The rising stars of headhunting everyone on Wall Street should get to know

Competition for talent on Wall Street is fierce.

Banks, hamstrung by regulators on compensation and battling the stereotype of an onerous work culture, have seen a talent flight to investing firms and Silicon Valley. For their part, alternative-asset managers have experienced massive growth and a flood of inbound capital, requiring an ever-larger stable of investment professionals to manage the load.

Making the right hiring decisions has rarely been more critical. And headhunters, often unseen to the outside world, specialize in making sure C-suite execs, managing directors, and portfolio managers get it right.

Introducing Business Insider's list of the best up-and-coming headhunters on Wall Street.