This may be important if you're hiring a senior executive because senior people often will not talk to junior recruiters. They want to know that they're being assessed by an industry peer who understands their issues. This often only comes - at the most senior level - with having P&L experience. As important, the ESP needs to feel they have the right to talk to the people they will be recruiting as a "peer". That's a critical psychological issue that you shouldn't ignore. If the consultant is nervous about assessing a senior person their unease will be felt in a nanosecond and the consultant will be deemed to junior to talk to and you may lose a viable candidate. If you deem it is not a senior enough search, a "no" answer would be acceptable.