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The Team

 

We have built a balanced and outstanding team who, individually, are leading specialists in specific markets, and when brought together produce new insights, fusing data with powerful knowledge of psychology, strategy, and international business – the foundations of our knowledge. A culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing ensures we create the optimal outcomes.

 

Individual expertise, collective results, outstanding impact.

 

A collective of professional coaches and psychologists, experienced and qualified to handle what emerges in the human condition, organisational system or macro-environmental context, Pantheon Leadership is experienced at the most senior levels of business, specifically in the Financial Services industry. We have vast experience working with Boards and Senior Executives in an assortment of financial services industries, either as a trusted advisor, team facilitator, active board member, coach, psychologist and/or governance professional.

Jennifer Jones

Director & Head Pantheon Leadership

Gaëlle Pritchard

Client Director

Lucy Pearce

Client Delivery Manager

Carrie Coombs

Executive Coach & Board Advisor

Natalie Conway

Executive Assistant

Kim Birnie

Senior Associate Consultant

Jessica Raby

Associate Consultant

Helen Barker

Associate Consultant

Nick Kitchen

Associate Consultant

Gabi Harrison

Associate Consultant

Dr Paul Turner

Associate Consultant

Jeannette Lichner

Associate Consultant

Ali Reardon

Associate Consultant

Nana-Efua Lawson

Associate Consultant

Richard Buxton

Associate Consultant

Alex Terry

Associate Consultant

Liz Elmes

Associate Consultant

Michael Crystal

Associate Consultant

Caroline Rowland

Associate Consultant

Richard Spence

Associate Consultant

Katherine Maynard

Associate Consultant

Yves-Pascal Pelcener

Associate Consultant

Sarah de Corday Long

Associate Consultant

Sue Colton

Associate Consultant

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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Kim Birnie

Associate Consultant

Kim Birnie

Associate Consultant

Kim is supporting the development of Pantheon Leadership with coaching and advisory services to boards and executive teams. She brings over 30 years’ experience coaching on strategic change/transition, culture change, interpersonal and group dynamics.

 

Her style combines curiosity, challenge and commercial pragmatism with psychological expertise to support transition and change. When coaching individuals and teams, she aims to create a high-quality thinking environment, to explore patterns of behaviour and ways of working, enabling fresh perspectives and insights to emerge.

 

Kim began her career in consulting, before moving into HR and organisational development in investment banking, FMCG and Retail. She established her own consulting practice in 2004 working across a variety of business sectors and ownership models including FTSE 100, private equity, start-up/founder-led and family-owned.

 

Kim holds an MSc in Systemic Team Coaching from Middlesex University) and a BEd (Hons) in Education & Psychology from Birmingham University. She is a certified Gestalt and Psychodynamic coach, an accredited practitioner in Family and Organisational Constellations, Appreciative Inquiry and Time to Think Coaching, and is also certified in many well-recognised psychometric instruments, including Hogan.

 

In a pro bono capacity, she sits on the council of a national charity within the performing arts sector that supports professional dancers in the progression and development of their careers.

 

Kim is based in the UK and lives in the Chilterns area with her husband and two children (when she is not travelling to places on her bucket list or surfing in Cornwall).

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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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Jessica Raby

Associate Consultant

Jessica Raby

Associate Consultant

Jessica is an executive coach, facilitator and trainer. Over the last twenty years working at the executive and board levels, she has supported individuals enhance their leadership capabilities and their teams work more effectively together.

 

Jessica’s area of particular focus is supporting her clients build personal resilience to lead during times of change and uncertainty. She also helps her clients grow in confidence, improve their ability to operate through influence and hone their strategic thinking capabilities. She has a track record of working with multinational organisations across ownership structures in a range of sectors including asset management, banking, consumer finance, insurance, consumer goods, and media and entertainment. Her style is described engaging, thought provoking, challenging, fun, pragmatic and able to get to the central issue quickly.

 

Prior to becoming a coach, Jessica worked as a consultant in HR Services with Accenture focused on sales support for software and other outsourcing solutions. She began her career as an occupational physiotherapist, working with corporate clients in a diverse range of sectors.

