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The Team

 

Our team has been carefully put together over a long period. It has been developed to ensure the Practice Leaders are fully integrated across the firm, able to support clients in their own sector and to bring the necessary input from the other Practices to deliver the best client outcome.

 

Our team is made up of experienced individuals with the required expertise and a willingness to support each sector we cover.

Simon Hearn

Chair

Kate Hammar

Director & Head of Real Assets

Jamie Risso-Gill

Managing Director & Head of Banking & Consumer Financial Services

Jennifer Jones

Director & Head of Pantheon Leadership

Simon Lowndes

Director & Head of Corporate Functions

Maaike Kitsantas

Chief Operating Officer

Harry Hearn

Director & Head of Insurance

Karin Barnick

Head of Board Practice

Charles Harvey

Director & Head of Asset and Wealth Management

Oji Okolie

Principal, Head of Execution Performance

George Davies

Executive Consultant

Gaëlle Pritchard

Client Director at Pantheon Leadership

Anna Meyring

Associate

Annefien Slaghekke

Research Analyst

Carrie Coombs

Executive Coach & Board Advisor at Pantheon Leadership

David Schofield

Senior Associate

Eliza Ahmet

Executive Assistant

Freddie Monatgu

Principal, Digital & Technology

Hannah Russell

Executive Assistant

Helen Aron

Senior Associate

Jorden Hinscliff

Executive Assistant

Lauren Timlin

Operations Associate

Lucy Pearce

Client Delivery Manager at Pantheon Leadership

Lydia Kennedy

Executive Assistant

Matthew Goodlad

Associate

Matthew Wilkinson

Financial Controller

Natalie Conway

Executive Assistant

Ruaraidh Maclean

Senior Associate

Sriram Naresh

Research Analyst

Tom Adams

Associate

Vicky McFarlane

Associate

Global Reach

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Per Ardua Associates Ltd
Level 14, Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London
EC2N 1HQ

Paris

Frankfurt

Zurich

Amsterdam

New York

Bermuda

Per Ardua Associates Ltd
Level 14, Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London
EC2N 1HQ

Stockholm

Edinburg

Munich

Abu Dhabi

Cologne

Luxembourg

Miami

Belfast

Dublin

Sydney

Singapore

Per Ardua Associates Ltd
Level 14, Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London
EC2N 1HQ

Paris

Frankfurt

Zurich

Amsterdam

New York

Bermuda

Per Ardua Associates Ltd
Level 14, Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London
EC2N 1HQ

Stockholm

Edinburg

Munich

Abu Dhabi

Cologne

Luxembourg

Miami

Belfast

Dublin

Sydney

Singapore

Simon Hearn

Chair

Simon Hearn

Chair

Simon founded Per Ardua Associates in May 2008 and Pantheon Leadership in February 2018. Having conducted a management buy-out (MBO) in 2021, He now acts as an advisor to the MD, Jamie Risso-Gill and chairs our Remco.  

 

Simon coordinates our Board practice and is a  member of the Insurance practice. In addition he is responsible for our Client Feedback process and Firm training.

 

Simon attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) and Harvard LPSF – 2013).

 

Simon is an ex-Chairman of his local Samaritans centre and is still a listening volunteer.

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Kate Hammer

Director & Head of Real Assets

Kate Hammar

Director & Head of Real Assets

Kate is a Director at Per Ardua and Head of the Real Assets practice.

She joined in 2016 to build the Real Assets practice.  Working with EMEA based Real Estate clients including Private Equity, Investment Managers, Sovereign Wealth Fund, Propcos, Operators and Developers she has an excellent track record hiring for the Board, C-suite and senior leadership roles across all functions including acquisitions, asset management, capital raising, research, finance, development, strategy, HR and tech.

Kate is also a member of Per Ardua’s RemCo.
In addition to leading the Real Estate practice, she is proud to be a working mother and continues to push the diversity agenda with her clients and her children!

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Jamie Risso-Gill

Managing Director & Head of Banking & Consumer Financial Services

Jamie Risso-Gill

Managing Director & Head of Banking & Consumer Financial Services

Jamie is the Managing Director of Per Ardua and Head of the Banking and Consumer Financial Services’ Practice.

 

He joined the firm in 2009 to establish the Banking and Consumer Financial Services’ Practice and became the Managing Director in 2018.  In addition to running the business, Jamie focuses on searches at Board and senior executive level across senior business leadership and functional roles in Banking and Consumer Financial Services. He is also a member of the Board Practice.

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Jennifer Jones

Director & Head of Pantheon Leadership

Jennifer Jones

Director & Head of Pantheon Leadership

Jennifer is the Director of Pantheon Leadership and is accountable for our advisory work from Board and CEO services to executive development and assessment.

