Expertise

Change is the only constant for today’s business leaders. More than ever, chief executive officers need exceptional leadership skills, strategic agility and unclouded purpose to navigate the tremors that are shaking and shaping the world. What worked yesterday might falter tomorrow so chief executive officers must constantly adjust and face forward, all the while imprinting their vision across organisations and executive teams.

For this most important role, the long-term relationship we build with our clients is the bedrock. Often, active discussions about chief executive officers succession are ongoing, taking place over time and including assessing and coaching internal candidates. When the time comes, we look to the external market from a position of deep understanding, insight and trust. We can be rigorous and bold as we identify and benchmark against internal talent to ensure boards have confidence in the decision they ultimately make.

For more recent and new clients, we can support direct recruitment. We make the same investments: digging deep to understand needs; benchmarking internal talent; assessing and converting the best external candidates; and supporting clients with decision making, negotiations and onboarding.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Executive Officer  (CEO) I  Managing Director  I  General Manager  I  Regional CEO  I  Divisional CEO  I  Business Unit Director

Rooted in driving financial performance and strategic business partnering, chief financial officer and senior finance roles have evolved to embrace potent new levers driven by technology, data and analytics and an expanding range of non-financial leadership, strategic and operational areas. As a result, chief financial officers are critical to the strategy of businesses and the key business partner to the CEO.

Demand for high calibre finance talent is intense and rightly subject to exacting standards. Our reach means we work with clients across industry sectors and with listed, privately owned and private equity backed organisations, giving us access to a wide pool of talent. Our focus on identifying rising talent and tracking developing careers as they step up ensures we have sight of the finance leaders of the future and can anticipate board potential. As a result, we have a strong track record recruiting chief financial officers and placing chairs of audit.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Financial Officer  I  Group Finance Director I  Chief Actuary  I  Group Financial Controller I  Group Treasury Officer   I  Chief Compliance Officer   I  Chief Investment Officer   I  Corporate Finance Director   I  Finance focused NEDs   I  Chair of Audit

Like every other C-Suite function, the chief operating officer role has become more strategic and is evolving to meet the demands of shifting business models and external environments. People from vastly different backgrounds and skillsets develop into operational leaders, which can make the role difficult to define and hard to search. At Warren Partners we relish the challenge.

Our breadth of experience across multiple operations roles and sectors means we’re experts at assessing and benchmarking varied experience and capabilities. This is reinforced by creative research practices and a deep talent pool which is alert to rising stars and delivers reliable and outstanding operations talent.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Operating Officer  I  Group Operations Director  I  General Manager  I  Group Director of Supply Chain  I  Chief Supply Chain Officer  I  Chief Procurement Officer  I  Chief Transformation Officer  I  Director of Estates  I  Director of Property and Planning  I  Director of Production  I  Chief Manufacturing Director  I  Business Services Director  I  Production Planning Director  I  Customer Services Director  I  Director of Supply Chain and Logistics  I  Director of Procurement and/or Purchasing Director

We’re in the people business. You’re in the people business. Because people are a company’s most important asset and stakeholder and the key differentiator for many organisations. Protecting culture, driving change, cultivating inclusion, supporting flexible working, and understanding data and people analytics are key and contrasting current issues for people leaders. Recent challenges have intensified the pace of change, moving the role ever closer to the chief executive officers.

Working with human resources (HR) leaders in client organisations gives Warren Partners a privileged insight into these and other complex organisational challenges and reminds us daily of what good looks like. We work with our clients to identify forward-thinking HR leaders that align with business objectives and philosophy and can deliver progressive talent strategies.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief People Officer  I  Chief Human Resources Officer  I  Chief Human Capital Officer  I  Chief Talent Officer  I  Chief Learning and Development Officer  I  HR Director  I  Director of Workforce  I  Organisational Development Officer  I  Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion  I  Chief Transformation Officer  I  HR-focused NEDs  I  Chair of Remuneration Committee (RemCo)

Marketing and communication roles come in many different guises and are constantly re-shaped by digital innovation and disruption, changing customer expectations and commercial imperatives. Prized at both executive and board level, the best marketeers make a vital contribution in gauging the pace of change in the way consumers behave, interact with brands, and make their opinions known.

