Challenging the Status Quo: Headhunters and Gender Bias in Executive Recruitment: “Women have been at a Disadvantage, and it is long Overdue to Correct that”

This paper investigates the exclusion of women from the recruitment process for top management positions, focusing on the role of headhunters in Iceland—a country ranked first in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 15 consecutive years. Despite Iceland's reputation as a leader in gender equality, women remain significantly underrepresented in executive roles. This study addresses this paradox by exploring how headhunters' recruitment practices both perpetuate and challenge gender bias. Through semi-structured interviews with 44 board members (22 men, 22 women) and eight headhunters, this study uncovers structural and behavioral biases limiting women’s opportunities in executive roles Headhunters often rely on established networks and emphasize CEO experience, which favors male candidates. However, the study also highlights the potential of headhunters to act as change agents by expanding candidate pools and rethinking traditional hiring criteria. The theoretical contribution of this research lies in its exploration of how headhunters, positioned as both gatekeepers and agents of change, can influence gender diversity in leadership. This study also uses agency theory to explain the dynamic between headhunters and boards, examining how their conflicting goals shape executive recruitment outcomes.