He founded Damhurst in 2016 having had a vision for creating a new and different solution in the insurance headhunting space. He has been solely focused on the insurance market since starting his Executive Search career in 2006.
Prior to Damhurst, James was a Partner and the Head of London for Eliot Partnership, a renowned insurance headhunting firm. His career began as a Professional Indemnity insurance broker at Heath Lambert and then Alexander Forbes. ​

​In addition to his role at Damhurst, James sits on the Board of the Lloyd’s Benevolent Fund, a market charity providing support to those in our market who have fallen on hard times. He is a former Chair of the City of London Club U40s and General Committee Member. ​

​He is best described as outgoing, passionate and driven. He has a natural ability to build strong and deep relationships with people quickly and will not shy away from a challenging situation. His main motivators are kindness, autonomy and creative freedom. ​

On a personal level …
James lives in Kent with his wife and three daughters. When time (and the weather) permits he loves being outdoors, hiking, camping, field sports and tinkering with old Land Rover Defenders. ​

Read Less

… positioning of the business as it enters its next phase of development and growth. With his extensive experience in leadership, insurance, M&A and private equity, he is responsible for providing rigorous objectivity and counsel to the Directors.​
In addition to his role at Damhurst, Andrew is an INED to The Hartford, Senior Advisor to Helios Investment Partners and sits on the Board of World Vision UK. ​

​Prior to this he was the Group CEO of Alexander Forbes, CEO at Sun Life and CEO Old Mutual. He has worked across the Life, GI and P&C markets in London, Boston, New York and South Africa. ​

​Recognised by CEO Today as a leading CEO in the Winners Edition (2017). Andrew received his MBA from Cranfield, has attended Advanced Management programs at Harvard Business School and INSEAD. He is a Qualified accountant and a member of the Securities and Investment Institute.​

On a personal level …

Andrew leads a rich and diverse life living between London and New York. A keen and competitive tennis player, Andrew will often have matches lined up after a long day of Board meetings.

Read Less

… high-quality counsel to clients of the firm as they shape and develop their Boards in an increasingly complex and regulated environment. ​

Prior to joining Damhurst in the second half of 2021, Simon spent 35 years in the market and is well known within the London and international (re)insurance markets. During this time, he held several senior roles such as the Group CEO of MS Amlin and as a Deputy Chairman of Lloyd’s. ​

​In addition to his role at Damhurst, Simon sits on the Board of the UK P&I Club as an INED, is a Deputy Chair of Governors at Tudor Hall School, a Board Member of the charity United Against Dementia and a Warden of the Worshipful Company or Shipwrights.​

​Simon brings a wealth of experience to any conversation or client assignment. He has a highly strategic mind, is a natural leader and excellent team player. He will often look to bring organisation and clarity to any situation, so as to think carefully about finding the best and most pragmatic solution. ​

On a personal level …
Passionate about helping others, in the summer of 2021 Simon walked the 300-mile coast of Cornwall raising over £60,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society. He is married to Caroline, they have four children and live in the Cotswolds.​

Read Less

Since joining Damhurst in 2020, Guy has brought his deep knowledge of the risk management, legal and regulatory sector to bear on many of our client’s talent challenges. As part of an insurance leadership search firm, he has also built a strong network leading search work across the P&C and specialty markets. In recent years Guy has successfully won and closed assignments across Europe, London and the US.

Prior to joining the Damhurst team, Guy worked for some well-known specialist financial services recruitment and search firms such as Barclay Simpson and Taylor Root. ​

​Guy is best described as thoughtful, caring and highly considerate. He is resilient, great at collaborating and keen to help and support others grow and develop. ​

On a personal level …
Outside of work Guy can be found racing his bike through the Surrey Hills, competing in Spartan races and kayaking. Whilst ardently committed to his northern roots, he now lives with his wife and daughter in South London.

Read Less

Despite having started her career at Lloyd’s of London, the majority of her Search career prior to joining Damhurst was focused on M&A, Investment Banking and Finance. She has worked with a breadth of clients globally, from leading global bulge brackets to start-up M&A boutiques. More recently she has also had a focus on key topical areas for clients within financial services, including assisting clients with their hiring and strategy around issues such as diversity and ESG. In addition, Gala has also spent time working on executive level hiring for charities and social enterprises.

