Leathwaite Adds Director to Lead Strategic Communications Practice

March 5, 2021 – London-based executive search firm Leathwaite has expanded with the addition of Sarah Crawshaw as a director to lead the company’s executive search practice for strategic communications, government affairs and investor relations. She will also support clients with chief marketing officer and digital marketing leadership appointments across the Asia region. “We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to Leathwaite to further expand our functional expertise into the strategic communications, investor relations and government affairs arena,” said James Lawrence-Brown, partner Asia-Pacific. “Sarah brings an unrivalled track record of delivery within executive search for this function as well as an outstanding professional reputation and network as an active board member of the Institute for Public Relations.”

Ms. Crawshaw joins the firm from Taylor Bennett Heyman, where she served as managing director, Asia-Pacific, having opened the Hong Kong office in 2014. She is a trusted advisor to a range of business leaders across financial services, professional services and corporate communities including healthcare, FMCG, automotive and technology across the Asia-Pacific region. She also has extensive experience consulting to businesses on organizational design and competency framework development.

“Leathwaite has been a company I have admired for several years and to now join them to assist in their continued expansion, not just within the Asia-Pacific region, but globally, is an incredible opportunity,” said Ms. Crawshaw. “For me, culture was a key consideration for choosing my next role and company, and Leathwaite’s culture is unrivalled; it immediately welcomes you, engages you and encourages collaboration with your colleagues. I can already see why the company has been making such strides in recent years and it’s a pleasure to now have the opportunity to contribute to this growth.”

Further Growth

The addition of Ms. Crawshaw follows the recent hiring of Shannon Silsby, who joined the firm’s New York office in January to launch the company’s global marketing practice. “We are on course for further growth throughout 2021 working with a wide spectrum of organizations to identify specialist functional leadership globally,” said Mr. Lawrence-Brown. “Sarah will form a strong partnership with Shannon Silsby, who has also recently joined to launch our global marketing practice, and together will add substantial value to our clients through their combined global candidate networks.”

“Sarah will also partner with colleagues in our commercial and digital practice to deliver our existing work supporting a range of clients with their chief marketing & digital marketing leadership requirements,” he added.

Leathwaite is an executive search and human capital specialist firm, delivering an interconnected range of executive search, executive interim and data and insight services. Established in 1999, the firm has developed key international client partnerships across a range of industry sectors. Leathwaite has a network of international offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Hong Kong and Zurich.

A Perfect Match

Last fall, Leathwaite added Kevin Parker, from Heidrick & Struggles, as partner in its New York and Dallas offices. He leads the firm’s commercial and digital practice with the charge of strengthening its technology and operations expertise.

“Mr. Parker has an impeccable track record as a leader in executive search and leadership consulting,” said Paul Groce, partner and head of Americas for Leathwaite. “With this experience in mind, he is a perfect match for the expanding Leathwaite business model and brings a wealth of knowledge in front office operations and highly sought-after functional expertise where client needs are increasing. Kevin will enable us to scale our efforts and advise our clients more effectively as we continue to ramp up our capabilities.”

“Leathwaite is a unique and innovative firm, well known and respected in the industry for its commitment to excellence in delivery and unsurpassed knowledge of its functional practice areas” said Mr. Parker. “I’m excited to work alongside the team to build on the great work Leathwaite has accomplished to date and I believe we are uniquely positioned to add long-term value for clients as human capital solutions continue to evolve and gain momentum. I hope to leverage my experience at building high-performance teams to expand the Leathwaite brand into front-office functions across the country.”

The addition of Mr. Parker bolstered Leathwaite’s offerings and further expanded its footprint in the growing digital and technology-rich eco-system that exists in key markets. The firm said it has seen an increase in demand from clients in regional hubs, and Mr. Parker will work with organizations across all industries to build their digital and commercial leadership at the most senior levels. He will also partner with clients more broadly on global leadership strategies and opportunities.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media