EMERALD GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Consultant
- Group in 2015 As a Researcher
Ben is a consultant specialising in the UK life Actuarial Market. He works with high-quality candidates at all levels, from around one year's experience to senior figures across both permanent and interim markets.
He works with a wide variety of clients throughout the country and is always seeking to work with more. Ben is known and respected for building and maintaining strong relationships with his markets.
Ben joined The Emerald Group in 2015 as a Researcher before firmly establishing himself as an important member of the UK Life team. He is always keen to learn more and takes an active interest in the technical needs of all candidates and clients he works with. Ben has an honest approach to his work and is a firm believer in communicating all matters and updates. He will give you a very personable service throughout every process.
Ben is very sociable, approachable and always happy to help. Outside of work, he is a passionate sports fan, a keen skier and has a strong love for football in particular, Aston Villa. Ben always looks forwards to spending time with his twin boys on the beach, much needed time for them to burn off energy.
Brittany joined the Emerald Group in September 2023 and joined the insurance team focusing on Risk, Compliance, Claims and Underwriting.
She has a legal background as an Unregistered Barrister and joined us after completing her Bar Training Course in Bristol. She has always lived in Plymouth and after spending time away studying, she couldn't wait to relocate back permanently.
Outside of work, she enjoys taking her dogs swimming in the sea and competing with her event horse Ernie.
Cameron joined Emerald in 2022 having graduated from Plymouth University with a Law Degree.
He has recently relocated from Bristol to Plymouth permenantly, and is now doing a master's in Business Management. Cameron has previously had part-time jobs that included sales and customer services, so felt recruitment would be a good area to start a career.
In his spare time he often plays and watchs football, which isn't always that enjoyable as a Bristol City fan. Cameron also enjoys going to the gym and meeting up with friends to go out to eat and drink.
Chris joined in 2018 and has quickly rose through the ranks to become a Business Manager. Chris is responsible for a number of clients within the Life Insurance and Pensions space, with a specific focus on Actuarial recruitment.
He has always desired to work in a fast paced and people orientated environment. Chris has a driving determination to succeed and is fully dedicated to providing clients and candidates with the highest level of service.
Chris leads a very active lifestyle, and has a passion for sports, especially tennis. He is currently number 1 in the company for Table Tennis.
Connor joined The Emerald Group in 2018 after spending over 3 years as an estate agent, where he quickly progressed from a trainee to managing a small team.
Connor worked in the London office for 2.5 years before relocating back to our HQ in Plymouth. He specialises in the Non-Life Actuarial Market with a focus across Mid to Senior perm hires and helping clients with their contract/interim needs across a range of levels. Connor has a strong mix of clients within the GI field. Throughout the years, he has gained a strong understanding of the Lloyds and London market.
Connor's start to the business was successful with him achieving Employee of the Month in his first three months with us. Achieving this after placing several perm and contract candidates across various clients.
When he's not in the office, Connor tries to keep as active as possible with hiking and cycling some of the nearby beauty spots of the Cornish coast and Dartmoor landscapes.
Cory joined Emerald in 2022 having graduated from Bath Spa University with a Business and Management degree.
He has been primarily working in hospitality across cities such as Bath, Swansea and Plymouth and enjoys going to the gym and practicing Olympic lifting. If Cory is not in the gym he enjoys either watching rugby or travelling to new towns/cities. He is currently trying to learn Welsh and is planning to be fluent in 3-5 years.
Cory now specialises in the Life Actuarial sectors for the Emerald Group.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of the UK Life Actuarial Team
Despo is a Director of the UK Life actuarial team and has extensive experience in permanent and interim recruitment. Having completed a BSc Actuarial Science degree and worked in the Life actuarial market for a number of years, she leverages this experience to get the best results for her clients and candidates.
She has worked on and placed candidates at all levels and has experience at coaching candidates throughout the interview process.
Despo is passionate about people and doesn't try to "fit pegs into holes", but is an old fashioned relationship building recruiter who will work with you to find the role that is right for you.
Despo is originally from SA with a Greek/Cypriot cultural background. She is a mom to 3 children, so is an expert at time management and juggling many balls at the same time.
Dominique joined The Emerald Group as a Graduate from the University of Southampton in September 2015.
Dominique thrives upon giving a high-quality service and solving business challenges through supplying talent, which has enabled her to transition quickly within our business. She speaks fluent German and English.
