TRANSEARCH International Adds New Member Firm in Singapore
September 29, 2026 – TRANSEARCH International has expanded in Singapore with the addition of The Executive Collective Asia as its newest member firm. Led by managing partner Angela Roche, the addition further strengths the organization’s executive search and leadership consulting capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region. “Singapore is strategically important to TRANSEARCH not only within Asia-Pacific, but to our global business,” said Celeste Whatley, CEO of TRANSEARCH International. “It is a key regional hub for many of the international organizations we work with and an important connection point between Asia and markets worldwide.”
“In Angela, we have found a partner who combines deep knowledge of the region with extensive international search experience and a genuinely collaborative approach,” Ms. Whatley said. “We are delighted to welcome her to TRANSEARCH and see significant opportunities to connect our clients and colleagues in Singapore and across Asia with the strength of our wider global network. The addition of the Singapore member firm strengthens TRANSEARCH International’s ability to support clients across Asia-Pacific and internationally, combining deep local and regional market knowledge with the organization’s broader international capabilities.”
Ms. Roche brings 25 years of executive search experience, specializing in the industrial, infrastructure and technology sectors across APAC. Throughout her career, she has partnered with multinational organizations and Asian businesses on senior leadership appointments supporting market entry and expansion, business transformation, succession planning and mergers and acquisitions.
Her executive search career began with global U.S.- and U.K.-based firms, where she supported multinational companies establishing regional headquarters and country operations across Asia. She subsequently established the industrial practice for an Australian recruitment firm entering Singapore and, for the past 15 years, has led industrial, infrastructure and technology executive search assignments across APAC for a Singapore-based boutique search firm.
Ms. Roche’s sector experience encompasses oil & gas, engineering & construction, power & water, industrial automation, equipment & solutions, digital technology, IoT, satellite and telecommunications. She has delivered multi-country mandates for C-suite, executive leadership and senior professional appointments, combining a deep understanding of clients’ businesses and industries with extensive knowledge of leadership and talent markets across Asia.
“Over the past 25 years, I have seen that successful executive search is about far more than making an appointment,” said Ms. Roche. “It is about understanding where a client is heading, the challenges they face and the leadership they need to succeed.”
“What attracted me to TRANSEARCH was the opportunity to retain the entrepreneurial spirit and independence that have shaped our firm, while becoming part of an international organization built around collaboration, shared experience and partnership,” Ms. Roche added. “I look forward to bringing our experience and market knowledge to TRANSEARCH, while learning from and working alongside colleagues across the organization.”
Related: TRANSEARCH International Expands in Germany
Singapore occupies a distinctive position at the intersection of Asia and the global economy, serving as a gateway for international organizations expanding into the region as well as Asian businesses looking outward to global markets, TRANSEARCH explained. As changing supply chains, geopolitics and new growth opportunities reshape business strategies across the region, the demand for leaders capable of navigating both global priorities and local market realities continues to grow.
TRANSEARCH is a global search firm with representation in all of the major economic capitals, with about 60 offices in over 40 countries. It was founded in 1982 and today completes more than 1,500 senior executive search assignments a year. Its global client base is in the financial services, technology, consumer and retail, life sciences, and industrial and resources sectors.
Recent Additions in Japan
TRANSEARCH International recently added Mizumasa Onizawa and Misato Yamaura to its Japan office in Tokyo, further strengthening the firm’s executive search and leadership advisory capabilities in the region.
Mr. Onizawa brings extensive experience across financial services and technology. After graduating from Tokyo Institute of Technology, he spent nearly 24 years with IBM Japan, serving insurance and banking clients as an account executive in the financial services division. He later broadened his expertise through roles with a fintech start-up, Amazon Web Services Japan, and a leading systems integrator. His background spans core banking systems, mission-critical enterprise solutions, cloud adoption, digital transformation, and AI Transformation.
Ms. Yamaura brings a distinctive combination of expertise across financial services, technology, and data science. Her career includes roles at Mizuho Trust & Banking, Merrill Lynch in Tokyo and New York, Coconala, and a leading systems integrator. She also brings academic depth in economics, financial economics, and information and communication engineering.
Related: TRANSEARCH Expands Leadership Team
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
