Sarah graduated from Oxford University in 1992 and worked in professional recruitment for ten years before moving into Emerging Markets Search in 2003 initially covering Financial Services in Russia and CIS.  Having travelled extensively throughout East, West and Southern Africa, Sarah took the opportunity in 2008 to focus purely on the African markets.  She co-founded Executives in Africa with Richard Putley in 2010 and has since worked on nearly 100 Search mandates across a range of C-level, Senior Management and Technical roles.  Sector agnostic, she has worked with clients across FMCG, Pharmaceutical, Media, Financial Services, Business Services, Charities, Manufacturing, Property, Energy and Oil & Gas Services in countries right across Africa.

Sarah travels regularly to visit clients on the continent and is passionate about delivering the very best talent, both African and expatriate where required, to contribute to the successful growth of businesses in Africa.  As part of this, Sarah is one of the three founding members of the ‘Professionals for Africa’ network in the UK which now boasts over 1500 members and which organizes UK-based networking events for Africans based in the UK as well as individuals with an interest in doing business in Africa.

Kiera graduated from University of Sussex and spent five years working in recruitment before moving into senior executive appointments in early 2007.  Kiera began her career with Executives in Africa in 2010, heading up the In-House Research Team.

Kiera is now responsible for Business Services, HR and Quality Assurance.  With experience spanning the UK, European and African markets, Kiera’s experience working as a Search Consultant gives her an in-depth understanding of the industry, thus providing relevant support and Quality Assurance which is critical to the success of every mandate.

Simon has over twenty years’ experience of recruitment successfully filling positions with European & African operations of global blue chip companies, often managing large teams to provide recruitment solutions to multiple hiring challenges.

Having been with Executives in Africa since the first year of operations, he has managed diverse Searches across Africa including roles in Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Technical, & Human Resources mainly within the FMCG, Oil & Gas and Business Services sectors.  The majority of these positions have been “decision making” predominately at Operational Board level where individuals have been recruited to effect the strategic goals of the business.

Gary studied law at the University of Zimbabwe, then spent the first 2 years of his working career working for the Zimbabwe Ministry of Justice where he rose to the position of Registrar of the Supreme Court.  After this, Gary was appointed as Head of Contracts at Old Mutual Zimbabwe where he successfully migrated the entire Zimbabwe contracts creation and maintenance portfolio from South Africa to Zimbabwe.

Gary was headhunted to join ICL Limited in Zimbabwe and within two years was headhunted by NCR Corporation.  He went on, through rapid promotions, to hold a Marketing Management post at NCR’s Middle East/Africa Headquarters in Cyprus and then on to be the Managing Director and Chairman of NCR East Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

After returning to Zimbabwe in 1998, Gary and his wife, Barbara, set up their own recruitment company, which they jointly ran successfully for 17 years recruiting a range of positions based in multiple African countries as well as the Middle East.  Gary recently immigrated to the UK to join the Executives in Africa team bringing with him a wealth of Pan-African experience.

Steve has over 20 years’ experience in Recruitment having been responsible for the Global Centre of Excellence for Talent Acquisition across Africa, Asia and Europe within FMCG.  He has developed and introduced recruitment processes, profiling tools and recruitment skills training, aligning the recruitment strategy and processes to change programmes, resulting in controlling costs and improving retention.

Most recently working for PZ Cussons Plc, Steve’s focus for the last 10 years has been specifically on sourcing local talent for operating units, especially in Africa, always aiming to grow senior talent pipelines for the businesses, not just delivering on single critical hires.  He also brings over 15 years’ experience in coaching HRBP’s & Line Managers globally to deliver a strong end-to-end candidate experience and improve Employer Brand and EVP.  Now working as an Executive Search Consultant for Executives in Africa, Steve continues to work within his sectors of strength, being FMCG, Agribusiness and Industrial Manufacturing.

