A founding director of JacksonStone & Partners, David specialises in the executive search and placement of chief executives, general managers, and directors completing assignments across all market sectors. This includes working directly with the New Zealand Parliament and State Services Commission. He also serves as Asia–Pacific director for the CFR Global Executive Search alliance, of which JacksonStone & Partners is a member.

With over 20 years in the industry, David has completed assignments across all sectors and disciplines, working with both professional contractors and permanent candidates. Having a strong interest in the social and community sectors, he has also held various positions outside of the recruitment industry. These include an employment liaison and management role in the not-for-profit sector, as well as 13 years in the New Zealand Police.

David’s versatility stems from his ability to engage and collaborate with clients and candidates to as much as possible understand their needs and drivers. With a warm and accessible manner, he works alongside clients managing a high-touch, high-quality process that assists client to deliver on strategic goals by sourcing appropriate candidates for the position.

David is also currently on an advisory group for a local Wellington Charity and a sponsor of youth sports and a national youth theatre company.

Areas of specialisation: Directorships, chief executives, general management.
Years in the industry: 22

Brent works closely with public and private sector clients to appoint team managers and senior leaders to CEO level. He joined JacksonStone & Partners in 2017 following a 17-year career in the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector, working within large corporate organisations such as Microsoft as well as boutique local consultancies.

His track record gives him an excellent understanding of contemporary enterprise technology and the pace of change that organisations, both large and small, face today. He combines this with JacksonStone’s best-practice approach to researching and recruiting to propose the best possible pool of candidates to match the unique needs of the client. He meets with clients and candidates regularly, so he always has a strong selection of candidates with deep sector experience who are ready for short-term or long-term contracts as needs arise.

Brent’s in-depth industry experience makes him insightful, practical and solutions-focused. Always up to date with industry trends, he offers high value when matching ICT capability with organisational goals. He is driven to find the right people, sourcing senior-level candidates who are professional, trustworthy and experts in their given field.

Areas of specialisation: ICT, sales
Years in the industry: 2 years

As part of JacksonStone & Partner’s Policy and Legal team, Ella understands the complex environments her clients operate in. With a commerce and law degree, she has worked as a tax consultant for a big four accounting firm and as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. Her experience as a solicitor spans the private and public sectors, in practice areas including commercial, conveyancing, property, trusts, wills, tax and litigation.

Ella has a solid understanding of the skills and attributes a legal professional needs to succeed. She easily identifies with the nuances of a role and can see things from both the candidate’s and organisation’s perspective to ensure the right fit for all parties.

Helping shape and develop a candidate’s career is a particular area of interest for Ella and she is a passionate advocate of pay equality. Her recruitment approach balances straight talking with an empathetic ear and she enjoys cutting through complexity to ensure everyone is on the same page. Developing meaningful connections with people is something Ella prides herself on, as she helps build careers and advance an organisation’s purpose by identifying the best pool of candidates for a role.

Areas of specialisation: legal, policy and regulatory entities

Ginny has extensive experience in appointing management, executive and governance roles in New Zealand and the UK. With a professional background in the law, she moved into executive search and recruitment in 2001, where, for 11 years, she was a senior consultant and then manager of a specialist financial recruitment firm in London. She returned to New Zealand in 2011 to continue her executive search and recruitment career, for a range of clients – from large corporate organisations to small, privately owned enterprises.

Ginny’s core strength is market and candidate research. She is excellent at finding and identifying high-calibre candidates for our clients, using traditional avenues and a range of cutting-edge technology and tools that allow her to foster relationships with professionals worldwide.

Areas of specialisation: Chief executive, senior management, banking and finance, governance appointments
Years in the industry: 18

Helen’s diverse portfolio includes senior appointments for professional membership and regulatory bodies, policy recruitment within the public sector, and academic recruitment within the tertiary sector. She works closely with clients to find candidates who will help their organisations grow and achieve their strategic goals.

