Our team
At Rees Draper Wright (RDW), we have a fantastic team of search consultants who are passionate about helping companies build and develop inspirational leadership teams that can accelerate profitability and create a sustainable competitive advantage.
Each one of our London or New York-based consultants is a subject matter expert in their respective market; and when you speak to one of us, you'll be engaging with someone whose knowledge and expertise you can really trust.
Richard Draper
Managing Director
Richard Draper
Managing Director
Expertise: Retained Executive Search | Management Consulting, Technology, Professional Services, Financial Restructuring
Geographies: UK, North America, Europe
Richard is the Managing Director and founder of Rees Draper Wright. With over 20 years’ experience, Richard is adept at delivering highly confidential senior management and executive search mandates with the utmost discretion. With one of the most reputable names in the field, he is regularly asked to consult with clients around topics such as leadership assessment, development and retention alongside talent mapping and diversity strategy. Under Richard’s stewardship, Rees Draper Wright has grown from a small start-up business to a highly respected and successful global executive search firm with offices in both London and New York, housing a team of highly experienced search consultants and researchers. Our growing client network and proven track record in successfully connecting businesses to the market’s most talented people, is testament to our founding values which continue to shape Rees Draper Wright’s owner-led approach to the delivery and execution of every search mandate that is entrusted to us.
Daniel Richards
Managing Director - North America
Daniel Richards
Managing Director - North America
Expertise: Consulting, Professional Services, Venture Capital / Private Equity and Financial Services
Geographies: UK, North America, Europe
Since graduating from university with a first-class honors degree in Business Management, Daniel has spent the vast majority of his career within advisory as a top level head-hunter. Daniel exclusively manages senior-level positions across strategy, finance, technology, operations and data management. During his career, he has successfully delivered hundreds of searches to professional services firms, venture capital/ private equity houses, investment banks and fund managers across the world. Daniel also works closely with his clients to provide strategic counsel on executive assessment and leadership development. His unrivalled reputation and exceptional network has made him one of the most successful head-hunters in his chosen field.
Mikolaj (Mik) Zadecki
Head of Practice
Mikolaj (Mik) Zadecki
Head of Practice
Expertise: Investigations, Expert Witness, White Collar Crime, Forensics, Intelligence, Compliance, Fraud, Risk Management, Monitorships, Analytics, and Technology Consulting
Geographies: North America, Europe
Mikolaj (Mik) joined Rees Draper Wright in 2014 as one of the first consultants in our New York office. Mik is a highly experienced headhunter who was engaged to deliver Partner-level searches to the regulatory compliance practices of the Big Four firms and beyond. During his time with us, he has successfully delivered a multiplicity of targeted searches to firms across the professional services industry in both North America and Europe. He works with the utmost discretion, leveraging his exceptional network, meticulous market knowledge and intelligent approach to the interpretation of an executive’s leadership skills, past experiences and cultural attributes in order to successfully deliver the most complex search mandates.
David Mackey
Director - HR
David Mackey
Director - HR
Expertise: Human Resources, C-suite, Chief People Officer
Geographies: UK, Europe, North America
David joined Rees Draper Wright to build out and lead our Human Resource (HR) search practice globally. With over 15 years’ experience in delivering board level and leadership search projects across the HR market, he has an excellent reputation and is widely recognised as a thought leader in the development of senior-level ‘high potential’ HR leaders, internationally. With many businesses struggling to effectively identify, develop and retain senior-level ‘high-potential’ HR leaders in their own organisations, David’s inherent ability to identify the market’s emerging stars and established leaders combined with his passionate approach to the ongoing progression of their careers allows him to build out the leadership capability at every type of organisation. David has successfully delivered hundreds of HR retained search and interim mandates across an incredibly diverse range of clients, including British Airways, BP, Eurostar, Financial Control Authority, Heathrow Airport Ltd, Home Retail Group, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, McDonald’s and Rolls Royce.
Tony Marshall
Director - Technology
Tony Marshall
Director - Technology
Expertise: Technology C-Suite & Leadership (CEO, CIO, CTO, COO/ Partners/ Directors)
Geographies: UK, Europe
Tony joined Rees Draper Wright to lead our Technology Search Practice. He currently manages a London-based team of subject matter expert consultants who successfully deliver senior leadership and executive searches across the UK, European and North American markets. A highly experienced recruitment leader, during the last 25 years Tony has successfully delivered hundreds of retained and contingent searches at a C-Suite, Partner, Director and Head of level. Testament to the strength of his reputation and the depth of his trusted client partnerships, Tony has delivered a range of strategic advisory and consulting projects to an equally diverse range of clients. The vast majority of Tony’s experience resides within technology, financial services, FinTech, advisory, telecoms and private equity. Tony has a robust global client network that spans the UK, Europe, North America and Asia, alongside an unrivalled candidate network, which he continually develops through referrals and recommendations.