 

Jessica holds a Masters in Ergonomics from University College London, which included a focus on organisational psychology, and a BSc in Physiotherapy from the University of East London. She is an accredited coach (ACC and IFC) and is also trained as a coach supervisor. She is licensed to use numerous psychometric instruments including Hogan, NEO PI-R, FIRO-B, MBTI, Belbin Team Roles and the Strength Development Inventory. She also regularly employs 360-degree feedback where appropriate.

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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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Helen Barker

Senior Consultant

Helen Barker

Senior Consultant

Helen is a Psychologist, Executive coach and Leadership consultant. She helps people, and organisations, to unlock the insights that matter, enabling deeper connection, creativity and confidence. Trusted for her experience and sensitivity, she is warm yet stretching, with a quick insight into individuals and systems, and what makes them tick. She is experienced across sectors and geographies and assesses and coaches leaders up to Board level.

 

Helen began her career at Merrill Lynch, with roles spanning HR Business Partner, Assessment & Development and Diversity & Inclusion. After her Masters degree she transitioned into Consulting, specializing in Leadership Assessment, Exec. Coaching and development and delivery of global Leadership Programmes. She spent 5 years with the boutique business psychology firm YSC, in London and Sydney, before moving to Singapore where she lived and worked for ten years, assessing and coaching leaders across the region. She is currently based in Lisbon and works with clients worldwide.

 

Helen is a Registered Psychologist in Australia and a Chartered Psychologist in the UK. She holds an MA in Psychology, an MA in Psychotherapy an MSc in Organisatonal Psychology, and Postgraduate qualifications in Coaching, Counselling, Nutritional Medicine and Neuroscience. She brought the first Neuroscience for Coaches programme to Asia and writes regularly on Neurobiology & Leadership, contributing to publications including ‘Coaching in Times of Crisis & Transformation’ (Kogan Page, 2019).  She is accredited in a wide variety of tools and approaches. 

 

In addition to her work with organisations, Helen also works in private practise, with a focus on meaning and purpose, life transitions, anxiety and wellbeing. Helen lives with her husband and four sons in a beachside area of Lisbon, and she loves a new adventure.

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Nick Kitchen

Associate Consultant

Nick Kitchen

Associate Consultant

Nick has more than twenty-five years’ experience as a senior executive/leadership coach, team coach, organisational consultant and facilitator, supporting and developing senior leaders/executives and their teams as they negotiate and support themselves, their staff and their organisations especially through these highly challenging, ‘BANI’ times (Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear, Incomprehensible).

His clients have included leaders and senior teams in SME’s and large Multinational organisations (and 3rd sector/education), across many sectors (significantly Banking and Finance) in the UK and internationally. 

His areas of expertise include developing ‘actionable’ strategy with a strong link to leadership behaviours, supporting the transition from expert manager to impactful and strategic leader, enhancing team leadership skills and team performance; face to face, remote, matrixed & cross-culturally and sustaining performance through healthy resilience (especially in these BANI times, see above).

In all his work, Nick strives to integrate and honour both the ‘here and now’ of the client’s experience, with the wider ‘system’ and organisational/cultural context. Described by clients as a good listener and thought provoking in response, curious, challenging but supportive, creative, fun and outcome oriented.

Nick is passionate about the need for and development of excellent, wiser leadership and to that end has been very involved in the development of leadership coaching standards, models and programmes over the past 2 decades.

He holds an Advanced Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching (Distinction) from the AoEC and has also been lead faculty on this highly regarded programme for over 12 years, as well as being lead faculty on the same organisations Systemic Team Coaching programmes. He is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), coach assessor and mentor.

Nick has been a lecturer and facilitator on leadership at various business colleges and universities including London Business School and Said Business College, Oxford University. He has developed and run Somatic Cognitive coaching and Embodied Leadership programmes for leaders and coaches/consultants around the world that are both validated and informed by the latest Neuroscience and bodymind effectiveness research These are cited frequently as the most impactful and transformative training the leaders have experienced (even by Texas oilmen!).