Gala is best described as friendly, open, honest and warm. She is highly capable when it comes to planning and organising projects from start to finish, and consistently evidences and strong ability to quickly build and influence relationships.

On a personal level …
Gala lives in London and enjoys spending her time outside of work with friends and family, particularly in the context of food related activities, from cooking to trying new cuisines. Having trained in the arts a long time ago, she remains a keen fan of theatre, dance and music.

Read Less

He joined Damhurst from the insurance market and as such is always able to keep a commercial and pragmatic solution in sight.​

Prior to joining Damhurst, Joshua had ten years experience working across the insurance and banking markets. He most recently worked for the NFU Mutual, focused on building a HNW portfolio. Before that he was the Senior Relationship Manager for his team at Lombard Asset Management. ​

​Joshua is best described as outgoing and calm. He is people orientated and naturally able to build rapport and strong genuine relationships rapidly. Customer focus is central to how he operates. He is motivated by loyalty, kindness and achievement. ​

On a personal level …
Joshua lives in Sussex with his wife and daughter. Outside of work Joshua is an enthusiastic cyclist having followed the Tour de France throughout the mountain stages.​

Read Less

… market intelligence to any client mandate. Building on her first-class degree in Psychology and Criminology, Anna has an acute understanding of human motivation, desire and fear. ​

Prior to joining Damhurst, Anna worked for a banking FinTech firm (Apply Financial) and before that completed a Commercial Law Internship where she supported the drafting of NDAs and helping with Due Diligence reports. ​

​Best described as outgoing and spontaneous, Anna is a naturally inquisitive person and someone who likes to be part of a team. She is highly motivated by accountability, taking on a challenge and enjoying the journey. ​

On a personal level …
Outside of work, Anna loves to spend time with her friends and her rescue dog, Dixie. Other interests include travelling, eating good food, and going to the gym. Travel is one of Anna’s passions. Prior to joining Damhurst, Anna travelled throughout Southeast Asia and Central America.​

Read Less

… market intelligence to any client mandate. Most recent experience includes a Head of Distribution for a leading Lloyd’s brand, a Chief Data Officer and a Cyber Liability Search for a leading London market broker.​

Charlie joined Damhurst directly from Manchester Metropolitan University where he graduated with a First Class Honours in International Relations. Prior to finishing University, he travelled extensively, covering much of Central America and Southeast Asia. ​

Best described as outgoing and reactive. Charlie is thoughtful, caring and a great team player. He has a strong ability to analyse people’s actions and intentions, anticipating thought patterns and possible reactions. Charlie takes great pleasure in being set a challenge and then given the creative freedom to achieve a result. ​

On a personal note …
On a personal level, Charlie enjoys travelling when he can and spends his spare time outside whenever possible, whether that be playing tennis, or working in the garden on various projects. ​

Read Less

… to James Cooper and Simon Beale. Jackie has over 15 years EA experience working in the banking sector, most recently at Macquarie Capital where she was office manager and primary manager to a large team of assistants. Jackie has a keen interest in training and developing others as well as mentoring junior colleagues.

Jackie has extensive project management skills and is experienced in delivering projects on time and to budget. Jackie enjoys running an office, planning events and has 10 years worth of EA recruitment experience.

Jackie has a keen eye for detail, is proactive and enjoys inputting new and improved work initiatives. ​

On a personal note …
Jackie lives in South East London with her husband and 2 children. When not exploring the English countryside with her family Jackie can be found in the kitchen baking treats for her family, friends and colleagues.

Read Less

She is responsible for managing invoices, pensions, client finance queries, payroll, tax and HMRC.  She works closely with our accountants and HR advisors to ensure that the business runs smoothly and efficiently.  She has a background in general business having supported teams across social care, not for profits and a global auction house.

Read Less

Chris leads CNC8298 Consulting Limited, a London and US based consulting proposition that specialises in providing strategic advice and guidance to (Re)insurance businesses in the non-life markets . This relationship is highly useful to Damhurst’s clients and partners in providing insight and broader context to the global insurance, reinsurance and ILS markets.

Read Less

SA works with Boards and Senior Management to deliver sustainable business success achieved through financial soundness, operational resilience and healthy culture and conduct. The team has a unique combination of expertise gained through direct industry experience, consulting roles and regulatory supervision roles in the UK insurance market.

Read Less