She specialises in the European (DACH, CEE) and Bermudian markets covering non-life actuarial, life actuarial, insurance (Underwriting, Risk, CAT, Claims & Accounting), pension and healthcare actuarial. Dominique covers a wide portfolio geographically and technically, working from the grad/junior level to mid-senior, senior and executive/head of positions. She believes that a focus on strong and quick communication, whilst understanding the cultural and technical requirements of both candidates and clients, sets her apart.
Since January 2020, she has been responsible for growing out the Emerald Group's presence in non-actuarial across Europe and Bermuda, whilst still focusing on Actuarial recruitment. She has built a strong portfolio from existing clients, as well as new clients within the Underwriting, Risk, CAT, Claims and accounting space.
She also assists with the training of our consultants, with the aim of supporting them with their growth and development with the Emerald Group.
Dominique earned her Bachelor's Degree in Archaeology in 2015 at the University of Southampton. Born and based in London, her family is both German and Greek Cypriot. She enjoys sports and also plays Guitar and Piano.
Eva joined Emerald Group in February 2023 as part of the International Team.
She is originally from Peru but s now based in Plymouth. She studied a Masters in Business Management at Plymouth University in 2021.
Her native language is Spanish but she is fluent in English and has a intermediate conversational level of French.
In her free time she enjoys going for walks and hikes, she is a dog lover and enjoys nature.
Job Titles:
- Senior Office Administrator
Fátima joined The Emerald Group in February 2020 as a Life Actuarial consultant. Since August, she has expanded her broad actuarial market knowledge by joining the International Actuarial team.
Prior to joining The Emerald Group, Fátima's previous experience has involved covering Life Actuarial in other firms. Her extensive knowledge and expertise in the UK market have been a great asset to our team.
Fátima is a passionate about people and has the ability to build easily relationships with both candidates and clients. She focuses mainly on the European and Bermudan market.
Fátima has a Bachelor Degree in Labour Relations which she studied at the University of Vigo, Spain. Fátima also holds the CIPD in HR Management. She speaks several languages and this includes Spanish, English and Portuguese.
In her free time, she enjoys a socialising, fine dining and travelling. She is a huge sports fanatic and has previously competed in high-level athletics and handball. Fátima Enjoys watching sports; she is a big fan of football, tennis, among other sports. During her day, she practices yoga and to keep on top of her routine, she's a frequent gym-goer.
Gemma joined the emerald group in 2023 and sits within the life actuarial team.
Having worked in leisure hospitality management for over 10 years, she has a deep understanding of client needs and recruiting against the needs and demands of a business. Gemma strives to deliver a personalised, professional and authentic service to both candidates and clients, ensuring that the best outcome for both is obtained.
Outside of work she loves to spend time with her family, Chester the cockapoo and socialising with friends.
Glenn joined the Emerald Group in January of 2024.
Glenn previously worked in retail for 20 years, so believes he has a good understanding of the customer's needs and how to meet them. He strives to deliver a professional service to both candidates and clients to get the best outcome for both.
Away from work he likes to spend time with family, walking his dog ‘Sonny' , travelling / going on holidays and socialising with friends.
As a proud Plymothian, he is a seasonal ticket holder and avid follower of Plymouth Argyle.
Since joining the business in 2006 Hayley has been instrumental in the development of our actuarial brand across the European and international markets.
She is well known and respected by many insurance, reinsurance and consultancy firms for providing a confidential and highly professional service.
Hayley leads actuarial and risk recruitment projects at all levels, often fulfilling the most challenging briefs for senior and/or multiple hires. Proficient in exclusive retained search and contingency recruitment she can draw on her own extensive network to service client requirements in most locations. Hayley is the first choice recruiter for several of her clients, with some working exclusively with her for many years.
In her spare time, Hayley enjoys most sport and music-related activities, attending several musical theatre performances every year and performing occasionally herself as part of a musical theatre choir. She has visited more than 30 countries across the world so far but also enjoys spending time at home with her family and friends. She also enjoys baking cupcakes, which are often donated to raise funds for local charities.
Isabella joined Emerald in July 2023 and is on the international team, focussing on the German Market.
She has just graduated from Royal Holloway with a degree in Geography and has just moved back to Plymouth.