A certified NLP trainer he is also accredited in a variety of individual and team psychometrics including Team connect 360, Management research Group’s LEA360 and PDI, Lumina Spark Etc

Nick’s initial career was in Advertising and Marketing, his last role as New Business Director of the international advertising agency TBWA, working across the European network. When appropriate, he still draws on his experience from this period at clarifying any organisation’s unique ‘brand DNA’ and then aligning its delivery across all activities and leadership behaviours.

Subsequently he founded his own Business & Leadership development consultancy. During this period, he developed and pioneered many innovative coaching approaches at a time when coaching was newly emerging as a potent development activity. In 2004 he became co-owner of the international coaching practice The Coaching Partnership and added a further spectrum of largely international clients, both coaching, and supervising teams of coaches, at senior leadership/C-suite/Partner level, especially in Banking/finance, professional practises and tech firms.

Father of 2 adult daughters, Nick is a keen hill walker, cyclist, skier, canoeist, wild swimmer and enthusiastic member of his local choir. Nick lives, works, and plays at and from his homes in North London and Sweden.

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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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Gabi Harrison

Associate Consultant

Gabi Harrison

Associate Consultant

Gabi is an executive coach, who also brings deep experience in leadership assessment. Gabi helps leaders and their teams to understand their collective and individual strengths and operate at their maximum potential.

 

As a coach, she combines her natural empathy with strong business insight allowing her to work effectively across a broad range of commercial contexts.  Her clients are often business leaders who are going through a role transition, setting a new direction, or facing particularly difficult challenges and her approach is based on understanding both the organisational context as well as the personal growth objectives of her clients.  She builds deep relationships, and challenges and supports her clients enabling them to develop self-awareness, build resilience, unlock potential and perform better.

 

She brings experience in a wide variety of sectors, including financial services, consumer goods, life sciences, telecoms, engineering, manufacturing, professional services, retail, and education. She has worked internationally across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

 

She began her career in 2003 as a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting.  Most recently she was at MWM Consulting, a Board consulting and executive search boutique in London where she gained extensive experience in board-level appointments and leadership assessments across a broad range of functions and sectors.  She is London-based but works globally and has extensive international experience. 

 

She holds an MA (1st) from the University of Edinburgh, has graduated from The Meyler Campbell Mastered Business Coaching Programme (accredited by WABC, EMCC, AC) and is an EMCC Global accredited practitioner.  She is also certified to use the Hogan Psychometric tool.

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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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Dr Paul Turner

Associate Consultant

Dr Paul Turner

Associate Consultant

Paul is a certified coach with a focus on organisational change, resilience, culture change and developmental assessment. This includes the use of psychometrics and psychoanalysis. He works with corporate, academic and professional sports clients and has extensive experience working with a wide array of sectors including retail, manufacturing, legal, logistics, construction, transport, technology, financial services, housing, education and defence.

 

Paul marries an evidence-based approach with commercial pragmatism and has a clear focus on delivery and client satisfaction. His ongoing academic work allows him to remain current with leading research and techniques in his client work. He is passionate about exploring ways in which potential is identified and unleashed within individuals, teams and organisations.

 

Paul moved into leadership consulting after an earlier career in multi-channel customer operations and HR in the financial services sector, during which he was awarded USA‘s prestigious  Stevie Award for global HR Executive of the year, relating to his HR strategy work, He has also worked as a Visiting Professor in the areas of Business, HR, Leadership Resilience and Wellbeing at several UK universities, including international campuses in Europe and China.

 

He has a PhD in Leadership and Organisational Change from Birmingham City University, where his research focused on evidencing the connection between leadership behaviour employee engagement and organizational performance.

 

Paul enjoys family life, travel and a variety of sports, whether watching, coaching or playing, including golf, football, cricket and generally tries to stay fit.   

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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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Jeannette Lichner

Associate Consultant

Jeannette Lichner

Associate Consultant

Jeannette is a Non-Executive Director, Coach, and academic.  She has extensive experience working with Board and Executive level leaders around the world, bringing her extensive coaching and other experiences to bear. She is recognised for her commercial, practical approach, as well as her personal warmth and build trusting relationships.