Ryan holds a Higher National Diploma in Business and Finance and after a short stint working as an accountant, began his twenty-five-year career in recruitment, working firstly in professional Finance recruitment for six years before establishing a Search and Selection business for the UK market.

For the past fifteen years, Ryan’s area of expertise has been within Financial Services internationally, with a particular specialist focus on all areas of Risk and Compliance within this.  He adopted a research methodology to map, track and attract candidates in niche areas across risk within Capital Markets, Retail & Corporate Banking, Wealth and Asset Management.  Ryan’s keen interest in the development of financial inclusion for individuals and microenterprises on the continent of Africa led him to join Executives in Africa, where his specialism remains in Financial Services along with Banking, Wealth Management and Fintech.

Recent examples of completed mandates include: Credit Risk Quant Manager and Digital Transformation Director for a Financial Services organization; Risk Management Consultant for a Management Consultancy; Structural Reform Manager within a Financial Services organisation; Senior Compliance Manager for a Boutique Bank; Legal Analyst for a Fintech and Compliance Manager for an Asset Management organisation.

Andrea joined Executives in Africa after re-patriating to the UK from South Africa in June 2018 bringing valuable local knowledge of Southern and South African culture and a passion for empowering and uplifting the local African talent.  She has over 25 years’ Sales and Management experience including 10 years in Freight Forwarding and Clearing and 15 years in Recruitment and Executive Search having owned her own recruitment firm in South Africa.

Andrea focused mainly on the Financial Services sector and was awarded a substantial contract with a blue-chip insurance company in Johannesburg as a result of her thorough approach and commitment to delivering results.  She was responsible for all levels of Recruitment throughout their entire Policy Services Division from Call Centre through to Director Level hires.  Since joining Executives in Africa, Andrea has been involved in a number of Director and MD Level Searches within Financial Services and Real Estate.

Reece spent the first 4 years of his career working in the retail and customer services sectors before joining EiA in 2015, initially as an Intern before being made a full Research Associate in March 2016.   His natural talent in interviewing and identifying the best candidates for a role has led to his rapid development to become a Consultant within our Delivery Team.

Reece has successfully delivered Searches across a wide range of locations and sectors in Africa including CEO roles in South Africa and Sudan within the telecoms sector, Regional Sales Director covering Francophone West Africa for a satellite giant and Chief Digitalisation Officer, Regional Head of Credit Risk, Head of Legal and Company Secretarial, Head of Consumer Banking and other specialist roles based in West Africa for a Financial Services Organisation.

Matt spent the first 4 years of his career working for companies such as McLaren and the National Rifle Association and is a determined and meticulous individual who can adapt to working effectively within a team or individually.  He went on to study History at Swansea University, graduating with First Class Honours in 2018 before joining Executives in Africa as a Research Associate.

Having completed his Gold Duke of Edinburgh in Nepal working alongside charitable organisations and travelling through South Asia, Matt brings valuable experience in working with diverse cultures and an international outlook.  He has delivered high quality research for multinational FMCG and Financial Services companies as well as for leading Property and Real Estate investors.

Nicki graduated from University of Central Lancashire University in 1996 with an HND in Business Management and Marketing.  Her career within Recruitment began in 1999 in the Commercial Industry before specialising for 15 years in Finance and Accounting, Financial Services and General Insurance. Most recently she has focused on the niche mobile space within the Tech industry, headhunting candidates worldwide on behalf of her clients.

 Mandates that Nicki has previously completed include the Tech Team Lead at Hubspot, a Marketing Sales and CRM company; Senior Software Developer with Artificial Intelligence with Babylon, a Healthcare organisation part of Babyl Rwanda and; placing the entire team of Android Developers at The Floow, an Insurance Connected Car Company.  Since joining Executives in Africa, Nicki has completed Searches for a CDO for a Pan African Bank, a COO for a Microfinance business in Nigeria, a CFO for a Charity based in Ethiopia, an Executive Director for a Pension Management organisation in Nigeria, an MD for an Asset Management business in Nigeria and a CFO for a Membership Association based in Nigeria.

