Sheffield Haworth’s board and committees develop the firm’s strategy and are accountable for the performance of the business. We believe in an inclusive and client-focused enterprise, and our corporate governance structure reflects this
Sheffield Haworth’s Board of Directors is led by Timothy Sheffield, Chairman. The Board is responsible for setting corporate strategy, ensuring good corporate governance and overseeing the performance of the Executive Management Committee.
Chairman
Tim founded the business in 1993. Tim has advised Chief Executives, Boards, Executive Committees and Human Resources Directors on their senior human capital needs, working with a diverse range of organisations across all regions of the world. Tim is a member of the Sheffield Haworth Remco and Audit committees.
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO of Sheffield Haworth, Alex oversees global practices and the Alternative Investments business. With over 20 years at the firm, he specialises in senior executive search and leadership consulting across the investment industry and broader financial services. He is the Chair of the EMC and leads the Senior Leadership Committee. Prior to joining the business, he was a Consultant at ECI International.
Non-Executive Director
Gillian van Maaren, former Partner and Group Head of HR at Ruffer LLP, has global HR leadership experience at firms like CQS and Jupiter Asset Management. A CIPD member with degrees in Economics, Information Systems, and a Master’s in People Development, she excels in talent, culture, and navigating complex, regulated environments.
Deputy Chairman
Patrick, Chairman of Sheffield Haworth’s Wealth & Asset Management practice, has over 20 years’ experience in investment management. He specialises in establishing boutiques, executive placements, succession planning, team lift-outs, and acquisitions. His earlier career includes roles at Oppenheimer, Gartmore, and Hambros Investment Management.
Senior Board Advisor
Bill Michael is a senior advisor at Sheffield Haworth. Bill is the former UK Chair of KPMG. With over 20 years of experience in corporate and investment banking, he has advised major institutions like JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and Barclays. A qualified chartered accountant, Bill now focuses on advising boards on strategy, growth, and inclusivity.
Non-Executive Director
Michael Gower is a senior financial services executive with nearly 30 years of experience in investment management and global banking. He is the CEO of Adira Group and a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Haworth. Previously, he served as CFO at Ruffer and Vanguard for Europe & International.
The Executive Management Committee reports to the Board and is appointed to manage the company’s day-to-day activities across practices, service lines, and regions.
Sheffield Haworth’s Executive Committee is responsible for the Company’s management and has day-to-day oversight of the primary business units. The objective of the management committee is to protect the cultural values of the company and create long-term shareholder value. The business is organised by global consulting teams across all regions, with each region and practice operating within one global business.
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO of Sheffield Haworth, Alex oversees global practices and the Alternative Investments business. With 20 years at the firm, he specializes in senior executive search across financial services, including roles like CEO, CIO, CFO, and COO.He is the Chair of the EMC and responsible for the Global Financial Services and Real Asset coverage teams. Prior to joining the business, he was a Consultant at ECI International.
Chief Operating Officer
Human Resources Director
Debbie is responsible for Human Resources, Learning and Development. Previously Debbie worked in Singapore as Head of HR APAC for the Derivatives Consulting group Arq International, HSBC and for The Blomfield group, a specialist recruitment company.
Group Finance Director
As Group Finance Director, Foysol oversees global financial strategy, governance, and performance across the group. With over 10 years of industry experience across three different firms, he brings deep expertise in strategic planning, commercial finance, and international operations. Foysol plays a key role in supporting business growth, driving operational efficiency, and ensuring compliance within a complex, multi-entity structure. Known for his collaborative approach and sharp commercial insight, he works closely with senior leadership and the Group’s Board to deliver sustainable value and guide the firm through ever-evolving market dynamics.
Previously, Foysol worked in international corporations including News Corp and began his career at Crédit Agricole in London. Foysol is a Chartered Accountant.
Managing Director (General Counsel)
As Managing Director (General Counsel) , Imsal oversees all legal matters that arise in the global marketplace. He serves as a strategic legal advisor to the board of directors and business leaders across the organisation. Imsal is responsible for matters relating to corporate and risk governance, client arrangements, data privacy, merger and acquisitions, employment law, and local/international practices.
Previously, Imsal was Group Legal Director with significant experience in the consulting, recruitment, and managed service sectors in the UK and US. Prior to his in-house legal roles, he also spent time in private practice where he negotiated business agreements and was a Litigation Advocate. Imsal qualified as a Solicitor in 2010 and is a member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Sheffield Haworth’s Senior Advisory Board advises on strategic and corporate governance matters. Each member of the leadership team brings extensive experience in their area of specialism to offer advice that supports the organisation’s continued growth.