Her interests within Geography are: migration studies, geopolitics, gender and development in the Global South, and mobilities. As part of her degree she studied immigration during a field trip to New York and has also volunteered for a refugee NGO here in Plymouth as part of her Dissertation.
Isabella is a sea swimmer and surfer and has played the violin since she was 6 years old! She also sings in the Plymouth Cathedral Choir and will be rejoining the Plymouth Philharmonic Choir in September.
Jade joined The Emerald Group in May 2017 and work as a Business Manager on our wider Insurance team, which specializes in Risk, Compliance, Claims and Underwriting within Insurance in the UK Market .
I thrive the most when I am supporting my candidates find their next career move and working closely with my clients to find experienced individuals to join their businesses to support their growth. I enjoy learning about clients and candidates alike and building lasting relationships.
Before starting my career at The Emerald Group I worked in Internal Recruitment for a local insurance broker hiring graduates for their Apprenticeship and BA (Hons) Insurance Degree programme, and supporting them through the CII qualifications.
Outside of working hours I like to walk my Shihtzu Daisy. My favourite animal is a giraffe so you will often find me exploring the zoo and taking lots of photos of the giraffes. I enjoy spending time with family and friends at weekends.
Jake leads the accounting and finance team. He joined The Emerald Group in 2022 and during his time with The Emerald Group he has become a specialist in placing accountants within the insurance industry.
With a degree in Digital Marketing, Jake has taken a creative approach to building his presence in the market and has created a personal brand for himself.
Having previously worked as an IT recruiter, Jake is now focused on Accountant recruitment within the Global market. Jake works across both the Life & Non-Life Insurance markets and leads our Executive Search Team that specifically encompasses Accountancy and Finance.
When not recruiting, Jake balances family life with a keen interest in Forex Trading. He has been trading since 2020 and it has become a great passion of his.
Job Titles:
- Training and Learning Director
Jeff is the Chief Executive Officer for The Emerald Group. He is an accomplished executive recruiter with the drive and passion for adding value to business by recruiting market leading candidates.
Jeff was the driving force behind the creation of the professional services business lines, and supported the expansion of The Emerald Group into an international recruiting firm. Jeff has expertise in developing high-performance teams, business expansion, revenue generation and financial growth. Jeff is also an experienced innovator with a unique blend of operational and business expertise learnt at "the coal face" to implement robust solutions across the enterprise.
Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and prior to starting The Emerald Group, Jeff spent eight years as a Police Officer with Surrey Police where amongst other things he was involved in assessing new recruits to the force. He often attributes Executive search as similar to Police work the exception being he is now searching for good people instead of criminals.
When Jeff is not working he is very active in community service. He has been appointed as a local Magistrate which he performs regularly and also has four grown up children in their twenties.
John began his career in the Life Actuarial recruitment market in 2003, joining Emerald Group in their New York office.
Upon relocating in late 2004, John then began to specialize in the UK's life actuarial market, where he has successfully worked across a wide range of levels, completing recruitment projects at the entry level up to and including Partner and Head of Department. His experience and network across two decades enables him to work effectively on behalf of candidates and clients .
Kaitlin joined Emerald in October of 2023.
She relocated from Bath to Plymouth in 2020 to study and has decided to make the relocation permanent! After Kaitlin graduated from her Master of Research, she joined Emerald. She found recruitment offered her the opportunity to use her research skills in a unique way.
In her spare time, she enjoys going for walks around the countryside and the beach. Kaitlin also greatly enjoys a hot chocolate after one of her cold winter walks.
Kaya (Kaja) joined Emerald Group in September 2022, after graduating from Oxford Brookes with a degree in Law.
She is originally Polish, however has lived in Plymouth since she was a child. She loves spending time with her family, 3 rescue guinea pigs and her German Shepherd, Salvador. She is vegetarian and passionate about animals. In her spare time she likes bouldering, painting and going on walks. She is also a cellist, but hasn't played in a long time.
Klaudia joined Emerald in 2021 having graduated from Plymouth University with a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree. She is originally from Poland and has lived in Plymouth for over 13 years.
Klaudia has started her career at the Emerald Group as a Recruitment Consultant, working within the international market. Later she decided to focus more closely on the German speaking markets.
Currently, she is working as part of the Operational team, as an Operations Coordinator. She focuses on the business side of the Emerald Group, while still using her recruitment skills and focusing on internal recruitment.