Steve Rutherford
Director - Interim Management
Steve Rutherford
Director - Interim Management
Expertise: Interim Management, C-suite, Industrials & Infrastructure, PE, Turnaround & Transformation
Geographies: UK, EMEA, APAC
Steve joined Rees Draper Wright to lead our Interim Management practice. He is a highly experienced business leader, who has spent the last 25 years delivering interim management solutions to solve his clients’ most difficult business challenges. Steve is a passionate advocate of the benefits of using interim managers to deliver optimal outcomes and the very real difference that they can make to a business when that critical need for leadership arises. Over the years, Steve has cultivated an unrivalled network of experienced, results-oriented professionals. Steve works with clients in every major industry sector across a diverse range of professional disciplines.
Erin Lovin
Client Partner
Erin Lovin
Client Partner
Expertise: Key Client Accounts, Relationship and Stakeholder Management
Geographies: UK, US and Europe
Erin joined Rees Draper Wright as our Client Partner in 2018. In Erin’s current role, she is responsible for the identification, acquisition and development of the company’s most important client relationships, across the management consulting and technology sectors. For the past decade, Erin has also worked with multiple globally recognised and respected non-profit organisations, acting on behalf on their Major Gifts Development team, developing an exceptional network of business leaders and executives across the UK and North American markets.
Graeme Braidwood
Associate Director
Graeme Braidwood
Associate Director
Expertise: Investigations, Expert Witness, Transaction Advisory, Risk & Compliance, Quant Investment & Actuarial Consulting
Geographies: UK, Asia & North America
Graeme specialises in the appointment of senior executives in the North American and UK markets. He proactively leverages global partnerships in order to execute business-critical leadership appointments across the professional services and specialist consulting sectors. He has successfully delivered a wide range of highly specialised search projects, including the appointment of National Divisional Heads, C - Level/ Executives and International Group leaders alongside extensive team build projects. Having worked in London, Singapore as well as New York, Graeme has close to a decade of experience in delivering searches around the world. His dedicated approach to his work, alongside his well-rounded experience enhances his team’s ability to deliver on the most complex and sensitive of senior engagements across the international markets.
Khushali Kohli
Associate Director
Khushali Kohli
Associate Director
Expertise: Executive Assessment, Executive On-boarding, Diversity Management
Geographies: UK North America, Europe
Khushali, an Associate of Rees Draper Wright, has more than 20 years’ experience in the provision of executive search and leadership advisory services to a broad and diverse range of clients. This has enabled her to develop an instinctive ability to identify, engage and deliver the best leaders in the market to our clients. Khushali’s true expertise resides in her proven ability to significantly expedite the integration of newly appointed executives into our clients’ businesses. This in turn equips them to adapt more quickly to a new organisational culture and leadership team dynamic, accelerating their ability to deliver impactful results and reach their full potential. Khushali is a fully qualified Personal Performance and Corporate & Executive coach. She is also accredited in Test User Occupational Ability (TUA), Test User Personality (TUP) and Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) and is therefore part of the British Psychological Society Register of Qualified Test Users. Her clear understanding of what constitutes a great business leader, combined with her authentic understanding of complex matrix structures and promotion lifecycles, allows Khushali to effectively support and develop leadership capability in every type of organisation.
Cat Callen
Principal Consultant
Cat Callen
Principal Consultant
Expertise: C suite, Partner and Director searches Geographies: Global
Geographies: Global
With over 12 years’ experience as an executive search specialist, Cat operates with total discretion, scrupulously mapping the market with an honest and open approach. Cat consistently identifies and secures high performing executives, only approaching individuals whom she considers to be in the top ten percent of global talent. Cat is particularly experienced within technology consulting and has built an unparalleled global network. She understands the importance of cultural fit and has a natural interest in people. By gaining an authentic understanding into every individual’s career history alongside their personal goals and professional aspirations for the future, Cat’s always able to connect the dots, ensuring that she consistently brings the right people together.
