four-model consensus.
This is one of the clearest changes in the July recruitment dataset.
In June, Spencer Stuart and Russell Reynolds appeared outside the leading consensus group, while Odgers Berndtson, Egon Zehnder and Heidrick & Struggles were visible mainly within specialist executive-search questions.
In July, those firms move into the centre of the combined ranking.
Odgers Berndtson ranks second with 14 total mentions. Spencer Stuart follows with 12, Russell Reynolds with 11, and Egon Zehnder and Heidrick & Struggles each record 9.
The pattern suggests AI systems became more aligned around executive-search brands when answering questions related to senior leadership, specialist roles and high-value hiring.
Five June leaders do not retain a July Top 10 position:
Again, this does not mean they disappeared from the July responses.
Randstad, Adecco and Manpower all appear frequently in Gemini, with each named in 6 of 10 questions. Morgan McKinley appears in 6 ChatGPT responses. Morgan Hunt also remains visible in specific specialist-role and multi-location questions.
What changed is the combined ranking. They did not collect enough cross-model agreement to stay ahead of the executive-search firms entering the four-model consensus group.
| Rank | Company | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Perplexity | Total | Models Agree |
| 1 | Korn Ferry | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 4/4 |
| 2 | Odgers Berndtson | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 4/4 |
| 3 | Spencer Stuart | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 4/4 |
| 4 | Russell Reynolds | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 4/4 |
| 5 | Egon Zehnder | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4/4 |
| 6 | Heidrick & Struggles | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 4/4 |
| 7 | Robert Walters | 10 | 6 | — | 4 | 20 | 3/4 |
| 8 | Hays | 8 | — | 6 | 1 | 15 | 3/4 |
| 9 | Michael Page | 7 | — | 6 | 1 | 14 | 3/4 |
| 10 | Reed | 4 | — | 6 | 1 | 11 | 3/4 |
Counts show the number of the 10 buyer questions in which each model explicitly named the company. The maximum possible total is 40.
The table makes the distinction between frequency and consensus clear.
Robert Walters has the highest total mention count, but Korn Ferry, Odgers Berndtson and the other executive-search firms rank above it because they appear across all four model datasets.
| Company | June Rank | July Rank | Movement |
| Korn Ferry | 7 | 1 | Up 6 |
| Odgers Berndtson | Outside Top 10 | 2 | New Top 10 entrant |
| Spencer Stuart | Outside Top 10 | 3 | New Top 10 entrant |
| Russell Reynolds | Outside Top 10 | 4 | New Top 10 entrant |
| Egon Zehnder | Outside Top 10 | 5 | New Top 10 entrant |
| Heidrick & Struggles | Outside Top 10 | 6 | New Top 10 entrant |
| Robert Walters | 4 | 7 | Down 3 |
| Hays | 1 | 8 | Down 7 |
| Michael Page | 9 | 9 | No change |
| Reed | 3 | 10 | Down 7 |
| Randstad | 2 | Outside Top 10 | Dropped out |
| Adecco UK | 5 | Outside Top 10 | Dropped out |
| ManpowerGroup | 6 | Outside Top 10 | Dropped out |
| Morgan McKinley | 8 | Outside Top 10 | Dropped out |
| Morgan Hunt | 10 | Outside Top 10 | Dropped out |
June’s ranking was led by Hays, Randstad and Reed, with seven firms achieving three-model consensus.
July’s leading group is much more heavily weighted towards executive search.
Robert Walters appears in all 10 ChatGPT responses, followed by Hays with 8 and Michael Page and PageGroup with 7 each.
Korn Ferry and Morgan McKinley each appear 6 times.
ChatGPT, therefore, retains a broad-recruitment view of the market, even while executive-search firms rise in the combined table.
Robert Walters leads Claude with 6 appearances, but Odgers Berndtson, Aaron Wallis, Renaissance and Stanton Chase each appear in 5.
Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart and Russell Reynolds also feature prominently.
Claude’s results are more fragmented than ChatGPT’s and show stronger recognition of specialist and executive-search providers.
Hays, Michael Page, Reed, Robert Half, Adecco, Randstad, Blue Arrow, Manpower and Pertemps each appear in 6 Gemini responses.
This creates a broad staffing-led recommendation environment that differs sharply from the combined Top 10.
Robert Walters leads Perplexity with 4 appearances.
Aaron Wallis follows with 3, while Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds and Heidrick & Struggles each appear twice.
Perplexity also returned named providers in 9 of 10 July responses, compared with only 4 of 10 in June. That makes its July contribution much more useful for cross-model analysis.
Three findings stand out.
First, recruitment remains a sector with relatively strong AI agreement, but the consensus has moved.
Second, executive-search firms gained the broadest July visibility. Six of the top six firms appear across every model.
Third, general recruitment brands remain highly visible but more model-dependent. Robert Walters, Hays, Michael Page and Reed record strong totals, but each misses one model.
The question for August is whether this executive-search concentration holds.
That is the reason to keep returning to the Index each month.
Recruitment firms often have strong offline authority.
They may have deep client relationships, large candidate networks, specialist consultants and years of hiring data.
But AI systems can only recommend what they can understand and verify.
The strongest visibility signals are likely to include:
Our AI visibility metrics guide explains how recommendation coverage should be measured across platforms rather than through one prompt.
The generative engine optimisation guide explores how businesses can strengthen the signals AI systems use to understand and recommend them.
We also examine the relationship between content, authority and recommendation coverage in what actually drives AI visibility.
The July 2026 Tenacious AI Visibility Index analysed 10 UK-focused recruitment and executive-search buyer questions across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity.
A company was counted once for each model and question in which it was explicitly named.
Obvious brand variants were normalised, while directories, generic categories and non-provider sources were excluded. Perplexity returned a named commercial provider in 9 of 10 July responses.
July was compared with June’s Top 10 membership and recommendation patterns. Because
June used three models and a different mix of sector-level and question-level data, month-on-month movements are directional rather than direct raw-score comparisons.
Disclosure: Results reflect responses collected on 10 July 2026. They measure named-provider visibility within this test set, not market share, service quality or an endorsement by Tenacious.
Want the Full Recruitment AI Visibility Dataset?
This report covers the headline July movements, but the full dataset includes:
Run your website through Answer Architect for a free AI Visibility Score and report.
You can also book a free AI Visibility Audit, and we will test how your company appears across relevant buyer questions and compare the results with competitors.
For help turning the findings into a practical visibility plan, explore our AI marketing services.
Which UK recruitment firm ranked first in July 2026?
Korn Ferry ranked first with 15 total mentions and complete agreement across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity.
Which recruitment firms appeared across all four AI models?
Korn Ferry, Odgers Berndtson, Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds, Egon Zehnder and Heidrick & Struggles achieved four-model consensus.
Which firm had the highest total number of mentions?
Robert Walters had the highest raw total, with 20 mentions across ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity.
Why did Hays fall from first to eighth?
Hays remained highly visible in ChatGPT and Gemini but was absent from Claude’s aggregate count. The July ranking prioritises broader model agreement before total mentions.
Which firms dropped out of the Top 10?
Randstad, Adecco UK, ManpowerGroup, Morgan McKinley and Morgan Hunt left the combined Top 10.
Does this ranking identify the best recruitment firm?
No. The Index measures named appearances in AI-generated recommendations. It does not assess service quality, placement success, candidate experience or commercial suitability.