 

She enjoys seeing people flourish, supporting them to increase their impact, improve their performance or redirect their careers. Her clients describe her as direct, honest and able to grasp their situation quickly and help them identify new ways to approach their issues.

 

Prior to her portfolio career she spent 30 plus years in the financial services industry as an executive and then as a consultant.  Her executive career included roles in Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and Bank of America across numerous functions including Finance, Corporate Finance, Human Resources, Operations, Regulatory Compliance and Technology. She then spent 10 years in consulting, latterly at FTI Consulting where she built the Governance, Risk and Regulation practice and led the EMEA wide Financial Services practice. Throughout her career Jeannette has been involved in start-up companies across numerous industries as an investor/advisor.

 

Jeannette was born and educated in the United States, and moved to the UK in 1984, where she has remained.

 

Jeannette earned her BS in Commerce and MS in Accounting from the University of Virginia. In 2017 she completed the Harvard University Corporate Governance course. She earned her executive coaching accreditation from the Academy of Executive Coaching and is accredited as a Senior Practitioner of the European Mentoring and Coaching Confederation.  In addition, she is a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership where she leads on the High Impact Leadership course.

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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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Ali Reardon

Associate Consultant

Ali Reardon

Associate Consultant

Ali is an Occupational Psychologist and accredited Master Executive Coach with 30 years of consultancy experience. For the past 20 years, she has coached senior and board-level executives, amassing over 3,500 hours of coaching across various sectors and in many countries. Her leadership experience and psychological expertise enable her to help clients achieve lasting change while addressing key business and leadership issues. Ali has an engaging style and uses warmth, humour and candour to connect with clients and enable insights.

 

Ali works deeply with clients to foster self-awareness and true transformation and is particularly experienced in enhancing confidence, impact, relationships, communication, presence, and authority. She has supported leaders in all situations including working on identified development areas, transitioning into a new role, preparing for promotion, first time CEO, returning to work following a career break (e.g. for parental leave, burnout, bereavement), managing overload, career acceleration for high potentials and many more. 

 

Ali aims to help clients have tools and strategies for use beyond coaching along with a deeper understanding of themselves and renewed ways of thinking and leading.

 

Ali began her career as a market research consultant, designing and delivering qualitative and quantitative surveys for the financial, technology, automotive, retail and media sectors.  She then retrained as a psychologist and executive coach, working for a talent management consultancy on change, assessment and leadership development programmes before becoming Head of Coaching.  She then established her own coaching consultancy.

 

Ali is a Chartered Psychologist with a degree in Social Psychology from Loughborough University, an MSc in Occupational Psychology and a Higher Education Certificate in Counselling and Counselling Skills from the University of London.  She is a Master Executive Coach with the Association for Coaching and is accredited in a number of personality psychometrics including Hogan Suite, MBTI, OPQ, Strengthscope, EIP (Emotional Intelligence). She also uses 360 tools.

 

Outside of work, Ali lives in Guildford with her partner, daughter and two high-maintenance rabbits and loves travel, comedy, animals and the outdoors.

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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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Nana-Efua Lawson

Associate Consultant

Nana-Efua Lawson

Associate Consultant

Nana is a Chartered Psychologist and coach, who specialises in the design and facilitation of leadership development programmes. This includes supporting clients with individual and team coaching, as well as talent assessment. She has an interest in leadership topics related to women and minorities, as well as the evolution of leadership. Clients say that she brings combines perceptiveness and insightful challenge with energy and a focus on results.

 

Nana has a wholistic approach, drawing on several disciplines, including positive psychology, psychosynthesis, systemic coaching and constellations, Gestalt psychology, neuropsychology, role-play, and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). She uses 360 feedback and a wide range of psychometric and diagnostic tools, as appropriate. She supports her clients cultivate better self-awareness, system awareness and authenticity.

 

Over her career, she has worked with large-scale global clients, in-house and as an external leadership consultant. She founded her own leadership advisory firm, Castlegate International, in 2011. Previously, she oversaw Standard Chartered’s learning and talent agenda across the Middle East.

