KINGSLEY GATE - Key Persons

Aaron Mitchell Finegold - CMO

Job Titles:

Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Marketing Officer / San Francisco

Aaron is responsible for overseeing the company's full-funnel marketing strategy, all external communications, and investment in business-critical capabilities such as experimentation, marketing automation, and measurement. Aaron brings over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, brand strategy, customer insights, user acquisition, and design thinking to Kingsley Gate. His experience driving innovation across both technology and professional services companies makes him uniquely qualified to lead Kingsley Gate's marketing efforts. Before joining Kingsley Gate, Aaron spent three years as a senior leader at LinkedIn, with a focus on developing leading-edge marketing strategy, reinforcing marketing foundations (e.g., data, technology) and ensuring strong collaboration between marketing and other functions. Prior to LinkedIn, Aaron was an Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company's Marketing and Sales practice and served as a Worldwide Marketing Strategy Consultant at Ogilvy & Mather, developing demand generation and brand marketing strategies. Aaron earned a B.A. with high honors in Psychology and English Literature from Brandeis University and an M.B.A. from INSEAD, during which time he presented digital strategy research with Accenture at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos. He is deeply involved with Nobel Prize-winning N.G.O., Human Rights Watch, sitting on the San Francisco committee, and the Global Circle of the organization's LGBT rights program. Based in our San Francisco location, Aaron has business experience across Latin America, Asia, Europe, and North America. He is fluent in Spanish, French and English.

Adam El-Balawi

Job Titles:

Partner / Dubai
Partner With

Adam El-Balawi is a Partner with Kingsley Gate, specializing in the global financial services industry across the Middle East. Adam has more than two decades of experience placing senior-level finance executives across multiple asset classes with corporate & investment banks and family offices. He partners closely with his clients to identify, recruit and retain key talent sourced locally in the Middle East and across the broader global geographies. Having been based in the United Arab Emirates since 2007, Adam has built an extensive network of senior contacts across the GCC and beyond. Prior to joining Kingsley Gate, Adam was responsible for leading origination and execution for senior-level searches across Corporate and Investment Banking at Sheffield Haworth, based in Dubai. Adam started his search career in London. In 2007 he moved to the United Arab Emirates to launch operations for Principal Search, a UK-based search boutique operating across a number of verticals within financial markets. Adam is based in our Dubai location.

Adam Hunter

Job Titles:

Director, the Omerta Group / London

Adam Ulmen

Job Titles:

Vice President of Research / Cleveland
Vice President of Research With

Adam Ulmen is the Vice President of Research with Kingsley Gate. In this role, Adam is responsible for the development and daily operations for the worldwide research and knowledge organization. Adam manages team member workflows, sets search strategies, oversees training and development, and monitors and enhances organizational performance. Prior to joining Kingsley Gate, Adam was with Direct Recruiters Inc. as the Manager of Research & Technology where he was responsible for leading the firm's Research organization and driving firm-wide research and technology strategies, establishing research best practices, and developing standard operating procedures and processes. Additionally, Adam was responsible for all research activities within the Healthcare IT and Life Sciences verticals. These responsibilities included database management, sourcing, and serving as the technical and research knowledge leader for the team. Adam is a graduate of Kent State University where he earned his M.A. degree in Experimental Psychology with a specialization in Behavioral Neuroscience. He is based in the firm's Cleveland location.

Alan Mac Donald

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner / Santiago
Senior Partner With

Alan Mac Donald is a Senior Partner with Kingsley Gate. With 25+ years of professional experience in senior management roles, coupled with extensive executive search expertise, he is adept at providing effective solutions for a wide range of clients across major industries which include retail, FMCG, financial services, industrial, healthcare, and government. He also possesses significant knowledge and experience in search activities related to the real estate and construction industries. Previously, Alan was a Partner at Caldwell and CTPartners in their Santiago offices, specializing in the recruitment of senior executives and board members. His clients included prestigious local, regional and multinational organizations. He has recruited hundreds of senior general management and key executives responsible for major growth initiatives inside their companies, completing assignments for managers and directors of many different functional areas. Before entering the executive search industry, Alan began his professional career at the multinational company EXXON, followed by a senior management position in FORUS, a shoe retail company owner of licenses as Hush Puppies, Caterpillar, Merrell and Nine West. He continued his career as Chief Executive Officer of an important Real Estate company and developed major projects in Santiago Chile. He returned to the Retail Industry as Chief Commercial Officer of Johnson`s, where he was responsible for business development and re-branding of this U$500 million sales company. Alan received a degree in commercial engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and speaks fluent English and Spanish. He is based in the firm's Chile location.