 

She joined in 2018 to establish Pantheon Leadership.  Working across the globe with clients in Financial Services and Technology, Jennifer partners with Boards, CEOs, senior executives and their teams as they shape change and adapt through necessary individual, group or organisational transitions. Leading our team of psychologists and coaches, developing up to date research and relevant capability for our clients, Jennifer focuses on data driven insight, systemic interventions and long-term sustainable outcomes.

 

Jennifer is a certified business psychologist, executive and systemic team coach, holds degrees from University of Manchester and Aston University and is a TEDx speaker on executive adaptability.

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Simon Lowndes

Director & Head of Corporate Functions

Simon Lowndes

Director & Head of Corporate Functions

Simon is a Director at Per Ardua and leads our Corporate Functions practice.

 

Simon joined in 2010 to build Per Ardua’s capability in hiring for executive leaders within the Finance & Actuarial, Risk & Compliance, Operations, and Internal Audit functions.  He works across Investment Management, Real Estate, Insurance, Retail & Corporate Banking, FinTech and Private Equity in the provision of executive search and leadership advisory and is a member of each of these sector practices.  As part of the Board practice, he also undertakes searches for Board Risk and Audit Committee appointments.

 

Simon is also a member of Per Ardua’s D,E&I Committee and is proud to have established our partnership with The Brokerage.  He sits on The Brokerage’s Changemaker Board, with Per Ardua being one of the founding supporters of their Young Leaders Programme.

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Lauren Timlin

Operations Associate

Lauren Timlin

Operations Associate

Lauren joined Per Ardua in 2014. She reports to the Chief Operating Officer providing operational support covering the company’s database,  website design as well as any continued process improvement initiatives across the team. 

 

Lauren holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Greenwich.

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Maaike Kitsantas

Chief Operating Officer

Maaike Kitsantas

Chief Operating Officer

Maaike joined Per Ardua in March 2023 to the senior management team to support the growth of the company.

 

She has 30 years of management experience having worked across London, Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, and Scandinavia. Most recently she spent over a decade with an executive search firm. Prior to that she was 9 years with Carlson Marketing Group a global marketing agency. She started her career at British Airways. She has managed large diverse teams covering Operations, Client Services, Marketing and HR as well as leading executive search.

 

Maaike has an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

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Harry Hearn

Director & Head of Insurance

Harry Hearn

Director & Head of Insurance

Harry joined Per Ardua in September 2008 as a Researcher. He has spent the last 14 years specialising in assignments across the UK, International and European Insurance Markets. He has completed work in both specialist and functional areas, across General Insurance, the Lloyd’s and Company Markets, Broking and Reinsurance.

As a strong advocate for Mental Health causes and charities, Harry has undertaken a number of challenges / expeditions, included Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and most recently rowing across the Atlantic, to bring much needed awareness and support in breaking the stigma and taboo around Mental Health; specifically across the Financial Services Sector.

Harry holds a BSc (Hons) in The Built Natural Environment from the University of the West of England.

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Alex Langridge

Principal and Head of Technology, Digital & FinTech Practice

Alex Langridge

Principal and Head of Technology, Digital & FinTech Practice

Alex is a Principal at Per Ardua and runs the Technology, Digital and FinTech practice.

 

He joined in 2018 to build the Technology, Digital and FinTech practice. He co-ordinates the firm’s Private Equity and Venture Capital practice. His client base includes Banks, Insurance Companies, Asset Management Businesses, Payment Companies, Private Equity, Venture Capital and Capital Market Infrastructure businesses. He has an extensive track record of hiring at Board, ‘C’-suite and senior management levels. He has worked in North America, the UK and continental Europe. His focus is on hiring transformative ‘C’-suite leaders within scale financial institutions, building leadership teams for high-growth fintechs and insurtechs, building technology Advisory Boards and appointing digitally savvy NEDs and Chairs.

 

Alex is a member of Per Ardua’s DE&I committee and leads all efforts on neurodiversity.

 

He is proud of his single ‘hole in one’ at golf and hopes he can repeat it again.

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Karin Barnick

Head of Board Practice

Karin Barnick

Head of Board Practice

Karin joined Per Ardua in April 2024 to lead the Board Practice and support the Asset and Wealth Management Practice as it continues to grow internationally. Karin has a long career in Search and Leadership Advisory at C-suite and Board level with a particular focus on diversity and the representation of women on boards and leadership positions in the Financial Services sector.