 

Nana holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Occupational & Organisational Psychology from the University of Surrey. She is a Member and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Founding Member of the Special Group in Coaching Psychology. She is a Principal Member of the Association for Business Psychology. She was certified as an executive coach by the Neuro-Leadership Group and has a post-graduate certificate in Psychosynthesis Leadership Coaching. 

 

On a more personal note, she is Ghanaian by descent but made her home on the somewhat cooler shores of Britain as a teenager. She is married to James and had her first child in June 2022. Embracing life wholeheartedly, her interests are many and varied, but her thirst for travel and adventure is never quenched.

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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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Richard Buxton

Associate Consultant

Richard Buxton

Associate Consultant

With 25 years understanding of advising senior management and deep c-suite experience, Richard is passionate about using his expertise to challenge and support other leaders.

 

As a coach, Richard creates space for leaders to do their best thinking and be at their most resourceful. Understanding the pressures and complex stakeholder needs at the top of organisations, he is experienced in coaching established and aspiring c-suite leaders.

 

As an advisor, Richard supports Chief Executives and Boards with expertise in leadership, culture and people strategy, standing by their side as they navigate complex change.

 

Richard’s most recent leadership role was as Chief People and Sustainability Officer at Brewin Dolphin, a FTSE250 plc and leading wealth manager. He joined in 2015 as Group HR Director, partnering with the CEO to build a new leadership team and create a culture of high performance and engagement. In 2020 he took on responsibility for sustainability strategy, leading the Group’s environmental commitments.

 

Previously, Richard was Group Talent Director at Lloyds Banking Group and EMEA Head of HR at Bank of America. He has interests in the arts, museum and charity sectors, and has served on the executive leadership team of Southbank Centre.

 

Richard qualified as a coach via the renowned Meyler Campbell Mastered programme and is accredited by the EMCC. He has a degree in politics from the University of York, fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has completed the Business and Sustainability Programme at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership.

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Alex Terry

Associate Consultant

Alex Terry

Associate Consultant

Alex is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with extensive expertise in executive assessment and development. Highly relationship-focused, she has forged long-term partnerships with numerous leadership teams, addressing critical talent challenges across various organisational levels. Beyond her financial services experience, Alex has worked with diverse sectors and business types, including startups and not-for-profit organisations. She has particular expertise in helping businesses hire and develop the right talent to drive transformation.

 

Until recently, Alex was a Partner within the Assessment and Succession practice of a global organisational consulting firm, where she supported many FTSE 100 companies with their talent strategy and assessment needs. Driven by her passion for innovation and technology, she also served as the Director of IO Psychology – EMEA for a behavioural insights startup, leveraging data science and AI to enhance diversity. Before entering consulting, Alex began her career in media and advertising at McCann, specialising in employer branding and communications.

 

Alex earned her BSc in Psychology from University College London and her MSc in Occupational Psychology from City University, London. In addition to her Chartered status with the British Psychological Society (BPS), she is a panel member of the BPS Best Practice Standards in Assessment Working Group. Alex is accredited in numerous diagnostic tools, including MBTI, FiroB, Saville Swift and Wave, and the Hogan Leadership Suite.

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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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Liz Elmes

Associate Consultant

Liz Elmes

Associate Consultant

Liz specialises in executive assessment, coaching and team dynamics, getting to the heart of leaders’ behaviours and offering practical and business relevant advice. She blends curiosity and empathy with a focus on deep insight to help leaders support their people and grow their business.

 

She has worked with Boards, Executives, and new leaders to improve agility, manage change, implement priorities, drive growth, and lead in uncertainty. International consultancy and a previous career in military intelligence has helped Liz develop deep expertise in supporting individuals and teams to perform at their best, particularly when under pressure. Her executive assessment experience spans 15 years, working with blue-chip firms in Europe, the Middle East and Australia. She works with top teams to build the right team, drive the right culture and develop the collective ambition and cohesion that drives winning outcomes.

