Wilton & Bain Appoints Managing Partners
November 11, 2024 – Wilton & Bain has named Erin Callaghan and Tim Baker as managing partners in its European search business. “I am absolutely delighted to confirm the promotions of Tim Baker and Erin Callaghan to managing partner in our European search business,” said David Heron, CEO. “In addition to their roles leading our people & culture and go-to-market practices respectively, this promotion is recognition of the wider leadership role they have both played in growing the firm and building our business.”
“Tim and Erin are everything we look for in partners and owners of our firm,” Mr. Heron said. “High integrity, team players, with a laser focus on high quality delivery. Their client and colleague feedback speaks for itself, and I am thrilled at their appointment to the senior management team of Wilton & Bain. In addition, Gene Allmark-Kent will be taking on a broader role, adding technology officers to his portfolio across risk & data. Gene continues to push the business to grow, and his focus in key areas such as cyber, data and analytics, and in leading our internal innovation agenda make him the ideal candidate for this critical role within our business.”
Ms. Callaghan, who joined the firm in 2017, is experienced in the digital, telecoms, and technology sectors, where she advises clients on commercial and go-to-market talent. As co-chair of SWITCH, Wilton & Bain’s executive women’s networking group, she champions diversity in senior leadership. Before joining the firm, Ms. Callaghan led Korn Ferry’s EMEA advanced technology practice, specializing in telecommunications. She managed key telecoms accounts in EMEA and contributed to global assessment initiatives for technology clients.
Mr. Baker, with experience in the people and culture space, has spent over 17 years advising organizations on building top HR teams, helping them appoint chief people officers and then building out their teams. This includes heads of reward, talent, HRIS/people data & analytics, shared services and talent acquisition / recruitment. It also includes divisional or regional people directors. Clients include constituents of the FTSE100/250 and FORTUNE500 as well as VC or private-equity backed pre and post-IPO organizations
Founded in 2001 by Jeremy Mobbs and Ben Latreuille, Wilton & Bain provides executive search, interim management/consulting, and technology resourcing services to the technology, professional services, and converging digital markets. With offices in London, New York, Austin, Toronto, and Ireland, the firm has an expertise in technology to focus on digital transformation for clients across TMT, retail, consumer, financial services, insurance, and utilities.
Recent Growth
In September, Wilton & Bain appointed Sami Zouehid to lead the firm’s Middle East and North Africa office. “I am absolutely delighted that Sami has chosen to join us,” said Mr. Heron. “His values, drive, and sense of ambition directly mirror our own. He stood out head and shoulders aside other candidates we met in our process. Sami is a family man, a team player, and someone who cares deeply about his clients and colleagues.”
“Having first visited Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2001, and actively travelled across Middle East and Africa for much of my career, it is a geography that I have a personal affinity to,” Mr. Heron said. “I am encouraged by the reception clients have given to our arrival, but realistic to the differences of working in a new culture, serving both the local and international market. We will take our time to grow, and build on our success, as we establish our track record in the region. Critically also, this office is part of Wilton & Bain’s global expansion into the Middle East and Asia PAC regions. We are excited by what is to come.”
Wilton & Bain Secures Investment from Beechbrook Capital
Wilton & Bain has secured investment from Beechbrook Capital to fund a second management buyout, bringing 12 new partners into the shareholding structure to support the future growth of the firm. There will also be a pool of unallocated equity for future individuals. “Five years after Wilton & Bain’s initial MBO the firm has tripled in size and now takes another important step towards becoming a widely held partnership, with the support of our financial partners Beechbrook,” said Piers Marmion, chairman of Wilton & Bain. “This transaction endorses the resilience Wilton & Bain has shown and its rare growth prospects, recognizing the capability of its enlightened management and the strength of its compelling ownership culture, as it welcomes another 12 new partners as shareholders. As Wilton & Bain matures, unusually it is becoming more dynamic, driven by the collective force of Partners who are now owners. Its prospects are exceptional.”
In April, Wilton & Bain opened an office in Dubai. “I have personally worked with clients across the region for over 20 years, Mr. Heron said. “So, I’m absolutely thrilled that Wilton & Bain will be putting boots on the ground with such an exceptional team.”
“This step represents a major achievement in our journey as a leading global executive search firm,” Wilton & Bain said. “By setting up an office in the heart of the Middle East and North Africa region, we are confirming our commitment to meeting our clients’ needs wherever they are. Furthermore, our decision to open in the Dubai World Trade Centre was deliberate. It’s a bustling hub for commerce, innovation, and collaboration. This makes it the perfect environment for us to connect with our clients in the MENA region.”
Related: Wilton & Bain Appoints U.S. Advisor
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
