Welome to IGA Talent Solutions
Our Team
Little things, big outcomes
Meet the team
James Caan CBE
Chairman
Former Dragons’ Den star, serial entrepreneur James Caan CBE plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategy of IGA Talent Solutions, in his role as Chairman of the Board.
James has been in recruitment for over 30 years and invests in recruitment companies of all sizes across various geographies and sectors. Alexander Mann, his first recruitment business, sold in 2013 for £260 million. His second recruitment venture, Humana International, grew to 140 offices across 30 countries. His third sale was a collection of six recruitment companies to Graphite Capital in 2014 for £100m.
Peter Knowles
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Peter has 15 years’ experience of providing permanent and contingent recruitment solutions globally. Peter co-founded IGA with James Caan CBE in 2018, growing the business to 23 employees in UKI and Switzerland.
He is a partner of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, a commentator for Recruitment International magazine, and an active voice on diversity and inclusion within the insurance sector.
Peter’s clients turn to him for guidance on strategic senior hires, contingent worker models, hiring processes and EVP.
James Craven
Co-Founder & Managing Director
James co-founded IGA Talent Solutions with Peter Knowles and James Caan CBE in 2018, aiming to bring a consultative and agile recruitment solution to the professional services market. Over the course of his recruitment career, James has represented some of the largest investment businesses in the UK and internationally, bringing new talent that enriches brands and positively impacts business performance.
At IGA, James oversees investment, pensions and employee benefits divisions, managing a team of consultants and researchers, and is responsible for the operational and financial management of the business. He is a regular market commentator on the importance of financial education for the younger generation.
Outside work, James enjoys the countryside, Japanese whisky and indulging his passion for future-classic cars.
Patrick Schulz
Co-Founder & Managing Director Switzerland
Patrick co-founded IGA Talent Solutions Switzerland with Peter Knowles and James Craven in 2023 to continue IGA's international expansion and the success story of the strong UK business with a Swiss entity and local presence.
With over 14 years' experience in recruitment of professionals and executives in technology, IT and finance within all major industries such as Banking & Finance, Insurance, IT Services, Engineering, MedTech and Pharma, Patrick has an in-depth Swiss market, industry, customer and candidate expertise. In addition, he has many years experience and a strong track record in building, growing and leading high performance teams.
In his spare time, Patrick can be found riding his motorbike around Lake Zurich, when he is not busy keeping his two little minipigs entertained.
Lana Furey
Associate Director
With 10 years of experience within the creative, digital & IT sectors specialising in supporting freelance contingent recruitment. Lana manages the Operations team at IGA and offers a variety of operational support for the business which includes being responsible for ensuring compliance regulations and employment law standards are adhered to.
Alongside this, she manages our outsourced payroll partner and is involved in the Temporary pay & bill process where she provides contractor support for our consultants and interims. Lana is heavily involved in improving current operational processes and therefore manages all system implementation projects to ensure we are improving through innovation - this in turn leads to delivering a healthier standard of customer service.
When taking a break from work, Lana enjoys to travel and experience new cultures, she is also a keen skier and has skied since childhood.
Dan Dawson
Director
Dan has worked in recruitment for over 25 years now with a specific focus on both the Technology and life sciences sectors.
He has a background in both permanent and contract/interim solutions so is able to support clients of all sizes with complex recruitment challenges/needs. Dan has worked for both large corporates and smaller SME recruitment businesses and has built successful recruitment teams over many years. He has a real passion for working with people to support them on their recruitment journey and gets great satisfaction from watching them grow, develop and flourish.
Outside of work Dan can be found riding motorbikes or enjoying the Essex countryside with his family and dog Bella.
Danny Wright
Associate Director
At IGA, Danny offers his clients tailored recruitment services ranging from contract staff and outsourcing to permanent recruitment, interim management and executive search.
He works in close partnership with his clients, taking the time to grasp their unique business needs so he can always source and supply the best talent available. His focus on sector-specific talent pools has enabled him to become an expert in his market, with a deep-rooted understanding of the needs and requirements of clients and candidates alike.
Katie Thompson
Talent Sourcing Manager
With 19 years’ experience in customer service and in-house recruitment roles across financial services, Katie is passionate about creating an excellent client and candidate experience throughout the recruitment journey.
With a keen focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I), Katie enjoys building strong business relationships to truly understand client needs and deliver effective talent solutions. She is tenacious in sourcing high-quality candidates matching them closely with organisational values and culture enabling clients to truly meet their business aspirations.
In her spare time Katie loves to be outdoors, frequently travelling around in her campervan on various hiking and open water swimming adventures. She also enjoys live music and craft beer.
