Principal consultant Basil Varouhas recruits across a full range of corporate positions within both the public and private sectors. These include programme and project management; business, process and policy analysis; change/transition management; communications; and HR / organisational development. Many of Basil’s clients require interim cover (e.g. for a staff secondment or parental leave) with a specialist skill set, on either an open-ended or a fixed-term basis.

Having launched his recruitment consultant career in Australia with one of the world’s largest recruiting firms, Basil returned to New Zealand in 1999 and has now worked in the industry for over 20 years. During this time he has completed a number of New Zealand public sector change transformation projects.

Highly experienced, consultative and thorough in his approach, Basil has a gift for engaging candidates easily to draw out their key skill sets and standout qualities. He loves ‘the journey of matching people capability with organisational need’, and he is known for ensuring clients have the pick of candidates to guide them to an informed selection.

Areas of specialisation: Professional contracting
Years in the industry: 22

Andrew Watson of JacksonStone Consulting is a founding Director of JacksonStone & Partners. Andrew provides a wide spectrum of professional consulting and contracting resources to clients involving advising and supporting senior leadership teams through to operational line management. Assignments have supported public sector initiatives such as the set-up of new regulatory entities, the implementation of complex social services policy initiatives, business transformation programmes and large capital infrastructural investment projects.

Andrew’s experience began in internal auditing, marketing and project management before joining the professional services sector. Two decades on, he has an in-depth knowledge of the consulting market, having personally facilitated more than a thousand assignments at all levels in sectors that include finance, human resources, communications, legal, marketing and policy.

Focused on a high-quality client and candidate experience, Andrew is known for his consistency and efficiency, and a transparent and consultative approach. His warm, personable style has led to many long-term, successful relationships with both contractors and clients, where he ensures both parties’ needs and wants are met for high-quality placements and partnerships.

Areas of specialisation: Professional contracting in all corporate disciplines including programme, project and change roles
Years in the industry: 20

Mary’s clients include hiring managers at all levels across the public, private and NGO sectors. She places professional contractors into a broad spectrum of disciplines including communications, stakeholder engagement, marketing, business analysis, public policy, project and programme management, change management, planning and human resources. Her speciality is hourly rate and fixed-term contracts of up to 12 months’ duration.

Mary has more than two decades’ experience in recruitment. Her approach was deeply informed early on by a very useful sabbatical spent within the HR management team of one of New Zealand’s largest employers. This experience led her to focus strongly on relationship management throughout the recruitment process: collaborating with clients and candidates to achieve shared goals and rewarding positions, and proposing contractors who add a huge amount of value even on short-term assignments.

She is well regarded for her professionalism and honesty, working efficiently and effectively to facilitate the recruitment process; as one satisfied client explained, she ‘provided exceptional and responsive assistance in every interaction’ and was ‘clear, honest and supportive’ to prioritise the candidate’s fit to the role.

Area of specialisation: Contracting
Years in the industry: 20

Tracy specialises in placing professional contractors in the finance, accounting, and planning and performance fields across the public, private and NGO sectors. She ensures her clients are kept fully up to date on the current market environment, so they can make informed candidate choices aligned to their organisation’s strategic plans.

Tracy has over 20 years’ professional experience in the accounting and finance sectors both in New Zealand and overseas, having worked in a range of commercial enterprises and professional chartered accounting practices, and in her own business. Her background gives her a rare depth of understanding of the contracting market and of the machinery of government and public-sector recruiting in the accounting market. She has been specialising in the field of finance contracting recruitment since 2005.

Approachable and highly professional, Tracy has strong business acumen and customer focus with a contemporary understanding of financial operations. Working in a fluid environment where speed and accuracy are of the essence, she is known for her ability to quickly ‘connect the dots’, interpret a client’s needs, and determine the skill set and team fit required.

Areas of specialisation: Accounting, finance
Years in the industry: 13