Talia Preda
Principal Consultant
Talia Preda
Principal Consultant
Expertise: Operational Excellence – Management Consultancies / Professional Services
Geographies: North America
Talia began her recruitment career more than ten years ago with a large recruiting firm. In more recent years, she worked at Deloitte, where she assumed direct responsibility for Partner hiring across all sectors, gaining unique insight into talent acquisition strategy alongside the importance of diversity management within the workplace. Talia currently works in Rees Draper Wright’s New York office, as part of our Human Resources team. She focuses exclusively on senior HR appointments at management consultancies. Talia is an incredibly driven individual who prides herself on her ability to build impactful relationships with both senior client stakeholders and prospective executives alike.
Christine Carey
Principal Consultant
Christine Carey
Principal Consultant
Expertise: Human Resources, C-suite, Chief People Officer
Geographies: UK, Europe
Christine has more than 20 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, the vast majority of which she has spent working at London-based corporate organisations. As a highly experienced and incredibly successful recruitment leader, in 2014 Christine decided to pursue her passion for Human Capital Management, electing to concentrate exclusively on leadership recruitment within the rapidly evolving HR space. She has spent the last five years cultivating her exceptional HR network and prides herself on the longevity and strength of both her client and candidate relationships. Christine has successfully delivered executive search and interim HR mandates across multiple industry sectors, including Technology, Retail, Transport, Financial Services and FinTech.
Matthew Parker
Principal Consultant
Matthew Parker
Principal Consultant
Expertise: Business Development Directors, Pre-Sales Directors, Sales Directors, Vice President of Sales
Geographies: UK, EMEA
Matthew has more than 20 years’ experience in the successful delivery of senior sales search mandates within the technology arena. Since joining Rees Draper Wright, Matthew has assumed responsibility for leading board-level and sales leadership mandates across EMEA, with typical searches including Business Development Directors, Pre-Sales Directors, Sales Directors, Vice President of Sales. Coming from a sales background in his early career, Matthew understands the intricacies and personality traits required for exceptional sales leaders and revenue generators. He has extraordinary market knowledge and is incredibly well connected amongst the market’s most highly sought-after sales leaders. Matthew is a natural at building rapport, adept at both identifying and enticing sales professionals at the pinnacle of their careers, who might otherwise be deemed unattainable.
Lisa Fudgell
Principal Consultant
Lisa Fudgell
Principal Consultant
Expertise: Consulting, Technology, Professional Services
Geographies: EMEA, Australia, Sub-Saharan Africa
Lisa has over 10 years’ experience within global executive search, specialising in the delivery of board level and leadership mandates across the management consulting, financial services and FinTech industries. The primary geographies that Lisa focuses on include EMEA, Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has exceptional networks; she works with some of the talented people in the market and some of her clients include Lloyds Banking Group, Standard Chartered Bank, ApplePay and PWC. Lisa prides herself on her ability to forge and develop lasting relationships with both clients and candidates alike, positioning herself as a trusted advisor to both parties who acts with the discretion that is so critical to the successful execution of market-sensitive engagements.
Theo Poullai
Principal Consultant
Theo Poullai
Principal Consultant
Expertise: Governance & Risk Advisory
Geographies: UK, Europe
Theo leads Rees Draper Wright’s Governance & Risk Advisory practice in London. A highly skilled and experienced head-hunter, Theo has been delivering board level and leadership search mandates for almost a decade now. He works exclusively within financial markets, where his client base includes investment firms, capital market institutions and global banks, located within the UK and Europe. His primary areas of expertise include quantitative validation or development, financial or compliance regulation, risk management and business generation. As well as delivering complex searches, Theo has also built out the senior management capability within these individuals’ teams. He has recently worked with a top tier investment bank in Germany to develop the leadership capability in its quantitative team and supported the build-out of a Risk & Compliance function for a start-up business based in London.
Jake Sutton
Principal Consultant
Jake Sutton
Principal Consultant
Expertise: Financial Restructuring, Special Situations, Distressed, Credit, Transaction Services, M&A, Private Equity, Asset Management
Geographies: North America, Europe, Asia
Jake is a highly experienced head-hunter who focuses on retained senior appointments across professional services, financial services and consulting. Having spent the first stint of his career working within the Private Equity market in London, Jake moved across to work a more global market with a primary focus on North America. He joined Rees Draper Wright in early 2019 to lead our Transaction Services & Accounting Advisory practice. His team focuses exclusively on the delivery of complex search mandates within transaction services, financial restructuring, technical accounting, financial due diligence and private equity. Jake stands out within his markets for his expert knowledge, guaranteed professionalism and inherent ability to successfully deliver mandates within the most aggressive of timeframes.
