LEADERS MATTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive Search Consultant
Ben Williams is a senior Executive Search consultant and qualified lawyer, with a career spanning the UK and Australia. His experience includes leadership roles in multi-national organisations through to equity ownership in successful start-ups and Non-Executive roles in benevolent trusts, giving clients access to a broad business perspective.
After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Law, Ben's early career was as a solicitor with Richards Butler where he was a member of the shipping practice. Subsequently moving into Executive Search he worked for Roberts Walters Plc and Deloitte Consulting in London, before returning to Australia where alongside three partners he established the Executive Search firm, AME. Concentrating on Board level appointments and acting on behalf of listed clients through to privately owned companies they covered the industrial, mining, wine, FMCG and professional services sectors.
In 2007 Ben returned to the UK joining Hanover Fox where he focused on the industrial and FMCG sectors managing search mandates across all functions and management due diligence projects for clients with interests in the UK, Middle East, Africa and America. Joining the Leaders Matter team in 2010, Ben operates in partnership with David Johnson concentrating on the industrial, manufacturing and engineering markets, acting at Board level on behalf of clients in the UK, Europe, Africa and Australasia, in addition to growing his due diligence practice managing both pre and post-acquisition assignments for Private Equity and other investor clients.
David has developed a specialist knowledge and firsthand experience of family businesses which now embraces the whole range of family and business governance, the recruitment of non-family executives into family businesses and Family Offices, and succession planning and preparation of Next Generations. For 6 years he held the position as Chairman of a Family Council for a very significant UK family business.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Business Leader
Nicholas Watkins, a highly experienced business leader with a very varied professional background. He has occupied positions as chief executive, main board member and non-executive director for a number of public, private and early start up companies, often with complex board structures.
Graduating from the University of Newcastle with an Honours degree in Law, Rachel went on to complete her Articles with the prestigious City law firm Simmons & Simmons. After qualification she joined the major listed utility, Kelda Group Plc, initially as a Solicitor before assuming responsibility for the Company Secretarial function.
In 1990 Rachel joined the pre-eminent global search firm, Spencer Stuart, where she spent the next eight years honing her research skills, principally in the Industrial space, where she supported Partners on national and international mandates, operating exclusively at Board level.