 

Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Liz had a first career in military intelligence. She moved into human capital consulting working for Hay Group in London and Sydney and then joined Korn Ferry Advisory as a global account leader and executive assessor. She founded her own leadership business working with top teams in financial, defence and technology sectors and central government.

 

She has an MA in Economics and Philosophy from Edinburgh University and is a graduate of Officer Training for the Royal Air Force. She is accredited in numerous diagnostic tools with additional specialization in executive assessment and team dynamics and is a mental fitness coach.

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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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Michael Crystal

Associate Consultant

Michael Crystal

Associate Consultant

Michael is a master coach, a facilitator and trainer with a deep background in psychology, organisational development and organisational change. Based on the East Coast of the US, he supports Pantheon’s work in the US and Bermuda. He brings experience working across numerous sectors including financial services (banks, insurance and reinsurance), advertising, energy, public relations and beverages. 

 

Over close to 30 years, he has worked extensively at the executive and board levels as well as with rising stars in small, medium and large-cap organisations globally. As a facilitator, he has also supported teams devise new strategic plans and organisational structures, resolve conflicts and build team cohesion.

 

Prior to setting up his own practice, Michael worked in leadership, delivery and relationship management roles with organisations including ITT Corporation, Bankers Trust Company, Development Dimensions International and Wilson Learning. Michael has authored several books, been an adjunct faculty member at two graduate schools, and provides pro-bono coaching support to WeSpeak andThe Honor Foundation, which supports US Special Forces transition from the military.

 

Michael has been certified a Master Corporate Executive Coach by the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches and holds additional certifications from The Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching programme, The Coaches Institute, the School of Coaching Mastery and The Gestalt International Study Center. He is certified to use numerous assessment tools, including Hogan.

He has an MBA from the University of Connecticut and a BA in Psychology from the University of Hartford. He has diplomas in industrial management and organisational behavior, and advanced certifications in organisational change and development.

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Caroline Rowland

Associate Consultant

Caroline Rowland

Associate Consultant

A business psychologist, Caroline specialises in executive assessment for selection and development and prides herself on providing the evidence clients need to make the right people decisions.  Her assessments often form part of management due diligence, as well as succession planning, individual development, and candidate selection.

 

Caroline began her career as a Consultant at KPMG. She founded her own consultancy, Laidlaw Associates, advising boards on potential hires as well as on the development of current incumbents. She brings a breadth of sector experience in both listed and private equity environments, having worked extensively in financial services, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, retail, and digital technology. She is also comfortable working in multinational settings, where she has spent significant time across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.

 

A Chartered Psychologist, she has an MA in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Occupational Psychology from London Guildhall University.

 

Outside of work, Caroline is mum to two (feral) boys and is passionate about travel. Recent trips with her kids include hiking in the Amazon jungle and a journey down the Mekong in a very small, wooden boat.

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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.

Richard Spence

Associate Consultant

Richard Spence

Associate Consultant

Richard is an executive coach with over a decade of board-level experience. He combines a creative approach with a focus on practical outcomes. He supports chief executives, boards, senior leaders and their teams to deepen trust, accountability and high-quality thinking. He aims to build working alliances founded on warmth and respect.

 

He brings extensive experience operating globally with both large-scale corporates and start-ups across a range of sectors, including financial services, marketing, engineering and entertainment. He has also worked with HM Government and at the highest levels of the judiciary and military. This diverse portfolio allows him to bring perspectives and lines of inquiry that prompt fresh thinking with clients.

 

He often runs large-scale leadership development programmes and has co-authored a bespoke instrument, the ‘Team Health Check’ to assess and improve eight critical aspects of team high-performance. Originally a BAFTA-winning film director, Richard also works with senior leaders on their presence and strategic aims. His clients include Barclays, Deloitte, Disney, eBay, HM Army, McKinsey, Mars, Standard Chartered, The Cabinet Office, Siemens, Tate & Lyle and WPP.

 

Previously a film director and screenwriter, Richard directed a Hollywood western and won 15 international film awards, including the Best Single Film BAFTA. He was formerly co-director of Central London Samaritans and has served as a Chair and Trustee of numerous fast-growing charities. This includes the first Chair for the charity ‘The Listening Place’.

