[GianFabien]

"Executive presence" is a code word for having worked for the "right" companies in the "right" roles, having the network and profile for the role. At the C-suite level, tasks requiring domain specific knowledge / skills are delegated.

What you don't hear about is that executive recruitment firms have partners who network extensively, sit on the right boards, play golf at the right clubs, nurture alumni relationships, etc. Furthermore, they have researchers who maintain databases of who's who in their fields of interest.

Boutique executive search companies startup all the time. They are formed by persons of a certain age, who have the connections to hit the ground running. The few that I know are financially established and can comfortably live off making one or two placements a month.