Jon Garrod
Associate Director
Jon has spent his career to date in Contract & Interim professional-services recruitment, and prides himself on providing a world-class service to contractors and clients.
His committed approach sees him embed himself in the businesses he works with in order to fully understand their cultures, enabling him to tailor talent solutions to suit their specific needs. He joined IGA in March 2019 to develop the global Contract & Interim offering. Today, Jon leads a highly successful team, having completed mandates across eight countries.
In his spare time, he is a keen sportsman, having played competitive rugby for 20+ years – including a semi-pro season in the Portuguese Premier League.
Hannah Yates
Senior Operations Executive
As well as providing support to IGA’s directors, Hannah is responsible for ensuring a smooth onboarding for contractor placements in the UK and Europe, making sure all candidates are compliant with GDPR rules.
Since joining the team, Hannah has helped develop the IGA brand in the UK and internationally, as well as leading the organisation of charity events and panel discussions on topics including diversity and inclusion, career returners and managing career breaks.
In her spare time, Hannah enjoys hiking and cooking exotic dishes picked up on her travels.
Oliver Clark
Senior Consultant
Oliver specialises in placing mid-senior level candidates, across the UK and international investment markets. His clients are a mixture of consulting firms, asset managers, PE houses, pension funds, and infrastructure boutiques, often on mandates with an ESG leaning.
Clients come to Oliver for his service-centric approach, market knowledge and detail orientated style, ensuring deeply understands their requirements from both a skill-set and cultural perspective. Before joining IGA, Oliver specialised in the Sustainability sector for an international Executive Search firm, placing candidates in over 8 countries.
In his spare time he enjoys watching and playing a number of sports, especially cricket. He also loves travelling the world, taking in different cultures, as well as socialising with friends and family.
Stuart Brooke
Lead Recruiter
Stuart joined IGA with eight years’ experience in recruitment, beginning in the education sector, then moving across to financial and professional services, where he nows operates.
Before entering the recruitment world, Stuart spent six years in the British Army and completed tours of both Iraq and Afghanistan – an experience he credits for his can-do attitude and adaptability.
Today, he focuses on the contract market, always investing the time to build a deep understanding of candidates and organisations he works with, which means he can offer his clients access to the highest-calibre individuals in the market.
Nitin Rao
Operations Executive
Nitin provides day-to-day support to the IGA team. He manages the CRM system and its data to help maximise and support sales and recruitment effectiveness. Nitin helps manage the onboarding and contractor process for all of our clients delivering a helpful and supportive service.
He has a positive and practical attitude, with good attention to detail and works well in the IGA team.
Graham Butler
Business Unit Manager
Graham has worked in recruitment for nearly 12 years, having started in HR recruitment Graham then moved to the actuarial market and has over 9 years experience in both the Life and General insurance markets placing contractors and permanent actuaries.
Graham has most recently been working with consultancies and industry leading clients in supporting them with regulatory projects such as Solvency II and IFRS17. Graham has built a long lasting relationship with many of the top companies which he has assisted in both the UK and further afield supporting business with all levels of recruitment from graduate to senior hires.
Outside of Work Graham is an avid football fan following his beloved Tottenham.
Garth Davson
Principal Consultant
With nearly 5 years’ experience working in the change and transformation space, Garth offers his clients specialised recruitment services that help them to find the best talent, which will positively impact their business performance. At IGA, Garth covers contract and permanent recruitment, interim management and executive search positions.
Garth likes to work closely with his clients to get an in-depth understanding on their unique business needs. His committed approach helps him to build long term relationships with both candidates and clients, which he can then tailor talent accordingly to suit specific needs.
Outside work, you’ll find Garth playing some kind of sport with cricket, tennis or golf at the top of his list. Garth enjoys the outdoors having grown up in northern South Africa and loves a wildlife story or two.
Emily Sergejew
Account Manager
With over 10 years experience in customer service, within a diverse selection of roles Emily is passionate about creating an excellent client and candidate experience throughout the recruitment journey.
Emily has worked in recruitment for just over 2 years, working both contract and permanent roles in a range of industries. She has experience securing candidates new opportunities across technology, aviation, construction, telecommunication and retail sectors.
Outside of office life Emily loves to socialise, travel and spend time with her two daughters.
Laura Hill
Candidate Delivery Manager
Laura is a member of the investment team at IGA, managing candidate relationships and research projects on behalf of our clients. Laura supports on senior assignments for investment advisory firms, fiduciary managers, asset owners and asset managers, who provide investment solutions to institutional clients. Prior to joining IGA, Laura worked in business development & relationship management in the wealth management sector.
She has an extensive range of business experience both in the UK and USA, spending 9 years living in California. While located in Los Angeles, Laura worked in the high-end real estate market and headed her own fast-paced business.
