Ducatus Partners Names Managing Partners for EMEA and the Americas
November 11, 2021 – Executive search firm Ducatus Partners has strengthened its management team by naming Michael Diamond and Allister Graham as managing partners for EMEA and Americas, respectively. The additions are expected to be instrumental in driving global growth for the London-based firm across a diverse energy portfolio.
Ducatus Partners, which is part of workforce solutions provider Airswift, has achieved record year-on-year growth, largely driven by a mix of search mandates buoyed by the accelerating energy transition in areas such as carbon capture and storage and clean hydrogen, said the firm. In addition, oil and gas appointments continue to thrive with demand from independent operators and private equity firms.
Mr. Diamond will lead the EMEA region from Aberdeen, Scotland, overseeing offices in the U.K. and Middle East. He has been with Ducatus Partners since 2016 and has accumulated over 14 years of experience in recruitment and executive search, predominately in the oil and gas and energy sectors. Based in Houston, Mr. Graham will lead the Americas with ambitions for national expansion across the U.S. He has worked in energy executive search for over 10 years and brings a wealth of knowledge in leadership advisory and executive search, having worked across the North American, U.K. and Norwegian energy markets.
Strategic Anchors
“I am thrilled to announce Michael and Allister as managing partners,” said James Allen, chief operations officer at Airswift. “They will both serve as a strategic anchor for our business in EMEA and Americas and have been instrumental in growing Ducatus Partners during a time of uncertainty. Their meticulous approach to execution and understanding of our clients’ organizations – as well as the new energy mix – is crucial to our continued success.”
Mr. Diamond said that with annual global energy investment set to rise to $1.9 trillion, this is a pivotal time for our growth. “Despite COVID-19, we have employed a clear strategy that helps our existing clients navigate the energy transition and associated talent pool for executive hiring while leveraging our deep industry experience,” he said.
“Ducatus Partners is going through an exciting phase of growth and continues to see an uptick in global demand across our energy portfolio, both in oil and gas as well as clean energy,’ said Mr. Graham. “It is a privilege to lead a foremost provider of executive search and leadership consulting to the energy, process and infrastructure sectors.”
Serving Global Energy and Infrastructure Sectors
Ducatus Partners was launched in 2016 by workforce solutions provider Airswift. The firm delivers executive search, market mapping, leadership consulting and advisory services, operating from its offices in London; Houston, TX; Aberdeen and Dubai. Ducatus Partners has experience across the entire value chain of the energy, private equity and industrial sectors, partnering with the world’s largest integrated energy companies to technology start-ups and the advisors and financiers that support them.
In May, Ducatus Partners opened a new office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and appointed Abid Mirranay as partner. “Ducatus Partners is expanding its global footprint with a physical presence in the Middle East to strengthen the firm’s capability in region and build on its well-established track record of over 500 successful mandates with energy, infrastructure and private equity clients across Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait,’ said the firm. “Establishing this base also comes in response to rapidly growing demand from clients across the Gulf region for support in delivering their energy transition objectives from a human capital perspective.”
“I am thrilled to establish our Dubai office, which will serve as a strategic anchor for our business in the Middle East, and to welcome Abid to the team,” said Ducatus Partners’ managing director Kevin Davidson. “He brings considerable experience which will further enhance our capability across the region. Collaborating with our established teams in Houston, London and Aberdeen, the Dubai office will enable us to deepen our regional knowledge and broaden our reach to the material benefit of our global client base.”
Mr. Mirranay will lead business development efforts in the region, as well as supporting Ducatus Partners’ existing base of clients in the Gulf. He has worked in Dubai for eight years and joins Ducatus Partners from Page Executive where he most recently held the role of Principal and focused on supporting Middle Eastern clients on key leadership appointments. Prior to this, he was based in Victoria as Senior Manager for the group’s Australian business.
“Ducatus Partners has built a strong reputation in the Middle East and I am excited to be joining the business at a time of rapid development for the region, in particular Saudi Arabia and vision 2030,” said Mr. Mirranay. “I look forward to providing on-the-ground capability to both current and future clients and expanding our track record across government, infrastructure and energy markets in the Gulf Region.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