Her native language is Polish, and she is fluent in English.
Margot joined The Emerald Group in May 2018 as a German Office Administrator.
She is originally from Berlin. She left Germany in 1990 and has lived in Spain, Portugal and the UK.
Her native language is German, and she is fluent in English.
Margot enjoys eating out, meeting friends and spending time with her 3 rescue cats.
Maria is an Executive Director for The Emerald Group. She is an accomplished executive recruiter, having worked within the industry for thirty years. She has extensive experience of executive search with leading Actuarial employers.
More recently Maria has been instrumental in leading Internal Audits and Risk assessments across the organisation to ensure that best practice is provided for our clients. To achieve this she balances the interests of the company, shareholders and other stakeholders by ensuring long-term growth that is both sustainable and profitable.
She ensures that all regulatory obligations are met and secures the confidence of clients by upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.
Prior to starting the Emerald Group with her husband Jeff, Maria held a Senior management position with an international Accountancy recruiter. She speaks fluent French and has held previous roles in Air France and Surrey Police. She lives on Dartmoor and enjoys long walks and spending time with her grandchildren.
Matthew joined the Emerald Group in February 2019 and works as a Business Manager in the GI Actuarial team. He works with a diverse range of clients across Lloyd's, reinsurance, legacy, personal/commercial line to name a few.
He has brought new clients into the business securing early placements within them and prides himself on engaging with the needs of businesses to ensure all new hires fit with their needs. Within his first 6 months at the Emerald Group, he was awarded ‘Employee of the Month' due to his persistence and work-rate
Outside of work, Matthew is a passionate football fan supporting his boyhood team Plymouth Argyle. He enjoys spending time with his young family and travelling when he can. Matthew regularly competed for Cornwall at U12, 14 and 16's level in Golf and was called up to the England squad for trials.
Mike has over 24 years of recruitment experience in the Actuarial & Insurance sector. Starting in 1998, Mike has worked in the UK, US, Hong Kong and Singapore, operating almost exclusively within actuarial markets both as an active consultant and a manager of successful recruitment teams.
In recent years, Mike has specialised in the UK General Insurance Actuarial market and this is now his principal area of focus. Mike has a very strong track record for business development, new client development and is known for successful delivery across all of the markets he has worked in.
In his spare time, Mike enjoys travelling, attempting to master European & Asian cookery and he spends most of this free time with his wife and young son.
Patrick is a Director focusing on European and International actuarial recruitment here at the Emerald Group. Patrick covers Life and Non-Life vacancies, where he works with insurers, reinsurers and consultancies.
He mainly focuses on the Bermuda, Swiss and German markets, but he also works with clients in France, Ireland and Benelux. Patrick moves people both locally and abroad, having relocated actuaries around the world.
He joined the Emerald Group as a graduate back in 2012 from the University of Plymouth, where he studied International Business Management and was a part of his university American football team. He now coaches American football at the University of Oxford during his spare time, and enjoys spending time with his daughter, wife and 2 dogs.
Job Titles:
- Business Support Administrator
Philippa joined Emerald in 2021 having graduated from Plymouth University with a Law degree. She works on the Operations Team as an Operations Coordinator.
When Philippa isn't managing the admin involved with Interim and the Emerald Group, you can find her busy at home trying to keep her two toddlers entertained.
Philippa loves reading and spending quality time with her family.
Rebecca is a Director at the Emerald Group and Heads up the UK General Insurance team. She has 18 years of experience recruiting actuaries and risk professionals within the General Insurance market, both in the UK and overseas.
In recent years Rebecca has been instrumental in the growth and development of our UK GI team and has extensive experience placing people on a permanent and contract basis. Rebecca works across the market and helps her Clients fill Chief Actuary/Partner level positions down to actuarial students looking for their first move in the market.
Rebecca is passionate about people and exceptional service levels are at the heart of what she does. She is well respected in the market by Clients and candidates alike for her professional and honest approach.
Away from the office Rebecca enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, wider family, friends, travelling and when the weather permits, is on the beach or on her paddleboard!
Rebecca has recently been awarded a certificate of online training in Equality, Diversity and Discrimination.
River re-joined The Emerald Group in September 2017 as an Office Administrator. She worked with The Emerald Group in their Hong Kong and Singapore offices in a similar role between 2010 and 2012.
