New Town Partnership Opens Office In London
December 15, 2017 – Edinburgh, Scotland-based executive search firm New Town Partnership is increasing its footprint with the opening of a new office in London and the hiring of Lucy Partridge as senior associate. She will manage key corporate accounts and bring the recruiter’s headcount to seven.
The New Town Partnership, founded two years ago by managing partners Jane Gilchrist and Louise Gibson, opened its new locations in the Hammersmith area of London in response to their growing client base in the city. Ms. Partridge, formerly of Livingston James, Partridge, has considerable international experience having worked in Sydney, Boston and Paris, as well as in London. She previously served in various roles with boutique search firm Carlyle and the Institute of Executive Coaching & Leadership.
“We’re delighted to welcome someone of Lucy’s standing to the business,” said Ms. Gibson. “She brings a wealth of experience across various sectors including retail, consumer goods, manufacturing and professional services. Her appointment further demonstrates our commitment to excellence and will be a key support to our continued growth. Our presence in London is crucial to serving our growing client base as well as supporting high caliber Scottish talent seeking to relocate back home.”
Ms. Partridge said New Town Partnership has built an impressive client list of major businesses and an enviable reputation in the market. “It’s a really exciting time to be joining and I’m relishing the opportunity to focus on our delivery within key accounts,” she said. “The firm has a really unique outlook and culture that reflects my own values and ambitions for the future.”
New Town Partnership is a boutique executive search business that specializes in consumer-focused client organizations, appointing key leaders across the management spectrum. The firm has a client list that includes AG Barr, DC Thomson, Scotmid and Marine Harvest, plus well known SMEs such as Gordon & MacPhail, Barrie Knitwear, Baynes the Bakers, Adelphi Whisky and Macphie of Glenbervie.
London Market
London generates about 20 percent of the U.K.’s GDP, while the economy of the London metropolitan area — the largest in Europe — is responsible for about 30 percent of the U.K.’s GDP. London’s largest industry is finance, and its financial exports make it a significant contributor to the U.K.’s balance of payments.
Along with professional services headquarters, London is home to the Bank of England, London Stock Exchange and Lloyd’s of London insurance market. Over half of the U.K.’s top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies have their headquarters in central London. Over 70 percent of the FTSE 100 are within London’s metropolitan area, and 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies have offices in London. It’s why London dominates the global executive search business, and stands as the second largest recruitment market behind New York.
U.K. Growth
But then there’s Brexit. And as the fallout from that decision deepens, there has been a notable degree of expansion among executive search firms out of London. No matter – search firms continue to grow and expand in this great city just the same. Here’s a look at some recent activity among search firms in London from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
ZRG Partners recently opened an office in London with the addition of Steve Banks as managing director and U.K. country head, bringing a strong background to support the firm’s plans for the region. By the end of the year, ZRG expects to have a team of five managing directors in key market verticals in London to further support its expansion plans.
London-based Dunleavy White strengthened its staff with the additions of Sarah Hanan and Danita Waterfall-Brizzi as partners. Ms. Hanan spearheads growth within the firm’s travel and aviation sectors. She has over 20 years of experience within the travel industry. Ms. Waterfall-Brizzi was hired to develop the global growth of the firm with a focus on central Europe.
U.K.-headquartered recruiter Norman Broadbent recently announced a series of appointments across its executive search, senior interim management, solutions and research & insight teams. Neil Pilkington joined the firm’s TMT & digital practice to specialize in the CTO / CIO market. Jonathan Stringer joined Norman Broadbent interim management as a director.
Retail focused executive search firm Kirk Palmer Associates added Caroline Pill as vice president in London. Ms. Pill is responsible for building the firm’s global business practice with clients in Europe, Asia and the U.S. Most recently, she served as vice president of executive recruitment at Karen Harvey Consulting.
Earlier this year, EMA Partners International opened a new office in London with the addition of managing partners Alison Ryan. Ms. Ryan has assisted organizations across market sectors identify executive talent for a range of functions, including finance, sales, operations, and marketing.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
