Financial Services
Our FS practice has built an excellent reputation and covers senior finance, treasury, legal, tax and restructuring. Our clients include the broad spectrum of financial services business from global banks and investment companies, hedge funds, insurance and asset managers.
Examples of completed assignments
| Finance Director | Commercial Card Business |
| CFO | Global Insurance Business |
| CFO | Investment Bank |
| Funds Lawyer | Investment Company |
| Retail Banking Lawyer | Global Retail Bank |
| Senior Counsel | Financial Regulator |
| Tax Director | Global Insurance Business |
| Head of Tax | Global Insurer |
| Tax Director | Consumer FS Arm of Global Conglomerate |
| Tax Director | Private Equity |
| Director - Global Structured Projects | US Investment Bank |
| Director - Equities | UK Investment Bank |
| Senior Managing Director - Head of Transaction Services | Global Restructuring Advisory Firm |
| Senior Vice President | Global Distressed Private Equity Fund |
| Senior Associate | Distressed Private Equity Investor |
Our People
Chris
Nelson
London office
Chris is the co-founder of the Pure Group. He has a leading reputation in tax and front office banking search. He has been responsible for some of the highest profile and most senior moves in the last decade in these disciplines. Specifically, Chris handles partner and team moves in the profession and director level assignments in commerce and banking.
Chris spent his early career with Arthur Andersen as a tax consultant in their London office after reading Law at Leeds University.
Chris’s interests include golf and marathon running, though seldom at the same time.
Tim
Jones
London office
Tim leads our Debt Finance and Restructuring Practice and focuses on search assignments for mid level and senior appointments within Leveraged Finance, Debt Advisory and Private Equity. He has successfully complete searches for roles in Origination & Execution teams, Structuring, Syndications, Portfolio Management, Sponsor Coverage and Credit.
He joined Pure in 2006 to develop our offering in this area and also has extensive experience of recruiting at senior levels within Financial & Operational Restructuring, Business Support & Workout and Distressed Private Equity.
Tim graduated in Economics and Business Studies from Sheffield University.
Tim has a passion for travel and has visited over 35 countries. Prior to joining Pure, Tim took a 12 month sabbatical and travelled extensively in South America, Australasia and Japan.
Adam
Akbar
London office
Adam joined Pure in 2005 from a well-recognised international search firm. He is responsible for leading and expanding our finance search practice, specialising in the placement of Controllers, Directors,Treasurers and CFOs. He has spent his entire career working in the field of finance appointments, during which time he has executed high-profile assignments for a wide variety of businesses from multinationals to SMEs. Adam primarily works in partnership with consumer-focused and services based businesses.Adam graduated in Economics & Management from Cardiff University.
Adam is a passionate football fan, an avid reader and a keen travel enthusiast.
Andrew
Refaussé
London office
Andrew joined Pure in 2006. Andrew’s focus is across the finance community within the Financial Services sector. He specialises in executive searches for commercial finance and treasury positions within consumer and investment products, private banks and insurance companies.
Previously he spent eight years' in executive search, successfully delivering on financial assignments both in the UK and across the globe. Andrew graduated in Management Studies and Psychology from Leeds University.
Andrew is an enthusiastic footballer with a keen interest in writing and psychology.
Karen
Glass
London office
Karen specialises in placing lawyers from mid-level to General Counsel level on a permanent basis into a range of financial services clients, including retail and investment banks, insurance companies and professional services organisations.
She initially qualified as a lawyer at CMS Cameron McKenna and practised as a projects lawyer before moving to Speechly Bircham LLP as a commercial lawyer. She then decided to move into legal recruitment and joined a global recruitment company, where she placed lawyers of all levels into FTSE350 companies.
Barrie
Sanderson
Hong Kong office
Barrie leads our Asia Search Practice from our Hong Kong office.
Through our flexible, whole market, approach he works with a broad range of Commerce & Industry, Financial Services and Private Practice clients on their senior Tax, Legal and Finance needs.
A UK tax qualified professional, Barrie joined Pure in early 2004 to build our market leading tax professional services business in the UK. From 2006 he then led the development of our wealth advisory business completing assignments with a broad range of tax structured finance, investment advisory, private banking and professional services clients.
Barrie recruits across Tax and Wealth Advisory and leads our Legal and Finance offerings.
Ewen
Burns
London office
Ewen joined Pure in 2002 to focus on recruiting tax professionals across all sectors of the commerce tax market. Ewen focuses on recruiting at tax director and head of tax level internationally, and has built strong relationships with an extensive number of FTSE-listed, financial services and overseas organisations.
Ewen joined Pure as a qualified tax adviser with a wealth of corporate tax experience gained from four years at KPMG. This tax experience, coupled with his depth of market knowledge, has enabled Ewen to build an excellent reputation across all levels and disciplines of the tax arena. Ewen graduated in Civil Engineering from Herriot Watt University.
Outside work Ewen is a keen tennis player and has competed nationally for Scotland. Continuing to play at county and club level, Ewen is currently a member of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club.
Ian
Addison-Smith
London office
Ian co-heads our Actuarial & Risk practice across all functions with a specialism in Pensions & Investments. He works closely with market leading consultancies, banks, asset managers (including fiduciary managers) and corporate clients. His focus encompasses both UK and International search and selection mandates for senior and mid level actuaries.
He has an extensive network in this space and a track record of consistent delivery across a range of search assignments.
Prior to joining Pure, Ian worked for a boutique search firm where he managed the UK Pensions & Investments Actuarial team. Before this he spent a period of time with a clinical research group in a statistical analysis capacity. Ian holds a Masters (with Distinction) in Applied Linguistics from the University of Nottingham and First Class BA (Hons) degree in English Language & Literature from the University of Liverpool.
Ian watches more football than he plays and is a beginner rock climber. He is a keen acoustic guitarist with a particular passion for flamenco music.
Edward
King
London office
Edward focuses on mid and senior level assignments within Debt Finance, he has particular links with the leading Leveraged Finance and High Yield teams and has completed mandates in both the UK and international markets for roles across Origination, Executions, Syndications and also Portfolio Management.
Edward spent five years working for a global recruitment firm, operating within the banking sector, with a focus on placing senior Business Analysts and Programme Managers in the Front Office.
Edward is FSA qualified.
He is a qualified ski instructor and keen golfer with a handicap of 14.
Zak
Marar
London office
Zak is a proven senior finance recruiter, with six years experience of advising financial services businesses on the placement of key senior level finance hires within a client base spanning investment banks, corporate & retail banks, asset managers, private equity and hedge funds.
Having joined Pure in 2011, Zak will focus on executing searches and partnering with firms operating within the financial services sector, who are looking to hire the best talent to further augment their finance and treasury teams.
Matias
Figueiras
Hong Kong office
Matias joined the Hong Kong practise as a consultant in July 2011 with a focus on developing the tax search business for Asia Pacific. He specialises in the placement of middle to senior level tax positions within professional services, financial services and commerce and industry across the region.
Prior to joining Pure Search, Matias spent over five years in front office corporate banking with Standard Chartered Bank. Initially he worked with the Global Corporate client coverage team in Beijing and Shenzhen and eventually with the Commodity Finance team in Hong Kong as a Client Relationship Manager. He is a French/ Argentinean and native to Hong Kong and speaks English, French and Mandarin.
Matias graduated with a B.A Geography degree from University College London and a has a Chinese Language Diploma from the Beijing University of Language & Culture.
He is a keen tennis player and enjoys travelling and water sports.