She is originally from Hong Kong and relocated to UK in 2017. River has 2 years' working experience as an Assistant Merchandiser and 12 years' working experience within the HR sector in Hong Kong.
Her native language is Cantonese and she is fluent in English.
She is an Advanced Scuba Diver but doesn't enjoy swimming. In her free time she enjoys walking with her dog.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Head of Interim Recruitment
Rob has nearly 25 years of experience recruiting actuaries on both a permanent and contract basis, and has expertise in both Life and General Insurance.
Rob joined Emerald Group in 1999 after graduating from Sheffield University with an LLB degree in Law. Over the years Rob has recruited actuaries at all levels for Insurance companies, Reinsurers, Lloyds Syndicates, Asset Managers and Investment Banks. He combines outstanding relationship building skills with credibility, reliability and excellent industry knowledge.
Rob is currently Head of Interim recruitment at Emerald Group, placing contractors into insurers, reinsurers and consultancies.
Rosie is a Theatre and Performance Graduate from Plymouth University and after moving here to study in 2013, never left the Ocean City!
She joined Emerald Group in 2019 after gaining administration experience while assisting her parents with the paperwork for the family farm in her early teens.
Ross is a Director on the non-life Actuarial team primarily covering the UK and Bermuda markets, with exposure reaching to the US and Hong-Kong.
Ross started with the Emerald Group back in 2016 as a consultant on the Graduates/General Insurance team and since then, he has vastly expanded his reach, and can now provide a full range of expertise not only on Actuarial but also on the Underwriting, ILS/Captives and Risk markets.
Ross works with global re/insurers, consultancies, ILS funds, Brokers, and London Market/Lloyds syndicates. He has demonstrable success at working with candidates at all levels, from Entry Level up to Chief Actuary, CRO etc.
Outside of work, Ross likes to keep an active lifestyle, mostly in the form of CrossFit/Gym having stepped away from the rugby field a few years ago, a game which he played since the age of 6 - now he prefers to stand on the side line with a pint in hand! He is a keen hiker and enjoys spontaneous, remote adventures. His other hobbies are skiing, cooking, art, classical music, food, travelling, but most of all, spending time with friends, family and his dogs.
Sandra re-joined Emerald in 2022 after a parental leave and with a degree as a business economist and business psychologist.
She discovered her passion for recruiting when she was employed as a student trainee at Emerald in 2020.
She is originally from Bosnia and has lived in Germany since she was 10.
After work she likes to bake, cook, try out some new kitchen equipment and learning to take photos. Nevertheless, spending time with her family is the most important thing in her free-time.
Sarah joined Emerald in March 2023 as part of the Non-Life Actuarial team.
With a background in both anthropology and hospitality, she decided to turn her people skills to the world of recruitment after recently relocating to Plymouth.
Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time in nature and experimenting in the kitchen with anything vegetarian.
After finishing her Master's degree in Political Science, English & American Studies and Business Psychology, Sarah started her career as a Recruitment Coordinator with UBS in Hong Kong.
After finishing her program she decided to relocate back to Germany and joined the Emerald Group in September 2011.
Due to her prior banking background, Sarah started as a Recruiter working with companies in the Financial Services Industry, focusing mainly on back office functions such as audit, compliance and risk within the German speaking markets. During her time at the Emerald Group she progressed and extended her expertise, currently focusing on actuarial opportunities across the globe with a focus on the German market, where she works across asset managers, (life) insurers, reinsurers, rating agencies as well as consultancies.
As the Managing Director of the German Office you can approach Sarah about current market updates, relocation to German speaking countries and Scottish whisky which has been her passion for the past 15 years. In her free time she enjoys supporting NGOs/ doing voluntary work as well as reading and watching sports such as football or darts.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Recruitment Specialist
Shruti is a recruitment specialist with more than 6 years of work experience in London, Hong Kong and India and has worked as agency recruiter as well as inhouse HR.
In her current role with Emerald Group, Shruti's focus is on GI Actuarial space in London and Bermuda market. Prior to joining Emerald Group, Shruti has successfully made placements in diverse industries like Technology & Transformation (investment banking), Life Actuarial (Insurance), Education and Real Estate.
Shruti is a postgraduate degree in business management with specialisation in Human Resources. Outside work, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, enjoys nature walks.