Alberto Terrón

Job Titles:

Vice President / Madrid
Vice President With

With over 15 years in the executive search industry, he is active across Kingsley Gate's private equity, professional services and industrial practices, with special focus on tech-enabled companies. He thrives in working closely with clients in the agrifood and healthcare industries as well. Before joining Kingsley Gate, Alberto was a Country Manager for the worldwide leader in HR Solutions, where he participated in the startup and development of their executive search business in Spain and Portugal, conducting searches for Executive Committees and Senior Management roles. Previously, Alberto was based in Sao Paulo, where he was responsible for the establishment of an AESC-member international executive search firm in that region. During his tenure, Alberto helped several Spanish and European clients expand their operations in both Brazil and Latin America, conducting assignments for C-level and regional management roles. He began his career in a local boutique firm specializing in Talent and Assessment Centers development. Alberto holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and a PMD from IESE Business School. He speaks fluent English and Portuguese in addition to his native Spanish. He is based in our Madrid location.

Alex Howard-Keyes

Job Titles:

Vice President / London
Vice President With

Alex Howard-Keyes is a Vice President with Kingsley Gate, specialising in the global financial services industry. Alex has 19 years of experience placing senior executives in front office and c-suite functions across corporate and investment banks, private capital and asset management firms. He has also worked with financial regulators and conducted succession planning assessments and top team reviews on behalf of his clients. Before joining Kingsley Gate, Alex led Global Banking & Asset Management at Norman Broadbent. Prior to this, Alex cofounded Alderbrooke, an executive recruiting firm focused on banking and asset management. Alex began his career as an Army Officer with the Household Cavalry regiment, including active service overseas. Subsequently, Alex stepped into executive search where he spent five years as the Head of Investment Banking with Global Sage, worked with a top-five global search firm, and a leading corporate finance executive search boutique. He is a French speaker, educated at RMA Sandhurst and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA (Hons) in History. Alex is based in our London location.

Ali Brainard - VP

Job Titles:

Vice President
Vice President, Sr. Talent Acquisition, North America / New York

Ali Brainard is Vice President, Sr. Talent Acquisition at Kingsley Gate. In her role, Ali will be responsible for identifying and recruiting Partner-level talent for the firm's North America region. Prior to joining Kingsley Gate, Ali built and led the talent acquisition team for a $12 billion publicly traded, financial institution. Previously, she spent several years in the executive search space responsible for leading and managing a team of recruiters, as well actively executing on search assignments across multiple industries and sectors. Early in her career, Ali worked for Korn Ferry as a Research Associate and then Senior Recruiter specialized in the recruitment of senior administrative and clinical management executives within hospitals and health systems and academic medical centers for Korn Ferry's Healthcare Services practice. Ali received a B.S. in Business Management from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Ali is based in our New York office.

Alison Woodhead

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner / Los Angeles
Senior Partner With

Alison Woodhead is a Senior Partner with Kingsley Gate. Alison's expertise spans a variety of industries and functions, focusing on placing executives in general management, finance, operations and marketing roles within private equity, technology, energy, and consumer companies. Alison serves as thought partner to C-suite clients regarding strategic human capital needs, including succession planning, organizational structure, talent assessment and executive coaching. Prior to Kingsley Gate, Alison served as a Senior Client Partner at a top national search firm and was responsible for securing, leading and executing retained executive search assignments, with a focus on Private Equity portfolio companies. Earlier in her career, Alison held brand management, marketing, and sales roles within The Walt Disney Company, AGI Media and Pump Audio. Alison holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Bard College. She is based in our Los Angeles location.

Alvaro Collas

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner / Lima, Peru

Alvaro is a Senior Partner at Kingsley Gate and brings extensive experience advising boards of directors and executives on accelerating the growth of their organizations through people, innovation, technology, and sustainability practices. Alvaro is an Endeavor entrepreneur and mentor.

Amanda Pitt

Job Titles:

Partner / London
Partner With

Amanda Pitt is a Partner with Kingsley Gate. Amanda brings over 25 years of experience across the digital media industry. Before joining Kingsley Gate, Amanda operated her own executive talent consultancy firm working globally within the media industry. Amanda previously held executive search positions at Korn Ferry and Grace Blue where she specialized in the media and entertainment industry for EMEA. Amanda has held senior positions at leading media owners and agencies including Commercial Director at Haymarket, Group Advertisement Director at BBC Worldwide and Managing Partner, New Business and Marketing at Havas Media Group. With the benefit of her professional experience, Amanda has become a passionate and committed supporter of the media industry on a voluntary and mentoring basis. A Member Board of Trustees of NABS, she won the Ron Miller award for her outstanding service to the charity and also gives time to their mentoring and fundraising schemes. She has mentored on the Outvertising programme, which provides support and guidance to those in the LGTBQ+ community at work. Additionally, she regularly sits on panels for industry debates or awards including Campaign Media Week Awards, Global Festival of Media, The Marketing Academy Scholarship program, Ad Week Europe to MEFA (Media for All). Amanda is based in our London location.

