FileFinder is Being Replaced. What Comes Next?
Most FileFinder firms will need to switch platforms by the end of 2026. The real question isn’t whether to switch — it’s whether you do it once, to a system built for retained executive search, or twice.
Dillistone (Ikiru People Group) has signaled a major strategic shift.
At their May 7, 2026 annual meeting, with their CEO stepping down, Dillistone announced a focus on acquisition-led growth in non-recruitment areas, not deeper investment in executive search CRM. FileFinder clients should plan accordingly.
Three Platforms. Three Trajectories.
A clear-eyed look at where each platform comes from, who it’s built for, and where it’s heading.
FileFinder · Dillistone / Ikiru
Built For
Executive search, but innovation stalled.
Company Focus
Spans volume staffing, assessment, and sourcing.
Ownership
Publicly held, declining stock value.
Strategic Direction
Acquisition-led growth in non-recruitment areas.
Outlook
Diluted focus. Most firms will need to migrate.
Encore
Built For
Clients, candidates, relationships, research, and placements.
Company Focus
Singularly focused on executive search.
Ownership
Privately held. Product direction set by search firms’ needs.
Strategic Direction
Continuous, state-of-the-art updates for retained search.
Outlook
Proven, feature-complete, future-proof AI. One switch — done.
Talentis
Built For
Sourcing — scraping and searching hundreds of millions of profiles.
Company Focus
CRM was layered on afterward, not built in.
Ownership
Newly-pivoting company.
Strategic Direction
Public profiles over curated firm knowledge.
Outlook
Risk of a second migration if retained-search needs aren’t met.
Trusted by Some of the Biggest Names
in Executive Search
4 Reasons Why Firms Prefer Encore
Encore centralizes your firm’s knowledge — not just public data. Because years of curated insight, deep relationships, historical context, and recruiter judgment can’t be replaced by a profile scrape.
Purpose-built for retained search
Designed around what actually drives the work: clients, candidates, relationships, research, and placements.
Future-proof AI innovation
State-of-the-art updates that augment recruiter judgment rather than replace it — built specifically for retained executive search.
Your firm’s knowledge, centralized
Connect email, calendar, LinkedIn, documents, AI tools, and transcriptions in one place — so your institutional knowledge lives where you work.
Aligned with how you actually work
Encore is already proven and feature-complete — not a roadmap of promises. And Cluen migrates FileFinder firms without forcing them to rethink the way they operate.
If you’re going to invest in a platform change, make it count.
Move directly to Encore, the platform designed for retained executive search. Cluen’s team are the world’s experts in smoothly completing FileFinder upgrades.
