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, a founding Director of JacksonStone & Partners, has recently taken on the role of Managing Partner. With his extensive background as a Principal Consultant, Andrew now spearheads the company, providing exceptional leadership and guidance.

Throughout his career, Andrew has been dedicated to offering a comprehensive range of professional consulting and contracting resources to clients. He excels in advising and supporting senior leadership teams, as well as providing operational line management assistance. His expertise has been instrumental in various public sector initiatives, including the establishment of new regulatory entities, the implementation of complex social services policy initiatives, business transformation programs, and large-scale capital infrastructural investment projects.

Andrew’s professional journey began in internal auditing, marketing, and project management, ultimately leading him to the professional services sector. Over the past two decades, he has acquired an extensive knowledge of the consulting market. Andrew has personally overseen more than a thousand assignments across various sectors, including finance, human resources, communications, legal, marketing, and policy.

Known for his unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality experiences for clients and candidates alike, Andrew focuses on providing consistency, efficiency, and transparent, consultative guidance. His warm and personable approach has fostered numerous long-term and successful relationships with contractors and clients. Andrew takes great care in ensuring that the needs and desires of both parties are met, resulting in high-quality placements and productive partnerships.

Areas of specialisation: Professional contracting, transformation projects, management
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: 22

Tracy has specialised in placing professional consultants, contractors and permanent candidates in the Wellington market since 2005.

Working in the accounting and finance fields across public, private and NGO clients, she understands the market and skill sets required, and keeps abreast of contemporary practices and trends.

Having worked in New Zealand and overseas across many industries, Tracy believes her strengths lie in her ability to work with people, and her dedication and commitment to her clients and candidates.

She takes pride in being able to work with clients to interpret their needs and provide quality candidates to suit, whilst ensuring candidates get the career growth and challenges they desire and are placed into roles where they will succeed.

Working alongside Ella Guy, and supported by Lisa Norris, Tracy is part of a team which is exceptionally well connected and informed on the current market environment.

Areas of specialisation: Professional Contracting, Consulting & Permanent – accounting, finance, planning and performance.
Years in the industry: 16 years

John works primarily with boards and senior management in both the private and public sectors. As part of the Finance, Accounting and Policy teams, his primary expertise lies in finding high-calibre candidates for financial sector and policy 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, policy, commercial markets, operations management (diverse areas)
Years in the industry: 15

Sam works with our Contracting and Communications teams to source and manage candidates.

Sam is diligent in all of his work and ensures our Contracting and Communications teams are supported in everything they do. He is personable and collaborative, with a commitment to client and candidate management. Sam is creative and detailed, ensuring he is always across everything happening in his teams and is happy to assist to achieve the best results.

Sam also manages the administration of any multiple-role assignments JacksonStone & Partners is awarded, such as change programs and re-structures. You can trust Sam to be the point of contact for all roles, and ensure that roles are administered timely and consistently.