Ana Claudia Reis

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner / Sao Paulo
Senior Partner With

Ana Claudia has more than 15 years of experience in the executive search industry specializing in technology, media and telecommunications, professional services, eCommerce, education, and real estate. She also focuses on filling CIO and digital roles for companies in distinct market sectors. With solid experience in IT and management consulting, aligned with her credentials in executive search, Ana Claudia acts as a trusted advisor for local, global, and regional clients, understanding their needs and providing insightful recommendations. In the past 10 years, she has placed C-level leaders in various functions, including board members, CEOs, CIOs, CCOs, CMOs, CFOs, CHROs, and others. Ana Claudia also has expertise in leadership services assignments (assessments, board services and talent mapping), advising her clients on their strategies related to talent management and effectiveness. Previously, Ana Claudia was a Partner at Caldwell and CTPartners in the São Paulo office and has worked for other executive search companies such as Heidrick & Struggles and Spencer Stuart. Before pursuing a career in executive search, she worked as a consultant for Booz & Company and Everis, where she developed and led projects in Brazil and in other Latin American countries. She began her career as IT manager at Telemig Celular, a Brazilian telecommunications company. For several years she was a professor at the Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais. Ana Claudia holds a master's degree in Information Science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais. She is currently a Board Member at Totvs, the largest technology company in Latin America. A native Portuguese speaker, she is fluent in English and Spanish. She is based out of the firm's Brazil location.

Andrew Blane

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner With

Andrew Blane is a Senior Partner with Kingsley Gate. With over two decades of experience in retained executive search, marketing and business development, Andrew specializes in Asset and Investment Management within the Financial Services Practice at Kingsley Gate. He is recognized as an industry leader in conducting team lift-outs for the buy-side of the asset management industry and his counsel is regularly sought by CEOs to advise on corporate growth strategy across the globe. Andrew has had a significant, positive impact on dozens of investment management firms by helping their businesses grow and has facilitated numerous C-suite leadership and senior level assignments across marketing, distribution, and investment related roles. Andrew's attention to cultural fit, unique market view, and unparalleled access to top talent all contribute to senior leaders in the asset management industry regularly seeking his guidance and assistance. Prior to Kingsley Gate, Andrew worked with Sheffield Haworth where he was a Managing Director. Previously, he was a partner and Managing Director with Warren International, a leading executive search boutique specializing in conducting team lift-outs and searches for the buy-side of the asset management industry. Andrew received an AB from Princeton University and works out of our Princeton, New Jersey location.

Andy Davies

Job Titles:

Senior Partner - Board & CEO
Senior Partner - Board & CEO / London
Senior Partner With

Andy Davies is a Senior Partner with Kingsley Gate. Andy brings more than 25 years of leadership and executive search experience working across a range of publicly quoted private equity-backed, and privately owned businesses. Working primarily at the board level within the sectors of Engineering & Manufacturing, Financial Services, and Technology, he has expertise in all leadership functions, including Chair and NED, Financial, Legal and Company Secretariat, as well as CEO and CIO. Andy is also a trusted board advisor and has been running the UK's pre-eminent development programmes (for prospective FTSE Directors) for over 10 years, in conjunction with 3 world-class partner firms. Before joining Kingsley Gate, Andy was the Managing Partner & Head of the CEO & Board Practice at other leading executive search firms. Andy is based in the firm's London location.

Arnaud Despierre

Job Titles:

Senior Partner, Asia - Pacific Region Leader, Global Industrial Practice Leader

Arushi Bhattacharya

Job Titles:

Partner / New Delhi
Partner With

Arushi Bhattacharya is a Partner with Kingsley Gate. With two decades of search experience, Arushi has developed an in-depth understanding of global cultures and relationship management. She built an impressive network of clients across geographies working with MNCs, Indian Conglomerates and start-ups. She has led and executed retained executive search assignments for challenging and high-impact C-level leadership positions in organizations across industry segments and functions. She considers advising new and existing clients both a goal and a privilege, being cognizant of the impact of her role on the leadership of an organization. Prior to joining Kingsley Gate, Arushi gained valuable entrepreneurial experience as a founder of Bluewater Consulting, executing on senior-level searches for notable and marquis names in the business across India and the Middle East. Previously, Arushi was an Associate Director with HVS, a well-known US-based Hospitality consulting firm where she led its foray into the non-hospitality business in India, developing a substantial practice. Arushi has successfully closed several C-Suite searches across the development, real estate, oil & gas, media & entertainment, and hospitality & healthcare. Arushi entered the executive search industry with Boyden, based in their New Delhi and Bangalore offices, where she developed her passion for the business. She has also spent significant time with Executive Access in India, a leading Asian executive search firm. Arushi is a gold medalist from the Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development, Pune, specializing in Human Resources. She earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Psychology from Delhi University where she graduated with Honors. Arushi is based in the firm's New Delhi location.