 

Following an earlier career in Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, Karin spent the next 26 years working at Whitehead Mann and, since 2009, Korn Ferry. Her international experience and client and people centric approach has consistently delivered a recognised and positive impact on management and culture. Karin’s involvement with the 30% Club dates to 2015 and she continues to serve as a member of the UK Steering Committee.

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Charles Harvey

Director & Head of Asset and Wealth Management

Charles Harvey

Director & Head of Asset and Wealth Management

Charles joined in 2012 to build the Asset & Wealth Management practice.  This practice serves a broad range of investment-related organisations including asset managers, wealth managers, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, private equity and pension funds.  Charles leads this work and has extensive experience at Board and C-suite level as well as broader leadership roles.  The practice is international and works with clients across Europe, the Middle East and North America.


Alongside the day job, Charles has recently gone back to basics by acquiring a very energetic young dog and as a first time dog owner has discovered that it is not all plain sailing.

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Oji Okolie

Principal, Head of Execution Performance

Oji Okolie

Principal, Head of Execution Performance

Oji joined the firm in 2019 and works across all our practices to ensure execution performance and delivery remains of the highest quality for our clients.  Her responsibilities include leadership of the Research function.

 

Oji is also a real estate specialist and has a strong track record executing searches with Real Estate clients globally including Private Equity, Investment Managers, Sovereign Wealth Fund, Propcos, Operators and Developers.

 

Passionate about increasing greater diversity in financial services, Oji co-chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at Per Ardua Associates.

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Gill Hammond

Financial Controller

Gill Hammond

Financial Controller

Gill is the Financial Controller at Per Ardua.

She joined in 2008 as a founder member of Per Ardua with responsibility for running the office and dealing with all financial matters, as well as providing administrative support to Simon Hearn with whom she clocked up an impressive 20-year partnership!

Recently, Gill has stepped down from the Office Manager role and now concentrates purely on the finance side, working three days a week, which allows her more time with her family and her garden!

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George Davies

Executive Consultant

George Davies

Executive Consultant

George joined Per Ardua in March 2023 to support their position and growth plans for the Insurance Practice and the wider Financial Services Board work. This work will build on his experience in Board Succession, Board Composition and Executive Search. Working alongside Pantheon Leadership, Per Ardua brings together both relevant industry experience and leadership advisory services to build market-leading teams and maximise individual potential.

 

He has spent the last six years in Executive Search having been at Marsh McLennan for thirty six years where he held numerous positions at both Executive and Regulated Board level.

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Gaëlle Pritchard

Client Director

Gaëlle Pritchard

Client Director

Gaëlle is an experienced leadership assessor and coach, who brings deep experience in talent selection and development in the Insurance sector. She has worked extensively at both board and senior executive levels across leadership assessment, coaching, executive search and HR.

 

She is fluent in English and French and has lived and worked in Singapore, London and the US.

 

Until recently, Gaëlle led the Leadership Assessment Practice at Sheffield Haworth, the executive search and talent advisory firm. A keen promoter of DEI, she was a founding member and leader of the Neurodiversity support group at Sheffield Haworth. Prior to that she spent close to twenty years working in Board and executive search. After an earlier career in law, she moved into HR with roles including working with Aegon as International HR Director of Direct Marketing Services in the US and with AXA in Singapore.

 

She holds an MA in Business Law from the University of Grenoble. She is BPS trained (Level A & B) and is qualified to use a range of instruments including Hogan, where she is an advanced assessor. She is a certified executive coach (PCEC with Henley Business School).

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Anna Meyring

Associate

Anna Meyring

Associate

Anna is an Associate at Per Ardua Associates within the Insurance team. An avid researcher, she provides valuable support on assignments and client engagements. 

 

Anna joined the firm in 2025, bringing with her experience from a boutique headhunting firm where she specialised in the insurance industry.

 

She holds a degree in Psychology and Criminology from the University of Sheffield Hallam.

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Annefien Slaghekke

Research Analyst

Annefien Slaghekke

Research Analyst

Annefien provides research support on assignments within the Real Assets function, working across Real Estate and Infrastructure.

 

Prior to joining Per Ardua Associates, she gained valuable experience during an industrial placement at Marlin Hawk as part of her university degree.

 

Annefien joined Per Ardua Associates in October 2024, following her completion of a BSc in International Management at the University of Bath.

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Carrie Coombs

Executive Coach & Board Advisor

Carrie Coombs

Executive Coach & Board Advisor

Carrie specialises in executive coaching, board director performance and board evaluation. She focuses on supporting leaders wishing to increase their agility, confidence and resilience in the context of personal, organisational, and market transition.