At Warren Partners, our approach for customer-focused clients is achieving the right mix of marketing and branding expertise, with technological fluency, data-led insight with emotional connection, cross-functional leadership ability and financial literacy.

Elsewhere, protecting reputations, communicating purpose and stakeholder engagement are equally important priorities. We respond to increasing demand for leaders across corporate affairs and communications, working with clients to clarify their communications challenges and secure astute talent with the capability to understand and respond with impact.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Marketing Officer  I  Marketing and Communications Director  I  Chief Brand Officer  I  Chief Communications Officer  I  Director of Public Affairs  I  Head of Government Relations  I  Chief Product Officer  I  Chief Commercial Officer  I  Chief Customer Officer  I  Chief Client Officer  I  Chief Digital Officer  I  Chief Sales Officer  I  Director of Data and Insight  I  Director of Sales and Marketing  I  Business Development Director  I  Marketing-focused NEDs

Technology is a critical differentiator, redefining how we work at every level and constantly carving out new futures. The role of the technology leaders, especially chief information officer and chief technology officer, has evolved in parallel, emerging from back-end IT executors to become key strategic executive roles. They are increasingly in demand on boards as technology-focused non-executive directors or advisers.

Today, the emphasis is often less about technical skills and more about what can be achieved with technology, with greater focus on delivering against strategic objectives and collaborating effectively to drive change and growth. We have the experience, capability and technical depth to advise and support clients to address technology talent concerns, such as organisational structure, building out functions and establishing a tech-ready board. We do this with a track record of helping companies attract, develop and retain sought-after talent that can deliver superior performance, with a determined focus on addressing the lack of gender diversity across technology leadership roles.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Information Officer  I  Chief Technology Officer  I  Chief Digital Officer  I  Chief Data Officer  I  Chief Information and Security Officer  I  Chief Innovation Officer  I  Director of Software and Engineering  I  Director of Networks and Infrastructure  I  Technology-focused non-executive directors and advisers

These overlapping functions are multifaceted and ever-changing, buffeted by financial, political, regulatory, technological and governance pressures and under constant scrutiny. Finding a balance between protecting organisations and progressing business objectives has become a critical strategic challenge across executive committees.

At Warren Partners we leverage our strength and depth across financial services and technology sectors, where risk and compliance functions have developed at a faster pace than other sectors, as well as drawing on experience of placing legal roles in other sectors. Our track record covers established senior executive roles and emerging and specialist functions across areas such as ethics, compliance, privacy and intellectual property, as well as delivering chairs of risk and risk experience at board level.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Risk Officer  I  Chief Compliance Officer  I  Chief Administrative Officer  I  Chief Legal Officer  I  Chief Privacy Officer  I  General Counsel  I  Company Secretary  I  Chief of Staff  I  Legal Director  I  Director of Compliance  I  Director of Integrity  I  Director of Ethics and Compliance  I  Legal Counsel I  Risk-focused NEDs  I  Chair of Risk

As our awareness of sustainability expands from environment to social impact and permeates every aspect of business practice, so does the demand of ensuring all business leaders can deliver on this critical lever. We’re seeing a war for talent across this emerging function, as we seek to place ESG leaders in key roles, ensure executive leaders are equipped to drive the necessary transformational change and help to develop boards as stewards of sustainability.

This is an area of keen interest for Warren Partners as it aligns strongly with our sense of purpose, our commitment to diversity and is reflected in our journey to becoming a certified B Corp. Focusing on the key leadership competencies associated with sustainable business – long-term thinking, innovation, collaboration, transparency, environmental management, and social inclusiveness – we are delivering ever-deeper sustainability bench strength in executive teams and senior leaders. Through Chapter Zero, we’re advancing this by partnering with clients to ensure their board members can build and bring understanding and ownership of climate issues to the boardroom.

Roles include but not limited to:

Chief Sustainability Officer  I  Director of Responsible Business  I  Group Sustainability Director  I  Group ESG Director  I  Group Head of Sustainability and ESG  I  Director of Corporate Responsibility  I  Head of Climate Change and Sustainability  I  Director Of Environment and Corporate Affairs  I  Head of Planet