Laura has a proven track record for success in strategic planning; working to clear briefs and maximising on delivery. Known for building an instant rapport with clients, she uses knowledge and intuition to present unique ideas, delivering above and beyond expectations.
Laura is proficient in achieving outstanding results working for multiple clients simultaneously. She has impeccable organisational skills and a strong ability to thrive under pressure. Her personable approach and conscientious nature ensure she always takes the time to educate herself thoroughly about her clients’ short-term and long-term goals, ensuring their specific needs are met.
Always operating with discretion and integrity, Laura advocates accessibility, diversity and inclusion.
In her free time, Laura enjoys Iyengar yoga, walking with friends and spending time with family.
Vishal Patel
Senior Talent Sourcing Manager
Vishal has been working in Business Change & Transformation recruitment for nearly 6 years. His main areas of expertise are within the Life Sciences and FMCG sectors. Vishal has a deep knowledge of the Change arena having supported recruitment activity on some of the largest Transformations in the world for companies such as GSK, BAT & Diageo.
In Vishal's spare time he enjoys spending time with his children, Hamish & Nina. He is a keen cook and was a semi-finalist on BBC’s Master Chef 2007! He also enjoys watching the Formula One and playing tennis.
Ross Imrie
Business Development Manager
Ross has spent his career to date in Contract & Interim Financial Crime recruitment. He prides himself on providing a first-class service to his contractors and clients, and building meaningful and lasting relationships.
He works closely with individuals to find them the best opportunities in the market and helps his clients attract top tier talent, delivering bespoke solutions to meet specific needs.
Fully leveraging his experience and knowledge on the business cultures and operating models across professional and financial services, he is able to tailor IGAs services to meet both the client and candidate requirements.
Outside of work, Ross spends his time bouldering at climbing centres, training mixed martial arts and being with his friends and family in Scotland.
Cristina Burcus
Contractor Services, Switzerland
Cristina is based in IGA’s Geneva Office and provides contractor support and salary hosting for IGA’s local and international candidate base.
IGA holds a SECO license for all cantons within Switzerland and is an established recruiter within the Swiss contract market.
Adam Purchase
Head of Practice – People and Culture
Adam is an Principal Consultant here at IGA Talent Solutions. Bringing with him expertise in People and Culture search, working across the UK and Europe. Having spent his career helping build and shape award winning People teams across both seniority and the wider People and Culture function across a variety of industries.
Originally from New Zealand, Adam is passionate about partnering with people and businesses who want the best. The best for their business, the best next step in their career or just the best conversation to learn more about the current market consistently bringing the human element to search. Adam has worked with FTSE, VC, PE backed businesses and the wider Mid Market and understands the nuances of each, Adam has an excellent track record of best in class ‘fit’ specific for your business and team.
Outside of the office, Adam is an avid ‘mover’, whether hiking, walking with his dog, or trying to lift heavy things at the ever-controversial CrossFit gym. Adam and his husband are both lovers of travel and enjoy nothing more than seeing somewhere new in the world (mixed in with visiting family in New Zealand and Italy).
Oliver Howley
Talent Sourcing Manager
Oliver has spent the last seven years delivering Recruiting and Executive Search services for customers in Professional & Financial Services, and Medical Tech.
He has fulfilled hiring projects in over 15 countries with clients of varying sizes, organizational structures and cultures: from the PE-funded tech spin-out through to the multi-billion-dollar-turnover global consulting giant. Oliver adapts his methodology to integrate with the processes of his customers, resulting in an effective yet sensitive and understanding level of service.
Oliver has supported clients in Actuarial, Accounting, Audit, Tax, Legal, Research, Engineering, Product Development, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Commercial, Product Management, Projects & Program Management.
Outside of work, Oliver enjoys exploring the outdoors with his relentless Jack Russell Terrier, Ruby. He is a ‘football nerd’ and has a season ticket with Sheffield United (for his sins.)
Oleksandra Andrusenko
Recruitment Consultant
As a recruitment consultant with over 5 years of dedicated experience in the customer service sector, spanning across various prestigious positions in the luxury segment throughout Europe and the Middle East, my primary objective today is to deliver an unparalleled and personalised recruitment service to both clients and candidates.
Originating from a background in the hospitality industry, where I excelled in fulfilling and anticipating the most discerning needs of guests within tight timeframes, I bring forth an exceptional ability to identify and secure the most suitable candidates for my clients. Furthermore, I am committed to ensuring a seamless and efficient hiring process.
My refined communication and negotiation skills, coupled with an in-depth understanding of the Swiss market, empower me to navigate and adapt swiftly to any last-minute changes. These qualities enable me to foster enduring relationships built on trust and provide unwavering support to candidates as they embark on their new journey from day one.