Jake joined Rees Draper Wright in early 2019 to lead and grow our transaction advisory capabilities, which incorporates restructuring, credit and distressed solutions. His team’s efforts focus on the delivery of senior search mandates within transaction services, financial restructuring, technical accounting, financial due diligence and private equity. Jake stands out within his markets for his expert knowledge, professionalism and perseverance sometimes necessary to deliver on difficult assignments within aggressive timeframes.
James Macedonio
Senior Consultant
James Macedonio
Senior Consultant
Expertise: Digital Transformation, Cloud, AI/ML
Geographies: US, APAC
James is adept at matching best-in-breed candidates to both the functional and cultural needs of his clients. He is recognised by executive leadership teams at Fortune 50, mid-sized, and start-up technology, financial services and professional services organisations as a partner who delivers in the most challenging talent markets. With expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Software Development & Architecture and Digital Transformation, James has executed senior-level search mandates across North America, Asia, and Europe.
Rory Knight
Senior Consultant
Rory Knight
Senior Consultant
Expertise: Cyber & Information Security, C suite (CISO, CSO, CIO, CTO), Partner, Director, Head of
Geographies: London, Europe, North America, Middle East
Rory manages Rees Draper Wright’s Cyber & Information Security team. As a highly experienced professional headhunter, Rory delivers board-level and leadership search projects across the Cyber & Information Security and Technology markets, both in the UK and internationally. Some of Rory’s key clients include HSBC, Bo Digital Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Barclays, Deloitte, KPMG, Capita, British Airways and the Financial Conduct Authority. His excellent reputation has allowed him to build up an unrivalled network which he continues to develop through referrals and recommendations, alongside meticulous market mapping. Rory is adept at identifying and developing the ‘high potential’ Cyber & Information Security leaders who are so sought after in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace.
Billy-James Elliott
Senior Consultant
Billy-James Elliott
Senior Consultant
Expertise: Senior DevOps & Architecture
Geographies: UK, Europe, North America
Billy leads Rees Draper Wright’s DevOps & Architecture practice. He has been specialising in the area of DevOps & Architecture for more than six years now. Billy is extremely passionate about the new age of DevOps within architecture and the benefits associated with moving away from a traditional ops environment to a DevOps culture, alongside the importance of strong leadership skills and cultural attributes in the context of such a transformation. Over the last few years, Billy has developed a significant network of experts within this space. Operating with the utmost discretion, Billy has delivered senior management and board-level appointments across the public sector, amongst SME tech firms and large blue chips within Banking, Insurance and Consulting. As well as delivering a multiplicity of global search mandates, most recently within London and Dublin, Billy’s consulting background has also seen him facilitate several IT transformation projects.
George Hardy
Senior Consultant
George Hardy
Senior Consultant
Expertise: Data Science, Business Intelligence & Analytics
Geographies: UK & EMEA
As a highly experienced professional search consultant, George works within Rees Draper Wright’s Data Science, BI and Analytics team. He assumes an honest, diligent and consultative approach to the search process. He has an excellent reputation amongst colleagues, clients and executives alike. He’s recognised for building strong relationships, sourcing high-quality in-demand candidates and delivering retained specialist projects on behalf of clients across a number of industry sectors, including Commerce & Industry, Financial Services and the Public Sector.
Min Kim
Consultant
Min Kim
Consultant
Expertise: Financial services, management consulting
Geographies: North America
Min joined Rees Draper Wright as a member of our New York based research team in 2017. A tenacious researcher, Min has worked diligently to continuously build and expand his professional network, through referrals and recommendations alongside meticulous market mapping. Min has an intellectually curious personality and is passionate about learning. He currently works as a consultant, focusing exclusively within the financial services and management consulting industries.
Daniel Bugg
Research Associate
Daniel Bugg
Research Associate
Expertise: Legal, Human Resources, Management Consulting, Technology Services, Professional Services, Investment/ Asset Management, Venture Capital/ Private Equity and Financial Services
Geographies: UK, Europe
Daniel joined Rees Draper Wright as a member of our London-based research team in early 2019. He has a diligent and meticulous approach to his work, alongside an inherent ability to always operate with complete discretion and professionalism. His tenacious nature, coupled with a passion for helping others, ensures that the needs of both clients and candidates are met through every stage of the search process. Daniel has experience within a number of industry sectors including Legal, Human Resources, Management Consulting, Technology Services, Professional Services, Investment/ Asset Management, Venture Capital/ Private Equity and Financial Services. Prior to joining Rees Draper Wright, Daniel graduated from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, with a degree in Law & Economics.