After completing her bachelor of arts degree, Helen worked in educational bookselling before moving into educational publishing, commissioning many New Zealand academic textbooks that are still in use today. This strong educational focus in her career has given her a sound understanding of the structure and function of tertiary institutions and their relationship with local, national and international communities.

Mindful of the importance of first-rate service and quality, Helen is known for her consistency, attention to detail, and focus on the human side of the process. As she puts it, careful listening and good communication are key, along with flexibility, empathy, and an excellent understanding of a client’s individual and organisational goals.

Areas of specialisation: Public sector, not-for-profit, creative industries, tertiary/ITP education
Years in the industry: 8

John works primarily with boards and senior management in both the private and public sectors. As part of the Finance and Accounting team, his primary expertise lies in finding high-calibre candidates for financial sector roles. A trusted client advisor, John provides the latest market insights to align recruitment strategy to organisational goals, helping organisations find and assess people who will advance their culture and purpose.

After first serving in the New Zealand Police, and later working with electricity operator M-Co, John began his search and recruitment career in 2004 with ANZ Bank, leading national recruitment across a number of its key business groups. Moving to Australia, he took directorships in search, recruitment and strategic consulting firms, focusing on banking and financial services. He joined JacksonStone in 2016, following his return to New Zealand.

This long experience has given John a nuanced understanding of the challenges in hiring at leadership level in contemporary business. An avowed ‘people person’, he is known for his personal and empathetic touch with candidates, his ability to build long-term relationships (exemplified by repeat business over the years with many clients), and his thorough commitment to delivering an end-to-end search or recruitment service.

Areas of specialisation: Executive search, financial services, commercial markets, operations management (diverse areas)
Years in the industry: 15

John specialises in leading assignments for the recruitment of senior strategic and communications professionals for both the private and public sectors.

John has recently joined JacksonStone & Partners after 20 years of providing strategic and communications counsel to a range of public and private sector clients, including board chairs, chief executives and senior management. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in print journalism and journalism education. His media experience, along with two decades of providing strategic advice to organisations, often during times of crisis or change, means he has built up deep personal experience of what it takes to deliver high-quality, professional strategic counsel.

John’s engaging approach puts people at ease and encourages open and honest conversations with candidates. He works closely with clients to understand their specific needs, and to build trust and an enduring relationship. His experience provides insights that will help clients find and appoint high-calibre candidates.

Areas of specialisation: Senior strategic and communications professionals
Years in the industry: John has recently started in recruitment consultancy

Liz specialises in the area of human resources, helping a wide range of clients to build their HR teams. Her expertise covers the fields of talent management, organisational development and leadership, employment and industrial relations, health and safety, learning and development, and remuneration.

Before joining JacksonStone & Partners, Liz spent 12 years managing HR in a progressive agricultural organisation, providing thought leadership and tactical design, and delivering and overseeing initiatives across multiple global locations. Her experience spans diverse industries in the public and private sectors, including professional services and not-for-profit businesses. She is a member of HRINZ.

Liz is strong on respect, honesty, integrity and team spirit. She maintains the view that an organisation’s staff are its strongest asset, and her natural affinity with people means she is quick to understand the needs of both client and candidate. Her insights into the range of contemporary HR functions brings great value to her clients, and she can be relied on for sound, informed advice through the full recruiting cycle, from searches and evaluation to interviewing.

Areas of specialisation: Human Resources
Years in the industry: 11

A specialist in both education and Māori recruitment, Russell supports councils, boards and senior leaders in appointing talented new individuals, drawing on his experience in teaching and leadership along with his broad networks and contacts in the education sector and te ao Māori.

With a passion for tupuranga mahi Māori (raising Māori employment), Russell has come to specialise in kohikohi ana i ngā mahi a te Māori (finding talent for Māori-focused roles). Involved in numerous Māori asset trusts at governance level, he also has experience as the pan-tribal representative on two standing orders committees for the Kāpiti Coast District Council, and is a board member for Zealandia. Russell’s whakapapa links are to Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga.