Chairman
Deputy Chairman
Managing Director
Managing Director
Managing Director
Managing Director
Managing Director
CASE NOTE 01 | STRATEGY CONSULTING AND AI ADVISORY
Client: Global strategy consulting firm, name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
Retained to help build the firm’s new AI advisory practice, a strategic growth priority. The mandate anchors the capability with senior product leadership.
The brief pairs applied AI and software product depth with a record of originating and selling complex senior advisory work. Appointees have to operate credibly with chief product, technology and data officers, and with private equity technology teams.
Built on a 12-month partnership with the firm, working as a retained search partner across the practice. We source senior product leaders who bridge applied AI, software product and advisory sales.
Four senior appointments completed and three further appointments in progress, alongside more than 500 management consulting hires delivered across the practice.
CASE NOTE 02 | CONSULTING AND DIVERSITY
Client: Global professional services firm (Big Four), name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
Over five years we ran a series of executive searches and pipelines to build lasting engagement with senior female talent across the firm’s UK and Middle East practices.
Success depended on the client giving additional time to engage female talent, flexibility on traditional career-path criteria, a supportive interview process with diverse interviewers and sponsors, and candidate access to senior leaders.
Of 23 Partner appointments made since 2018, 65 per cent were female.
CASE NOTE 03 | TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL, DIVERSITY
Client : Global technology and consulting firm, name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
An EMEA-wide engagement in 2023 and 2024 to appoint female SAP leaders in finance and supply chain transformation.
We mapped 143 female partner-level targets in SAP consulting across the region.
Two female Partner appointments: an SAP Centre of Expertise Partner for Denmark, and a pan-European SAP market Partner.
Region
CASE NOTE 04 | STRATEGY CONSULTING AND DIVERSITY
Client: Global management consulting firm (MBB), name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
The firm set out to improve diversity in its Middle East consulting team at Partner-1 and Partner-2 levels. Regional diverse talent was scarce, so we recommended a global pipeline of candidates open to relocation.
We searched Tier 1 and Tier 2 strategy firms and industry candidates with strategy backgrounds, built three pipelines by availability to relocate, and approached 13 per cent more female targets to balance the outcome.
Every individual hired from the pipeline was gender diverse.
CASE NOTE 05 | BUSINESS SERVICES, PRIVATE EQUITY BACKED
Client: Global data and information services firm (PE-backed), name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
Following private equity investment, this data and information services business appointed us as its executive talent partner for a year, supporting all senior hires through an accelerated transformation.
A dedicated, account-managed team ran multi-geography searches across the Americas and Europe, with a gender-balanced senior team set as a defined metric and clear expectations on both sides to keep pace.
33 appointments in 12 months, at a 52 per cent female and 48 per cent male balance, supporting the investor’s transformation of the business.
CASE NOTE 06 | STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS, PRIVATE EQUITY BACKED, CAPABILITY BUILD
Client: UK strategy and operations consultancy (PE-backed), name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
With private equity funding in place, the firm wanted rapid growth without lowering its talent bar. We were engaged on a three-year programme.
A dedicated, account-managed team delivered across multiple mandates: building Digital, Aerospace and Defence, and People and Change service lines, alongside a consistent senior pipeline.
Over 60 senior hires. Partner-level gender diversity rose from 4 per cent to 20 per cent, including female Partners and Directors in new sectors: Defence, Energy, Transport and Aerospace.
4% to 20%
Partner gender diversity
CASE NOTE 07 | STRATEGY AND DATA ANALYTICS, CAPABILITY BUILD
Client: Global professional services firm (Big Four), name redacted.
Status: Confidential.
The firm set out to accelerate its Strategy service line in ASEAN, a global growth priority, with the ambition to quadruple the practice over four years through multiple Partner hires and team lifts. A parallel programme grew its Data and Analytics practice in the region.
A dedicated, account-managed regional team gave the programme ongoing momentum. The task was to convince top talent, including MBB Partners, to consider the firm as a destination for strategy work, working closely with sponsoring Partners to land preferred candidates. For Data and Analytics, we appointed a regional lead Partner first, then country Partners across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
12 Partners appointed across Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, including a three-Partner team lift from an MBB firm, spanning restructuring and turnaround, consumer goods and retail, life sciences and healthcare, government and public sector, TMT, digital strategy and operations strategy. A follow-on engagement in MENA delivered four further Partner appointments across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.