 

He has an MA in Classics from Oxford University, Postgraduate Diplomas in Advanced Executive Coaching Gestalt Coaching and in Systemic Work. He is a qualified coach supervisor and is fluent in MBTI, Hogan and 360 approaches.

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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.

Katherine Maynard

Associate Consultant

Katherine Maynard

Associate Consultant

With 19+ years of experience, Katherine is a professional psychologist and organizational leader with a unique combination of consultancy delivery and strategic operational experience. She has designed and delivered assessments in the context of recruitment/selection, redundancy and development, including defining behavioral profiles and competencies, designing bespoke ‘day-in-the-life’ assessment/development exercises, personality profiling, interviews, training senior assessors and stakeholders and facilitating calibration discussions.

 

Katherine has previously held Functional Director level roles at global talent management consultancies, leading teams through acquisition and re-structure. She has held client-facing consultancy roles in some of the leading global talent organizations. Within these roles, she has partnered with both public and private sector multi-national clients across a range of industries, including energy, finance, media, FMCG and pharmaceutical. She has held prominent roles in global Centers of Excellence, leading the development of best-in-class leadership assessment solutions.

 

Katherine has an MSc in Organizational Behavior from Birkbeck University, as well as being a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD). She is a qualified TUOA/TUOP test user, practicing in tools including NEO-PI, OPQ, Wave Professional Styles, Hogan HPI/HDS/MVPI, PAPI3+, 16PF, Emotional Intelligence Profile EIP3 and Korn Ferry solutions including Leadership Architect, 360, Leadership Styles & Climate, Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI) and Leadership Potential. She is passionate about understanding the ever-changing role of leaders and has appeared on podcasts, discussing leadership behavior in the workplace. She has been part of a CIPD Recruitment Conference panel discussing the impact of Covid on recruitment, and she has led a global webinar discussing ‘Hiring in the Future World of Work’.

 

Katherine lives near Petersfield, Hampshire with her husband, two sons and lively puppy. She is a keen crafter, turning her hand to lots of different creative pursuits, with a particular love of calligraphy.

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Yves-Pascal Pelcener

Associate Consultant

Yves-Pascal Pelcener

Associate Consultant

Yves-Pascal is a global team and executive coach. Since 2011, he has partnered with clients across the globe (more than 45 different nationalities) and across many industries. Yves-Pascal’s clients are senior executives who want to improve their teams’ and organisations’ performances to achieve breakthrough results. He works with them to accelerate their transition into a new role or onboarding to a new company, effectively deal with their demanding positions, clarify their strategic challenges, and expand their leadership presence, skills, and impact.

 

Yves-Pascal supports his clients in increasing their self-awareness regarding their strengths, talents, potential derailers, personal motivations, drives, and values. He accompanies them by embracing all their dimensions and complexity and respecting their expertise, leadership, and wisdom. He coaches his clients from a systemic perspective considering their whole system and the network of relations they are part of.  His supportive, challenging, and thought-provoking style fosters the emergence of breakthroughs in complex situations and supports his clients to act with courage.

 

Yves-Pascal corporate experience in fund management, risk management and business development spans a distinguished decade in Crédit Mutuel CIC Paris, and later, eleven years, as the Managing Director (Co-Founder) of Pastel & Associés SA Paris, a well-respected for its robust methodology as well as its outstanding results, French asset management company. The same results-focused approach he brings to his coaching.

 

Yves-Pascal holds a Masters Degree in Financial Markets from Paris Dauphine University (D.E.S.S. 203) and a Graduate Degree in Economics and Management from Paris I Sorbonne University. He holds the Financial Analysis certification from the S.F.A.F. (French Society of Financial Analysts). Yves Pascal is a Professional Certified Coach with ICF, a Certified Organisational Coach with (IECL), and has been trained in Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching, ORSC with CRR Global. Yves-Pascal is a Member of The Hogan Coaching Network (HCN) and is certified in numerous psychometric assessments.