Thomas Stephens
Research Associate
Thomas Stephens
Research Associate
Expertise:
Geographies: UK, Europe
Thomas joined Rees Draper Wright as a member of our London-based research team in early 2019. Prior to joining us, Thomas held a number of customer-facing positions within the hospitality sector. His strong interpersonal skills and dedicated approach to his work, learned in a challenging work environment, enables him to consistently focus on meeting the needs of both clients and candidates alike. He is hard working, focused and always looking for new learning opportunities. Thomas is able to effectively apply his learned experience in customer relationship management to develop an inherent ability to be conscientious with a sense of urgency, always maintaining a courteous and professional manner in his interactions with prospective executives and client stakeholders.
Andrew Klang
Research Associate
Andrew Klang
Research Associate
Expertise: Professional Services, Cyber, Analytics
Geographies: North America
Andrew works as part of Rees Draper Wright’s New York-based research team. He works closely with consultants in conducting industry research and leveraging our unrivalled networks to identify the market’s most talented people for our clients. This research includes meticulous mapping of clearly defined market areas for highly targeted search campaigns. A recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Business, Andrew has been working as a valued member of the research team since the summer of 2018.
Allan Xu
Research Associate
Allan Xu
Research Associate
Expertise: Research, candidate sourcing, SharePoint
Geographies: North America
Allan works as one of Rees Draper Wright’s Research Associates. In his role, he assumes responsibility for managing the company’s market intelligence database. As one of our most tenacious and dedicated researchers, Allan conducts comprehensive research projects and meticulous market mapping exercises, as well as supporting proposal creation and new content production. He’s always involved in the HR Thought Leadership events that we host as well. Given that the executive search industry is always in a constant state of flux, Allan regularly conducts deep industry research in order to help keep the firm on the frontier of industry trends.
Ashley Farrell
Research Associate
Ashley Farrell
Research Associate
Expertise:
Geographies: New York
Ashley Farrell is a Research Associate at Rees Draper Wright. She supports the team on search assignments across various functions within the management consulting space by identifying candidates and driving the research process. She is responsible for process management as well as search design and strategy implementation.
Prior to joining Rees Draper Wright, Ashley worked as a Research Associate at a boutique executive search firm that specialized in placing diverse senior-level talent. Earlier in her career, Ashley was a Talent Management Coordinator for a small consulting firm and preceding that spent several years as an Office Manager at a medium-sized investment management firm.
Ashley graduated from Vassar College with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Africana Studies. She previously served as a board member of the INROADS Alumni Association of NYC and a Citymeals on Wheels volunteer. Currently, Ashley is a member of the Young Professionals Board of a non-profit focused on ending teen dating violence and a volunteer with the Vassar College Alumnae/Admission Program.
Debbie O'Neill
Head of Operations, UK
Debbie O'Neill
Head of Operations, UK
Expertise: C-suite, Finance and HR
Geographies: UK
Debbie has more than 20 years’ commercial experience in working with large corporate firms and executive search businesses. During her career, she has managed large teams and held senior positions within Human Resources functions. Since joining Rees Draper Wright as one of our Executive Resourcers, she is fully focused on the ongoing development of her professional network. She works closely with our consultants to inform every aspect of the search process through meticulous market mapping alongside the acquisition of referrals and recommendations generated from her ever-expanding network of contacts. Debbie’s key strengths lie in her ability to build strong, long-tenured relationships with both client stakeholders and executives alike, at the very top end of the market.
Wendy Schmidt
Board Advisor
Wendy Schmidt
Board Advisor
Expertise: Strategy
Geographies: Global
Wendy Schmidt is the former global leader of the Business Intelligence Services practice of Deloitte Advisory. A former litigator, Wendy has over 25 years’ experience specialising in the development of background information and intelligence for commercial and government clients, in the context of due diligence, fraud, government investigations, and litigation support. She has also worked with clients to develop third party risk management/ vetting programs. Wendy is a former national and global leader of Deloitte’s Women’s Initiative Network, responsible for the development and oversight of programmes aimed at the retention, promotion and recruitment of women. She currently serves as a senior advisor to the board of Arachnys, a financial technology company focused on compliance robotic automation. Wendy also serves on the board of the New York City chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park.