From Puppy Mill Rescue to C-Suite Search: Vips Kirrage on Building Two Businesses Without Overthinking It

Vips Kirrage co-founded ConsultantBox in 2000 alongside her husband Simon, building a boutique executive search firm that has placed senior leaders across Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies for nearly three decades. Specializing in board-level searches for CEOs, CTOs, CISOs, and senior SAP, cybersecurity, and AI/ML leaders, ConsultantBox operates globally from its UK base, with a particular focus on high-stakes hires you simply cannot afford to get wrong.

But Vips's entrepreneurial journey doesn't stop at executive recruitment. After rescuing Roxy, a French Mastiff who spent her early years as a puppy-mill dog, Vips is now launching SolaPup in the New Year—a clean-label supplement brand for rescue dogs and those dealing with health challenges. What began as desperate research to help Roxy recover from malnutrition, inflamed joints, and years of trauma has become a mission-driven business built on integrity, research, and a genuine commitment to helping dogs live better—not just adding another shiny product to the market.

SolaPup's New Year launch represents the culmination of years of research and international sourcing to create supplements that actually make a difference. Vips invites you to join the SolaPup family on this journey to transform the lives of dogs who deserve better.

In this Q&A, Vips shares what nearly 30 years of placing top executives has taught her about the biggest hiring mistakes companies make, how she balances running two completely different businesses (one in executive search, one in pet wellness), and her no-nonsense advice for women building businesses with their spouses: "Don't overthink it, just do it. Momentum beats perfection every time."

How has the landscape of C-suite recruitment changed since 1997, and what’s the biggest mistake companies make today?

As you know, I’ve been placing people for nearly three decades, but the senior executive and C-suite search work has really accelerated in recent years. That happened naturally, many of the brilliant people Simon and I placed back in the 90s and early 2000s climbed the career ladder and took us with them across the world. When they reached board level, they still trusted us, and suddenly we were being pulled into searches for CEOs, CTOs, CISOs, and senior SAP, cybersecurity, and AI/ML leaders across the UK, Europe, and beyond.

We also spent more than three years working with the UK armed forces community, helping veterans and their families transition into civilian roles. That experience sharpened my understanding of people, resilience, culture, and the realities of transition, all of which I now use in exec search.

Now back at ConsultantBox full time, our focus is on high-level, high-impact leadership hires, the kind you simply cannot afford to get wrong.

The biggest mistake companies make when hiring board-level talent?

They ignore culture. Full stop.

They obsess over track records, P&Ls, “gravitas”, and buzzword bingo… but forget to ask whether this person will actually complement the existing leadership DNA. The second mistake is underrating industry fluency, parachuting in someone smart but inexperienced in the sector and hoping they “figure it out”. That usually ends in tears.

How do you balance ConsultantBox and SolaPup, and what’s each taught me?

ConsultantBox has always been run as a family-friendly yet razor-professional business. Honesty, integrity, transparency, all with a small dose of humour to keep us human, that’s been our ethos from day one.

SolaPup, on the other hand, is rooted in something far more emotional. I created it after rescuing our girl Roxy, who was due to be put to sleep the following day. She was a French Mastiff who had lived her early years as a puppy-mill dog, crated her whole life, no affection, no nature, no walks, no fun, just used. When she came to us, she was broken in every imaginable way: inflamed skin, ears, paws, and joints; constant itching; malnutrition; pain; fear; and a spirit that had been stamped out.

Our other Dogue de Bordeaux boy, Monty, gently guided her back to some sense of peace, and I worked hard researching and sourcing clean-label supplements and food to support her recovery. She gave us 3.5 beautiful years before passing in 2017.

SolaPup exists because of her. I found clean, natural, well-researched supplements that helped her feel good again, and that’s exactly what I want other dog owners to have access to.

So how do you juggle both?

ConsultantBox is my day job, structured, client- and candidate-centric, and built around the rhythm of leadership hiring. I work around the dogs’ needs because that’s simply our family life. SolaPup is the mission-driven brand, built on research, international sourcing, and the goal of helping dogs who’ve been dealt a bad hand or who simply deserve great-quality, honest supplements.

What has each taught you?

ConsultantBox taught me discipline, organisation, research and how to deliver a premium-level service while staying very human.

SolaPup taught me courage, creativity, and how to build something from nothing, a brand, a supply chain, a product line, and take it international.

Together, they’ve made me sharper, more resilient, and far more intentional.

What advice would you give to women carving out a niche in traditional industries, especially when building a business with a spouse?

Don’t overthink it, just do it. Nothing has to be perfect. Momentum beats perfection every time.

When it comes to building a business with your spouse:

Make sure your strengths and weaknesses genuinely complement one another. That’s why it works so well with Simon and me, he has the big-picture overview; I’m more detail-oriented. He sees the horizon; I see the road. It only works because we balance each other out. If you can find that synergy, it’s a superpower.

And yes, we argue, sometimes passionately, but we put that aside when we’re on video calls with clients, candidates, or suppliers. Occasionally he gets a kick under the table, but as long as no one notices, we’ve done our job :)  Afterwards, we either bury the hatchet or continue the debate, depending on the circumstances. That balance keeps both the business and our partnership strong.

I genuinely couldn’t have built any of this without him. 

SolaPup officially launches in the New Year with its first product: SolaPup Active, Natural Recovery Chews for Active Dogs—a clean-label, research-backed supplement designed to support post-adventure joint and muscle recovery. Whether your dog hikes, works, trains, or just plays hard (with rescues always in our hearts), SolaPup is here to help them feel their best.

Visit SolaPup.com to learn more and follow the journey on Facebook and Instagram.

Connect with Vips:
LinkedIn | ConsultantBox | SolaPup | Facebook | Instagram

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