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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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Sarah de Corday Long

Associate Consultant

Sarah de Corday Long

Associate Consultant

Sarah specialises in leadership assessment and development, where she has spent the last 17 years working with talent at Director-level and above. She also brings experience designing, delivering and facilitating large-scale assessment projects as well as adjacent projects in areas such as succession planning, competency frameworks, performance management, board effectiveness.

 

She brings experience in a wide variety of sectors, including financial services, consumer goods, life sciences, telecoms, engineering, manufacturing, professional services, retail, and education. She has worked internationally across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

 

After an early career in advertising, Sarah moved into the leadership advisory sector and spent 12 years with Korn Ferry and Hedrick & Struggles. She established her own consultancy, The Talent Room, in 2015.

 

She holds a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the University of Brighton. She is BPS trained (Level A & B) and Lominger certified. She is qualified to use a range of instruments including MBTI, OPQ, MQ, Hogan, WAVE, Firo-B, Bioss LPA, CPP, Decisions Dynamics, Learning Agility, in addition to a variety of ability tests and 360 feedback tools.

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Sue Colton

Associate Consultant

Sue Colton

Associate Consultant

Sue provides services relating to all aspects of the psychological contract at work, with specific expertise in strategic HR management and occupational psychology. She frequently delivers behaviour assessments/ personality profiling for both selection and development purposes, primarily of C-Suite level candidates, across all sectors and industries.  She also devises methods, policies and processes to motivate employees, measuring behaviour and aligning individual goals to the strategic intent and development of the business. 

 

Sue worked for NatWest Group where she held a number of senior HR roles working on areas surrounding employee engagement and the psychological contract. Sue then worked for KPMG as a Management Consultant undertaking assignments for mainly blue-chip clients in the Financial Services sector.  She also designed and implemented an internal assessment centre process for KPMG Associates. She then set up her own company, supporting businesses to better engage, motivate and understand their employees. Typical projects have included undertaking psychometric assessments, designing employee engagement methodologies including staff opinion surveys, job family modelling, competency framework design, as well as performance management systems. 

 

She has an MA in HR Management, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD). An accredited Business Psychologist (CPBP) with the Association of Business Psychology (ABP), she is also a qualified behaviour assessor and psychometric tester registered with The British Psychological Society (BPS), at level A&B. She holds a Certificate of Competence in Occupational Testing, listed on the BPS’s Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU), and holds the EFPA accredited European Test User Certificate in Work & Organisational Assessment. She has access to all the most widely used instruments available, inc. Hogan, Wave, OPQ, NEO, Lumina, as well as many other ability and personality assessment tools. 

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Sue Colton

Associate Consultant

Sue Colton

Associate Consultant

Sue provides services relating to all aspects of the psychological contract at work, with specific expertise in strategic HR management and occupational psychology. She frequently delivers behaviour assessments/ personality profiling for both selection and development purposes, primarily of C-Suite level candidates, across all sectors and industries.  She also devises methods, policies and processes to motivate employees, measuring behaviour and aligning individual goals to the strategic intent and development of the business. 

 

Sue worked for NatWest Group where she held a number of senior HR roles working on areas surrounding employee engagement and the psychological contract. Sue then worked for KPMG as a Management Consultant undertaking assignments for mainly blue-chip clients in the Financial Services sector.  She also designed and implemented an internal assessment centre process for KPMG Associates. She then set up her own company, supporting businesses to better engage, motivate and understand their employees. Typical projects have included undertaking psychometric assessments, designing employee engagement methodologies including staff opinion surveys, job family modelling, competency framework design, as well as performance management systems. 

 

She has an MA in HR Management, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD). An accredited Business Psychologist (CPBP) with the Association of Business Psychology (ABP), she is also a qualified behaviour assessor and psychometric tester registered with The British Psychological Society (BPS), at level A&B. She holds a Certificate of Competence in Occupational Testing, listed on the BPS’s Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU), and holds the EFPA accredited European Test User Certificate in Work & Organisational Assessment. She has access to all the most widely used instruments available, inc. Hogan, Wave, OPQ, NEO, Lumina, as well as many other ability and personality assessment tools. 

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