 

In working with clients, Carrie calls on her experience as a banker and management consultant across a wide range of sectors to support executives and board directors meet the challenges and choices their businesses face in the markets in which they operate. Clients appreciate her empathy and practicality, and that she ‘coaches the whole person, not just the business leader.’

 

Having served as a Non-Executive Director and Trustee roles, Carrie understands board responsibilities first-hand. She currently serves as a Trustee of Benefact Trust, a grant-giving charity in the UK. Previously she was a NED and board advisor on family-owned businesses and professional service partnerships, and on a recycling start-up; she was also Vice-Chair of a small grant-giving charity.

 

Born in the United States, Carrie began her career in banking, working with major Wall Street and City bulge-bracket firms, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. She then moved into strategy consulting with MAC/Gemini, where she founded and led various centres of excellence in the financial services sector. Carrie helped to establish and build the EMEA strategic and commercial due diligence practice of a major Big Four advisory firm, where she also designed and led a coaching training programme to the partnership before starting her own coaching and advisory firm. She has been with Pantheon since 2018.

 

Carrie earned an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a BA in Economics from Wellesley College. She is an accredited executive coach with additional specializations in neuropsychology, systems dynamics as well as board and team dynamics. She is trained in numerous psychometric diagnostic tools including MBTI II, FiroB and the Hogan Leadership Suite.

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David Schofield

Senior Associate

David Schofield

Senior Associate

David is a Senior Associate at Per Ardua and works on Board, C-suite and senior leadership roles in the Asset & Wealth Management and Real Assets practices.

 

He is responsible for advising clients and executing searches across a broad range of investment-related organisations including asset managers, wealth managers, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, private equity and pension funds, with a particular focus on senior investment and distribution appointments.

 

David holds a BA (Hons.) in Ancient History from the University of Bristol.

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Eliza Ahmet

Executive Assistant

Eliza Ahmet

Executive Assistant

Eliza is the Executive Assistant to Harry Hearn, Director & Head of Insurance; George Davies, Executive Consultant; and Ruaraidh Maclean, Senior Associate.

 

Prior to joining Per Ardua in 2024, Eliza has worked within Executive Search at United Talent Agency and MediaLink across Media, Marketing, Entertainment and Sport.

 

Eliza holds a BA from The Arts University Bournemouth.

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Freddie Montagu

Principal, Digital & Technology

Freddie Montagu

Principal, Digital & Technology

Freddie joined Per Ardua in 2024 as a Principal, to lead the Digital & Technology capability. With extensive experience in search, Freddie has a proven track record working with companies undergoing significant growth and transformation, where solving technology issues around transformation, security, digital, product, cloud and data are central for success.

 

Prior to joining Per Ardua, Freddie was a senior member of Korn Ferry’s Global Technology & Digital Officers Practice and also led the EMEA Cyber Security Centre of Expertise. During that time, Freddie led a variety of Group CIO, CTO, CDO and CISO searches for both public and private equity backed businesses. Prior to entering search, Freddie worked in the Insight & Communications team for a global loyalty marketing company, where he worked closely with one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains.

 

He holds a BA (Hons) in Geography from Durham University.

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Hannah Russell

Executive Assistant

Hannah Russell

Executive Assistant

Hannah is the Executive Assistant to Kate Hammar, Director and Real Estate Practice Leader, Charles Harvey, Director and Asset Management Practice Leader and David Schofield, Senior Associate.

Hannah is proud to have a BA Honours degree in English Literature and is a keen reader.

Helen Aron

Senior Associate

Helen Aron

Senior Associate

Helen is a Senior Associate at Per Ardua Associates within the Corporate Functions practice. She is a HR specialist covering a range of senior HR roles, including CHROs, Deputy Head of HRs, Heads of Talent, Heads of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Remuneration Committee Chairs. In addition to her search work, Helen acts as a DE&I Leader for the firm, working on all Per Ardua’s DE&I initiatives, both internally and externally. This includes long term succession planning, tracking of data and research into pertinent diversity issues within financial services. Helen also works with Pantheon Leadership to provide best-in-class leadership advisory services for our clients.

 

Having studied Literature and Film at university, Helen is an avid reader. For her sins, she is also a long-suffering supporter of Watford FC!

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Jorden Hinscliff

Executive Assistant

Jorden Hinscliff

Executive Assistant

Jorden is the Executive Assistant to Maaike Kitsantas, Chief Operating Officer and Simon Lowndes, Director Corporate Functions.

 

Prior to joining Per Ardua in April 2022, she worked within the Creative Industries & Education sector as an Administration Manager, where she provided support at Director level.

 

Jorden attended Palmers College where she gained qualifications in a Legal Secretarial Studies course.