An MBA graduate who worked for several years as a teacher, Russell also has an extensive history in recruiting for the education sector, and has built up vast nationwide networks. He supports councils, boards and education leaders in appointing senior staff, particularly in tertiary areas, such as universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, wānanga, industry training organisations and private training establishments, and more broadly for the Ministry of Education.

Russell’s career path has included leadership roles in finance, manufacturing, distribution and marketing. He has solid experience in governance with council committees, asset holding companies, council-controlled organisations and economic development organisations. A former hiring manager himself, he knows how vital it is to find the right people. He aims to save time and find solutions for clients, in a style that is deliberate, structured, honest and caring, and which respects their organisational values and priorities.

Areas of specialisation: Executive search, chief executive and senior management, senior Māori employment
Years in the industry: 18 years

Simon provides an end-to-end search process to appoint chief executives, senior leaders and managers in the public sector and local government. He is also part of the team at JacksonStone that recruits government chief executives for the State Services Commission. Simon has made a number of parliamentary appointments, working closely with the Speaker of the House and officers of the Parliamentary Select Committee. Other areas of speciality include strategy, policy and legal.

With two decades in the industry, Simon is well connected in both central and local government. Given that he recruits for key roles and advises senior leaders, he is privy to politically sensitive information, but he is known for his scrupulous confidentiality.

He is an excellent and honest reader of people, which brings confidence and credibility to his work. Along with his networking skills, Simon has a mature understanding of the machinery of local and central government, which helps him achieve the best possible outcome for client and candidate. Appointing high-calibre people into critical roles gives him a sense of contributing in a very real way to New Zealand society.

Areas of specialisation: Senior government roles, strategy, policy, legal
Years in the industry: 20

Simon works with senior leaders, including chief executives and boards, across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. His assignments have been directed to senior leadership roles – such as general management, programme directors and business heads – in a range of sectors including health, science and research, as well as commercial entities. His focus is on rebuilding relevancy, market position, service delivery and customer-centricity.

Prior to joining JacksonStone, Simon spent many years in high-profile commercial organisations, including AMP Capital Investors. With his experience in senior leadership roles, including governance and strategic/business development, he is well placed to genuinely appreciate and realise the best for his clients.

Simon’s capacity for strategic and client-centric thinking is supported by his market insight and an astute understanding of commercial imperatives across several sectors. His natural inquisitiveness and sound judgement enable him to quickly build trust with a client and assess the nuances of their assignment. He takes pleasure in delivering effective and constructive results, the success of which can be measured by frequent repeat business.

Areas of specialisation: Chief executive, senior management, operational and business services, governance appointments
Years in the industry: 5

Nikki specialises in leading assignments for the recruitment of marketing, communications, customer and member experience professionals – both generalists and specialists. She joined JacksonStone after more than twenty years in senior cross-industry marketing and customer experience roles, largely at general manager level. Her experience is broad and spans brand and reputation management, marketing and communications, segmentation, market research, customer experience and digital. She knows the industry inside out and has recruited at all levels of a business.

Nikki has strong networks within the governance community across New Zealand. She developed these over more than ten years as part of the Executive Leadership Team of the Institute of Directors (IoD). This experience means she has a solid understanding of best practice board composition and competencies. She has strength in championing diversity and bringing diverse and emerging talent to the fore.

Her background in marketing gives Nikki a strong customer focus and a solutions mindset. This, combined with the networks she built at the IoD, means Nikki gets great satisfaction from connecting people in a way that brings value to both parties. Convinced that we perform best when playing to our strengths, she’s motivated by helping organisations and candidates find their sweet spot, where an individual’s talents are matched to an organisation’s culture, strategy and critical success factors.

Areas of specialisation: Marketing, communications, membership professionals
Years in the industry: Nikki has recently started in recruitment consultancy