Directorbank

Directorbank has made further investment in its research team with two new appointments. Anna Cutmore joins the team from Wilton & Bain and Laura Buxton joins from Odgers Berndtson. Both have strong experience of working on board level search mandates

At Wilton & Bain, Anna was a Senior Associate leading a research team through the entire delivery cycle and managing candidates throughout the process. She additionally gained solid experience in delivering due diligence and market mapping exercises as well as detailed sector-specific company reviews to source exceptional candidates.

At Odgers Berndtson, Laura worked in both the Healthcare and Board Practices undertaking detailed research exercises for a variety of executive and non-executive appointments including sector and competitor mapping activity. Additionally she supported the consultants in a broader capacity by drafting proposals and candidate reports.

James Searby, Director, comments: “Such a skilled research team significantly boosts Directorbank’s mapping capabilities and delivers vital support to our consultants by enabling them to respond faster to a search brief with the best talent solutions available in the market.”

Such investment has given us the resource and expertise to win and deliver a growing number of retained assignments, particularly from entrepreneurial private firms and plc’s that require high calibre entrepreneurial directors to implement change and drive growth.”

For more information on our service offering please contact James Searby on 020 7255 7940 or visit www.directorbank.com

Directorbank adds value to the private equity sector with executive search solutions, pre-deal recruitment support and networking events. The business also specialises in board and senior level search assignments for privately-owned and AIM listed businesses.

Anna Cutmore:

Laura Buxton:

Directorbank Northern Private Equity Event – Wed 20^th May: Over 50 guests gathered in the Granary Lounge at Leeds’ DoubleTree Hilton to network with a high calibre mix of board level directors from the North and private equity investors with interests in the region.

 The evening was a great success as guests discussed regional developments, shared experiences and interests, and talked though future plans over wine and delicious canapés.

George Heppenstall, Directorbank’s Head of the Northern region, welcomed guests with a light-hearted speech that outlined key developments at Directorbank as well as private equity activity across the region.

Our thanks go to our event sponsor, Irwin Mitchell, and their team of senior Corporate Practice representatives who supported us throughout the evening – Chris Rawstron, National Head of Corporate; Paul Johnson, Head of Corporate Leeds; and Andrea Cropley, Head of Corporate Sheffield.

Irwin Mitchell is a national law firm with active involvement in the private equity and venture capital market working with both investors and management teams across the investment cycle. Their corporate offering is going from strength to strength and the firm is keen to build relationships with management teams of ambitious, growing businesses. Our event was a good fit for the firm, and we were delighted to have them on board as our partner.

Digital Event, Wednesday 22nd April: Over 60 guests gathered in the Balcony Room, Shakespeare’s House, to mingle with a high level guest list of key investment professionals from the Private Equity world and “some of the best executive and non-executive talent in the sector.

Set against a stunning backdrop of the Thames, St Paul’s Catherdral and the City, guests networked throughout the evening, sharing experiences, challenges and insight over wine and delicious canapes. James Searby, Directorbank’s Head of TMT, briefly interjected proceedings to deliver a light-hearted welcome address including an update on Digital activity peppered with some good old Shakespearean puns.

Our thanks go to Orrick, our event sponsor, and their representatives who joined us for the evening – Shawn Atkinson, Athony Riley and Jinal Shah. Orrick are a leading global law firm with a particular focus on the technology sector. Their leading lawyers work with PE investors and management teams providing comprehensive legal assistance across the investment life cycle. For more information visit www.orrick.com

“Well done to you all for organising a professional and energised event. A focused and interesting mix of attendees which made for good informed networking.”

“Getting a NED position in a PE-backed business”. This was the theme up for debate last week at the most recent NED Lunch for WACL members (Women in Advertising & Communications London), and Filipa Moreira – Directorbank’s Head of Consumer Practice – was invited to share her insight with guests alongside Stevie Spring, Chair of the Inspired Thinking Group and BBC Children in Need.

 Around 20 highly influential women from the UK Communications industry attended the event looking for guidance and advice on finding and positioning themselves for their first NED role.

Greater female participation at board level is a hugely topical issue and countless studies have concluded that diversified boards with experienced voices do achieve better results. Yet, there is still an obvious gender imbalance across PE-backed businesses.

For such businesses, the ability to deliver quick impact is top of mind when seeking a NED. Can this person truly hit the ground running, drive growth and deliver value? The successful candidate is the one with the right combination of industry experience, skills and characteristics. Male or female, the decision is merit-driven.

As Filipa told guests: “The main barrier to talented women securing a NED role is visibility. Often women don’t move in the same circles as men, and this lack of familiarity can mean they are overlooked. To overcome this, targeted networking across the right channels is essential – with specialist head-hunters like Directorbank, PE investment firms and personal networks. Successful and ambitious women need to create awareness that they’re in the market and promote the specific experience and specialisms they can bring to the table.”

As one of the leading recruiters of board level talent to PE-backed businesses, Directorbank has an important role to play in discovering rising female stars and promoting their capabilities to the PE world. Our market leading network of board level candidates and industry experts includes many leading female directors and, over the years, we have seen an increase in the number of highly skilled women approaching us for advice on initial or further board directorships.

For more information contact Filipa at f.moreira@directorbank.com or call 020 7255 7940.

Filipa Moreira has more than 8 year’s international experience in executive search and is fluent in 3 languages. She heads up Directorbank’s Consumer Practice supporting a large number of private equity professionals across the investment cycle with executive search solutions for portfolio companies and pre-deal recruitment requirements including due diligence support, market intelligence and strategic advice.