Lucy Pearce

Client Delivery Manager at Pantheon Leadership

Lucy Pearce

Client Delivery Manager at Pantheon Leadership

Lucy is Client Delivery Manager at Pantheon Leadership. She is responsible for supporting the business in the establishment, growth, and delivery of the Pantheon Leadership advisory offerings. She works with clients to deliver an agreed programme and to identify and resolve key organisational and leadership issues at a senior level in the organisation. She joined the firm in December 2023, having previously worked at FTI Consulting in the Industrials and M&A team.

 

Lucy is an Occupational Psychologist, Certified Hogan Practitioner, holds a MSc. in Organisational and Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a BSc. in Psychology from Durham University.

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Lydia Kennedy

Executive Assistant

Lydia Kennedy

Executive Assistant

Lydia is the Executive Assistant to Harry Hearn, Director and Head of Insurance and Oji Okolie, Principal and Head of Execution Performance.

Lydia is also a member of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and organises regular events supporting this.

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Vicky McFarlane

Associate

Matthew Goodlad

Associate

Matthew is an Associate at Per Ardua, collaborating with the Insurance team to help with the execution of projects. Having previously worked in the legal industry, he transitioned into insurance, where he specialized in the W&I space at a leading brokerage firm. During this time, Matthew assisted a diverse range of clients, including corporate entities, private equity firms, and financial investors, helping them secure tailored coverage for their M&A transactions.

 

He holds a Bachelor of Laws and attended York University where he subsequently qualified as a solicitor of England and Wales.

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Tom Adams

Associate

Tom Adams

Associate

Tom works on Board, C-suite, and senior leadership roles in the Banking & Consumer Financial Services practice.

 

He is responsible for advising clients and executing searches across a broad range of banking and consumer finance-related organisations, including Retail & Corporate Banks, Building Societies, Specialist Lenders, and Card & Payments companies.

 

Tom holds a First-Class degree in French Studies from the University of Bristol.

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Matthew Wilkinson

Financial Controller

Matthew Wilkinson

Financial Controller

Matthew is the Financial Controller at Per Ardua and is responsible for the management of the day-to-day finances as well as providing support with any strategic initiatives from a financial perspective.

 

Prior to joining Per Ardua in 2024, Matthew has enjoyed working primarily with SMEs, most recently in the senior executive coaching & mentoring space as well as software development and distribution. During his Audit training he worked largely with SMEs and enjoyed learning directly from business leaders on how they ran their respective businesses, his major areas of experience included: Financial services, Manufacturing & Distribution and Retail.

 

Matthew holds a BCom in Accountancy from Wits University in South Africa, where he also completed his audit training.

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Natalie Conway

Executive Assistant

Natalie Conway

Executive Assistant

Natalie is the Executive Assistant to Jamie Risso-Gill, Managing Director and Banking and Consumer Financial Services Practice Leader; Simon Hearn, Chairman; Jennifer Jones, Director of Pantheon Leadership, Per Ardua Associates’ Leadership Advisory business; and Executive Assistant to the Pantheon Leadership Team.

 

She joined Per Ardua in 2013, supporting across all assignments within these Practices and organises industry events on the company’s behalf. She began assisting Pantheon Leadership, which focuses on assessment and coaching at the Board and C Suite level at the beginning of 2018, when it was established.

 

In 2022, she was promoted to Team Leader of the Executive Assistants.

 

Natalie has an Art and Design Foundation Diploma from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design.

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Ruaraidh Maclean

Senior Associate

Ruaraidh Maclean

Senior Associate

Ruaraidh executes assignments within the Insurance, Consumer Financial Services and Asset Management practices. 

 

Prior to joining Per Ardua in 2022 Ruaraidh’s experience was gained with global headhunting firm Odgers Berndtson, working as a Researcher in the Oil & Gas and Maritime & Shipping practice.

 

Ruaraidh holds a BA in Business Management gained from Robert Gordon University. 

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Sriram Naresh

Research Analyst

Sriram Naresh

Research Analyst

Sriram provides research support on assignments within the Corporate Functions practice, working across Investment Management, Real Assets, Insurance and Banking. 

 

Sriram completed his BA in History from the University of Durham in 2023.

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Vicky McFarlane

Associate

Vicky McFarlane

Associate

Vicky is an Associate at Per Ardua Associates sitting within the Asset and Wealth Management practice.

 

She provides research support across functions, having previous experience within Investments, Risk, Strategy and Operations. She has experience across different geographies, having completed searches within Europe, the US, and the Middle East.

 

Vicky joined the firm in 2025 and holds a BA in Modern Languages from Durham University.

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