Heba was born in Morocco and moved with her family to Paris at the start of her secondary education.  She went on to achieve a Master’s Degree in International Trade and Arabic at the Sorbonne and Dauphine Universities in Paris. Being trilingual, (Arabic, French and English) has enabled Heba  to live and work in several countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe before settling in the UK in 2010.

Heba’s broad-based work and life experience, together with qualifications in psychotherapy, enhances her natural ability to understand and communicate with people at all levels.  A natural team player, Heba’s deep personal interest in Africa, resourcefulness and emotional intelligence together with her keen sense of fairness and objectivity makes her a highly focused and valuable addition to the EiA Team with a specific focus on Francophone Africa.

Barbara was born in Zambia and educated at St. John’s Diocesan School for Girls in South Africa. After matriculating she went on to study an ITEC Diploma and then set up her own beauty therapy business in Harare, Zimbabwe mainly catering for the diplomatic community in Zimbabwe. With her husband, Gary, taking up various expatriate positions, she lived in Cyprus and Kenya for the next 5 years, during which time Barbara travelled extensively throughout Africa, Europe and the USA.

On returning to Zimbabwe in 1999 Barbara helped Gary set up their own Pan-African recruitment company, one of the top 5 Zimbabwe recruitment companies. Barbara migrated all the Recruitment systems onto a world-leading, state-of-the-art multimedia cloud-based recruitment system. She has enjoyed a 17 year career recruiting into multiple African countries as well as the Middle East market.

Barbara and Gary recently immigrated to the UK to join the Executives in Africa team.

Blen Girmachew has a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Addis Ababa University and Bachelor of Degree in Marketing Management from Admas University in Ethiopia. She was involved in a charity group and was also one of the Members of a Public Relation Committee of Ethiopian Civil Engineering Students Association (ECESA) Club at the University.

Blen spent her early career working for a Private Garment Shop as a sales person and Private Tour Guide in Addis Ababa. She is also a part time College Instructor. As part of the Executives in Africa team in Ethiopia, Blen now works on Research Projects including database integrity.

Yafet has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Arbaminch University. He was involved in an International professional work experience opportunity representing Ethiopia as a Global Volunteer with AIESEC. He spent his early career working for a Trading Industry Construction & Services Company as a Sales Associate.

Yafet has interest in Sports and Travelling.

Carla graduated from the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania, USA) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education in 1997. After spending a short time in private banking with Brown Brothers Harriman on Wall Street, New York she moved to the UK where she taught French and Spanish for 9 years at secondary level.

Portuguese by birth, Carla joined Executives in Africa in 2012 to support Consultants specialising in Portuguese-speaking C-Level mandates, assessing Candidates’ language skills in order to deliver to Clients the very best available individuals who best match the target profile. Now a permanent member of the team as a Quality Assurance Manager, she is a critical member of our delivery team ensuring excellence on every Search.

Wilhelmina has a HND in Business and Finance from Portsmouth University. She has 8 years’ experience in the Financial Services, Investment Banking and Retail sectors before joining Executives in Africa as Quality Assurance Manager.

Previously, she worked as Personal Assistant for C level Managers within large and small organisations which has helped her to gain a clear understanding of company organisational structure, human resources and recruitment processes. She has strong administrative skills and attention to detail, which will help her ensure that the EiA team are able to continue to deliver the best quality standards to Candidates and Clients alike.

April obtained her ATll (CTA) in Taxation Accounting in 1989 and holds Level 3 Diplomas in Business Administration and Customer Service.  She has over 30 years’ work experience across Financial Services, Education, Retail and Leisure & Tourism industries before joining Executives in Africa as Office and Events Manager in 2018.

April’s over 20 years of experience in Management and Administration roles ensures that the Executives in Africa teams are well supported to provide exceptional service to our clients and candidates.  She has the ability to think quickly and solve problems whilst ensuring details are not missed and standards are consistently high.