Laurine Mallet
Co-founder and Household Staff Recruitment Expert
Laurine Mallet is a co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, an agency that places experienced staff like butlers, housekeepers, groundsmen, and nannies into ultra-high-net-worth households worldwide.
Her vision came from her own work in the industry.
She wanted to create an agency that set a high standard for quality and provided consistent support for both clients and candidates, something she found missing in the existing market.
The London Years: How a Nanny Built an Empire
Laurine’s deep understanding of the luxury staffing sector comes from having been a service professional herself. Her career began as a nanny in the UK, where she gained hands-on experience in both short-term placements and long-term roles.
She invited Morgan Richez, her childhood friend from France, to join her in London. Together they would later co-found the agency.
Being a nanny in London was rewarding, but had its challenges. One afternoon during lunch at a restaurant, the mother realized Laurine had forgotten the diapers. The mother scolded her. Laurine knew she had made a mistake and rushed back to get them.
When she returned, all the plates from lunch had been cleared up and Laurine had an empty stomach for the afternoon. It hurt but she understood that at this level mistakes shouldn’t happen. She kept quiet and carried on her duties for the day, albeit on an empty stomach.
The mother from another family with a newborn asked Laurine to drive their young daughter through London in the jeep.
It was a daunting task: navigating London traffic, driving on the left side of the road, handling a huge jeep with zero experience, and with a child in the car.
This experience shows Laurine’s adaptability and can-do attitude, which is a key quality in the UHNW world she operates in daily.
Spotting the Gap
Morgan was invited by Laurine to join her in London, where he started washing luxury cars and learned English. He quickly transitioned to chauffeur and butler roles, and saw the same problems in luxury recruitment: no reference checks, largely transactional relationships, and zero follow-up support.
Watching Morgan’s difficulties as a chauffeur and butler and drawing from her own insights, Laurine realized that existing agencies were purely transactional. They would place a candidate and then disappear, leaving staff with no support or follow-up to manage the high-pressure demands of private households.
Another fault of the industry was that it was incredibly local. There were no global agencies. Clients were international and the agencies weren’t. This gap inspired the core mission of M&M: to deliver a luxury-level service focused on discretion, confidentiality, and proactive care for all parties involved.
A Luxury Standard of Service
Laurine and the team have developed a recruiting method that focuses on the candidate’s character and long-term success in an intimate UHNW environment.
The “Confidante” Technique
Laurine has a natural ability to create a comfortable, relaxed interview environment, allowing candidates to be genuine. She later realized this tendency was an incredibly useful screening tool.
Candidates often overshare sensitive details about a previous employer’s private life, which is an instant red flag and typically a disqualification. This technique serves as a crucial test of a candidate’s discretion and professionalism, essential for UHNW employment.
Focusing on Mindset over Skills
In luxury household staffing, Laurine maintains that the candidate’s attitude, discretion, and personality matter more than their technical skills. While technical skills can be taught or forgiven, poor attitude or unprofessional behavior cannot.
Proactive Candidate Development
Laurine frequently provides career advice and guidance to candidates, equipping them to navigate the emotional demands of working in a private, high-pressure environment. This includes stressing the importance of discretion and not taking a principal’s bad mood personally.
The Follow-Up Guarantee
The agency makes sure the long-term success of a placement by routinely checking in with both the client and the candidate during the first three months. This crucial follow-up helps to smooth out initial issues, often related to communication or stress, before they get worse.
Modern Challenges in Luxury Staffing
The Power of the Proprietary ATS
Laurine oversaw the development of a highly customized Applicant Tracking System tailored for luxury staffing.
This software filters candidates based on crucial soft skills and lifestyle factors like willingness to travel and pet ownership. Every day she meets with the development team to implement feedback from the recruiters in order to improve the system.
Laurine sees this tool as a key strength for recruiters. It’s the only software like this in the world, and grows more sophisticated by the week. Plans to further integrate AI into it are coming soon.
The system is also updated by bulletins from all the government employment departments so it includes up to date regulations, making sure compliance with country-specific hiring laws like non-discrimination laws in the US.
The “Unicorn” Trend
The company’s global expansion was a direct response to the mobility of its UHNW clientele.
When clients moved to new locations, such as the exodus to the US and Dubai following political changes like the abolishment of the non-dom scheme in the UK, they requested Morgan & Mallet’s services. The company followed and established local offices to meet these needs.
Cultural “Traps”
Laurine highlights that cultural differences significantly impact the employer-employee relationship. For example, the immediate friendliness of a US employer can be misinterpreted by a European candidate as genuine friendship, making a sudden, impersonal termination feel like a personal betrayal. This is a common trap in the industry.
The Emotional Cost
The high staff turnover is often driven by the emotional toll of working in this sector. Staff must be thick-skinned and capable of maintaining professional separation from the principal’s personal life and moods.
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Whether you’re building a new team or looking for that one perfect addition to your household, M&M is ready to listen and guide you through the process.