Bill Trau

Job Titles:

Senior Partner

Bradley Garland

Job Titles:

Managing Director, Head of Asia, the Omerta Group
Managing Director, Head of Asia, the Omerta Group / Hong Kong

Buster Houchins - Founder

Job Titles:

Founder
Member of the Board

Buster Houchins is the founder and board member of Kingsley Gate. He co-founded the firm with two others in 2015. Previously, Buster served as the Vice Chairman of a New York Stock Exchange-listed retained executive search firm, which grew from a boutique to one of the world's largest in the industry during his tenure. Prior to the search industry, Buster grew his operating career in executive leadership roles with General Electric, Acuson, ADAC Laboratories, and Sopha Medical Systems. His experience lends credibility to the consultative advice he provides to boards of directors and chief executives of some of the most prominent healthcare corporations in the world. Buster has placed members of boards of directors, CEOs, and other key talent in the c-suite. He is considered a thought leader on the topic of leadership. His clients range from emerging organizations to Fortune 500 corporations. He is known as a trusted advisor. Buster earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Marshall University and a Master's in Management from Webster University. He is a former combat officer from duty in Vietnam with the United States Army. He served as Board Director of HireLogic Corporation and on the Board of Governors for the Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. Buster is based in Washington, DC.

Cali Santa María

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner / Lima
Senior Partner With

Cali Santa María is a Senior Partner with Kingsley Gate and a member of the Industrial and Agribusiness practices. With 26 years of experience in executive search, Cali has served leading multinational, regional and local companies, recruiting talent to fill senior management positions. Cali has successfully completed numerous assignments for critical functional roles including Board, General Management, IT, Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Sale and Operations. She also services local, regional and global clients in a wide spectrum of economic activities. Prior to joining Kingsley Gate, Cali was a Partner at Caldwell and CTPartners, where she successfully performed searches for multinational regional and global companies. She entered the executive search industry in 1997 with Heidrick & Struggles Lima Office where she held roles of increasing scope and responsibility. Before entering executive search, Cali was Head of the Exports Department at Backus & Johnston Trading, an affiliate of one of the largest economic groups in Perú, where she worked since 1990. Her previous experience was as an International Commerce Assistant for International Traders, a local trading company. Before that, Cali acted as an Imports Assistant for the largest local retail supermarket chain, responsible for the supply of all perishable products for the company. Cali is a Peruvian national and holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business Administration from Universidad de Piura and pursued post-graduate studies in finance and accounting with ESAN. She also holds the Hogan Assessment Certification. Cali has been a featured speaker on talent management trends in conferences sponsored by different organizations such as IE, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias, OWIT, and the IT COMMON PERU. She is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Cali is based in our Lima location.

Chase Harrison

Job Titles:

Senior Partner
Senior Partner / Dallas
Senior Partner With

Chase Harrison is a Senior Partner with Kingsley Gate. Chase brings a decade of experience in executive search having placed executives across various industries and functional areas. He has substantial experience serving the "C Suite," recruiting senior-level leadership. Prior to joining Kingsley Gate, Chase served as a Managing Director with Rowe Global based in Dallas. Previously, Chase was a member of the CEO & Board Practice, Global Financial Services Practice, Chief Human Resources Practice and the Financial Officers Practice with Heidrick & Struggles where he conducted search assignments including CEO, CFO, COOs and other senior management positions. Chase began his recruiting career with RJ Byrd Search Group, a boutique search firm focusing on Finance and Accounting individuals. There, he was responsible for conducting numerous searches for both public and private companies. He was consistently recognized as one of the top performers within RJ Byrd. Prior to entering the recruiting industry, Chase was a Financial Analyst with The Woodmont Company. Chase received his Bachelors of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business and is based in our Dallas, Texas office.

Chris Harrison

Job Titles:

Managing Director, the Omerta Group
Managing Director, the Omerta Group / London

Christopher Kaderle

Job Titles:

Head of Search Operations

Cole McWilliams

Job Titles:

Principal
Principal / Dallas

He is focused on placing senior executives into C-suite and Board roles across private equity, services, and technology companies. Prior to Kingsley Gate, Cole was with Coleman Research Group, a leading expert network firm. He worked across several different books of business, primarily focused on early-stage due-diligence project management for private equity and hedge fund clients. He also worked on the sales & relationship management team, responsible for the global growth of large management consulting clients. Cole speaks French and holds a BA in International Business and French from Wake Forest University. He is based in our Dallas location.