Arvantis | Executive Search for Luxury Hospitality
Executive Search · Luxury Hospitality
Placing exceptional leaders in the world’s finest venues.
A bespoke, discreet search practice built on twenty-five years of relationships and results. We work quietly, and almost always by recommendation.
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Twenty-five years of placing the right people.
I work with a small number of clients at any one time, and I engage directly with every search. When you work with Arvantis, you work with me from the first conversation to the final placement.
Over twenty-five years I have placed culinary and management talent across the world, for fine dining, hotels, premium and lifestyle venues. The names stay private. The results speak for themselves.
Before founding Arvantis, I directed the hospitality practice at BlackBook and served as a principal consultant at PSD Group, specialising in F&B and culinary leadership. My searches have ranged from pre-opening General Managers for flagship London properties to Culinary Directors for Michelin-starred groups across three continents.
I am based in London and work across the United Kingdom, France, the Middle East, and internationally where mandates require it. I remain the consistent point of contact from the first conversation to the final placement.
Richard Kingue Kouta, Founder & Managing Director
Three disciplines. One standard of search.
Executive & General Management
General Managers, Managing Directors, and Group-level executives for independent properties and international groups. Placements where leadership character is as important as technical command.
Culinary Leadership
Executive Chefs, Head Chefs, and Culinary Directors for Michelin-starred and premium venues. I understand brigade culture, kitchen dynamics, and the difference between technical excellence and creative vision.
Commercial & Guest Experience
Directors of Sales, Events, and Revenue Management. The senior talent who shape how a business grows and how guests remember it. These appointments are rarely urgent enough and almost always more consequential than expected.
I work across the full spectrum of luxury and premium hospitality, including fine dining, five-star hotels, resorts, premium lifestyle venues, members clubs, boutique properties, branded restaurant groups, and the advisory firms that serve them. Mandates are accepted selectively.
Members Clubs · Michelin Restaurants
Branded Restaurant Groups · Boutique Properties · Hospitality Advisory
Thorough, personal, and confidential throughout.
Every engagement begins with a single detailed briefing. I take the time to understand not just the role, but the culture, the team, and what success looks like. I remain involved from first conversation through to onboarding.
A retained, confidential search for leadership roles where precision and discretion are paramount.
- 01Briefing
- 02Market Mapping
- 03Long List
- 04Short List
- 05Approach
- 06Evaluation
- 07Client Interviews
- 08Offer & Acceptance
- 09Onboarding & Integration
Access to a global talent pool for roles where speed and reach are as important as precision.
- 01Briefing
- 02Candidate Mapping
- 03Approach
- 04Evaluation
- 05Client Interviews
- 06Offer & Acceptance
Principled. Discreet. Effective.
My approach is built on three commitments that have not changed throughout my career.
Confidentiality
Every conversation, every name, every mandate is handled with complete discretion. Clients and candidates trust me because that trust has never been broken.
Personal Conduct
I lead every search directly, supported by a small team of researchers. You deal with me at every stage, from briefing to final placement. There is no hand-off, no intermediary.
Honest Counsel
I will tell you honestly whether I am the right person for a mandate. I am interested in outcomes that last, not in filling positions quickly. If I cannot help, I will say so.
Conducting a search? Let us begin with a conversation.
Every enquiry is handled personally and in complete confidence.
Make an EnquiryThe names of my clients and the people I place remain confidential. The mandates below speak to the range and calibre of the work.
In their own words.
I highly recommend Arvantis. They are efficient, precise, and attentive, always focusing on their clients’ needs.
Arvantis understand our style and profiles so we can quickly narrow down the requirements. We have a great working relationship, which really saves us time.
Arvantis always deliver and meet my expectations with speed and professionalism. An invaluable asset for me.
Begin a conversation.
Referrals and direct enquiries welcomeIf you have a search in mind, the next step is a conversation. Most engagements begin with a single confidential call. Call or write to me directly. Every enquiry is handled personally and in complete confidence. There is no obligation from an initial conversation.