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Designed inside a working executive search firm
Fortemap AI is an applied AI initiative that started with research on real work. That meant sitting with Gallop Research's team through live mandates before writing the software that would run them.
The Gallop Research team
The people who shaped Fortemap
Founder, Gallop Research
Snehasis Sen
Snehasis has run executive searches for more than 15 years, placing senior leaders through retained, confidential mandates. He founded Gallop Research on that work, and he opened its live searches to the Fortemap product team so the software would follow how a search actually runs.
His years of search practice set the test each part of Fortemap had to pass: would it hold up in front of a client and a board?
Recruiters at Gallop Research
Two more views of the same search
Brought the delivery view: mapping, confidential approaches, assessment and keeping candidates warm between searches.
Brought the documentation view: briefs, job descriptions, dossiers and every format a client asks for.
Why start with a search firm
Executive search is recruitment with no margin for error
A retained search puts everything under pressure at once: confidential candidates, a board waiting for a shortlist, long cycles and documents that represent the firm. If software works there, it works in most hiring.
So we began with Gallop Research, then checked what we found against in-house TA teams. The steps were the same. What differed was who needed to be kept informed.
Method
How the research was done
Observe
We sat alongside live mandates from brief to placement and watched where the hours went.
Map
We recorded each handoff, document and switch between tools, step by step.
Test
Each release ran on real searches at Gallop Research before anyone else used it.
Extend
We checked the map against in-house TA workflows and adjusted for hiring managers.
The map
A search, step by step
Where the time went at each step, and what Fortemap does about it.
| Step | Where time went | What Fortemap does |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief | Retyping the client's brief into several formats. | JD parsing turns the brief into structured fields once. |
| 2. Map | Searching old spreadsheets and inboxes for people already known. | The Identification Bucket lists matching people from your own pool, at no cost. |
| 3. Approach | Notes from confidential calls scattered across tools. | One timeline per candidate, with access limited by mandate. |
| 4. Assess | Comparing interview notes written in different styles. | Shared scorecards, plus AI match scores with reasons and points to validate. |
| 5. Present | Reformatting dossiers by hand before each client meeting. | Dossiers drafted from the record in the firm's template, then reviewed. |
| 6. Close | Chasing feedback and tracking offers by email. | Client portal feedback and SLA flags on late stages. |
| 7. Keep warm | Good candidates forgotten once the search ended. | Unplaced candidates return to Available and stay searchable. |
Findings
What recruiters asked for
Search what we already know, first
The best candidates for a new search were often people mapped on an earlier one. Recruiters wanted those surfaced before anyone paid for AI scoring.
A score is useless without reasons
A number cannot be defended in front of a client. Every AI output needed to show how it was reached and what was still uncertain.
Confidentiality is set per search
Access rules had to work at the level of a single mandate, for the firm's own team as much as for the client.
Documents carry the firm's name
Clients judge the firm by its dossiers. Drafts had to use the firm's template and always pass through a person.
Want this level of fit for your own process?
Use Fortemap as it is, or talk to Fortixa Innovations about automations built around the way your search firm or TA team already works.
Questions
About the research
Who is Gallop Research?
Gallop Research is an executive search and specialist staffing firm that runs senior, relationship-led searches. It was founded by Snehasis Sen and is the research partner behind Fortemap.
How did Gallop Research shape Fortemap?
Its team walked the product team through live mandates, helped map each step of a search, and tested releases on real searches. Features such as the free Identification Bucket, explainable match scores and mandate-level access came from that work.
Is Fortemap only for executive search?
No. The workflow was mapped on executive search first and then checked against in-house TA, agency and RPO work. It is built for all of them.
Who founded Gallop Research?
Gallop Research was founded by Snehasis Sen, who has run executive searches for more than 15 years.
Can Fortixa Innovations build automations for our firm without Fortemap?
Yes. If you have a specific use case or do not want a new product, Fortixa Innovations builds custom automations around your existing tools. See custom automation.