Wealth & Finance International - March 2017

Wealth & Finance International 28 Competitive advantage through talent - Staying at the Cutting Edge roadly speaking - Stonehaven helps clients with senior level and strategically important appointments across a variety of sectors. On the buyside, Stonehaven are engaged consis- tently by mainstream asset managers, hedge funds, private banks and sovereign wealth funds. These may be senior sales or sales management roles, or related to building investment teams for business- es positioned for transformation or growth. Stonehaven has an established technology practice, which is extremely topical given the emphasis on staying at the cutting edge in each industry vertical. Each year, Stonehaven works on a variety of ‘C’ level and board mandates Monro explains, before offering his thoughts on successes Stonehaven has had recently and his own important role in the firm. “I’d love to name names, but that would be highly indiscrete! We have completed some challenging mandates on behalf of clients over recent years - these have been for some of the largest global asset managers and well capitalised start-ups, and many companies in between. “In investment related searches, we have recently helped build teams across both the liquid and illiquid credit markets, especially private credit, and been involved in other senior investment and sales leadership roles across other asset classes. What I’d direct you to is our completion rate - we have completed all searches we’ve been mandated on as a practice as long as I can remember - with the exception being when corporate activity or unforseen circumstances takes us out of the equation.” “Together with a colleague, I run our asset and wealth management prac- tice. We are in constant dialogue with client firms particularly around their talent strategy, often supporting them as they seek to launch new products, open new offices, upgrade or make new hires. Although other consulting businesses will no doubt be involved in some of these early stages - Stonehaven often provide competitor analysis and compensation information - all central to underpinning their employment proposition in competitive markets. “At the point at which a firm wishes to look externally, we start to be in- volved more formally and the ‘headhunting’ begins. This means that we are included in every stage of a mandate from the initial scoping of the role and defining the outcomes desired; the initial research and approach calls; to interviewing candidates, right through to the offer and resignation process.” In addition to his own role in the firm, Monro attributes the success of Stonehaven to the quality of their people, both individually and as a team. Although each mandate is led by the senior members of the firm, their team based approach helps each process run smoothly Monro explains. “For example, occasionally during searches for asset management or Stonehaven is an executive search firm, founded in 2008. Headquartered in London, they have offices in New York, and a presence in Hong Kong. Director Harry Monro tells us more about Stonehaven’s work, the challenges they face and his own role in their asset and wealth management practice. B 1703WF35