Professional Services
Our professional services practice is one of our most experienced teams and works across both the legal and accounting professions. We have deep expertise in placing Partners, Directors, Senior Associates, Senior Managers and Managers for both large, mid-sized, and small firms. Our clients are UK, US and European firms in the UK and from our Hong Kong office we work for both local and international practices.
The nature of our assignments is incredibly varied and includes fee earners across tax, legal, treasury and restructuring and support staff across legal and finance.
Examples of completed assignments
| Senior Consultant - Treasury | Big 4 |
| Funds Tax Partner | Big 4 |
| Transfer Pricing Partner | Big 4 |
| Financial Services Tax Partner | Big 4 |
| Senior Direct Tax Litigation Expert | |
| Team move: Private Client and Trusts Team | |
| Head of Tax Disputes - Practice |
Our People
Charles
Ferguson
London office
Charles is the co-founder of the Pure Group. He is a well known figure in the industry and specialises in recruiting senior level tax professionals across the banking, practice and commercial sectors. Charles has 18 years’ experience undertaking executive search and selection assignments at partner, director and senior management levels. He has also managed numerous high-profile recruitment marketing campaigns for a wide range of clients.
Charles graduated from Southampton University in 1987 and, after a short spell training in audit, began his career in executive recruitment.
As well as spending time with his family, Charles enjoys rugby and cricket from the safety of the stands or armchair. He regularly goes to the theatre and enjoys London’s excellent restaurants.
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 Restructuring Practice and focuses on search assignments for mid level and senior appointments within Financial & Operational Restructuring, Business Support & Workout, Debt Advisory and Distressed Private Equity.
He joined Pure in 2006 to develop our Specialised Finance offering and also has extensive experience of recruiting at senior levels within leveraged, mezzanine and acquisition finance, and private equity.
He previously established and managed the banking division of a medium sized recruitment firm where he gained over seven years' experience recruiting for a variety of different areas within banking and financial services. 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. He is responsible for leading and expanding our finance search practice, specialising in the placement of Controllers, Directors and CFOs. He has spent his entire career working in the field of finance appointments, during which time he’s developed an exceptionally strong network of contacts.
Previously Adam worked as a Finance head-hunter for Alexander Mann executing specialised search assignments on behalf of recognised plcs and smaller organisations. Adam graduated in Economics & Management from Cardiff University.
Adam is a passionate football fan, an avid reader and a keen travel enthusiast.
Chris
Miller
London office
Chris specialises in placing tax lawyers on a search and selection basis. This includes significant Partner and team moves. He deals with all areas of corporate tax, private client tax and wealth management, indirect taxes, tax litigation and share schemes.
Chris has a strong network of contacts in the tax world and often hosts events for Heads of Tax in the FTSE 100, Partners in the Law Firms and in the Accountancy Firms. By being fully immersed in the tax world he is able to advise clients and candidates on what is going on in the market and likely trends for the future.
Prior to joining Pure, Chris worked at a number of leading law firms and a large legal publishing house. He studied law at university and completed the LPC.
Chris has completed five marathons and enjoys football and skiing.
Divya
Bhardwaj
London office
Divya focuses exclusively on recruiting senior lawyers and partners with expertise in corporate restructuring and insolvency. Divya deals with roles within UK/International and US private practice firms, in addition to legal opportunities in corporate recovery teams for financial services firms.
Prior to joining Pure, Divya spent two years at a leading global recruitment firm, initially in the Legal Financial Services Team where she head-hunted lawyers for both private practice and in-house roles. She then moved to the International Legal team where she established the Middle East practice desk in addition to dealing with private practice and in-house roles in Asia and the Caribbean. Divya also spent a month in the Sydney office identifying lawyers from Australia and New Zealand for London-based roles.
She read Law and Economics at the University of London and successfully completed the GDL and LPC.
Divya enjoys travelling, going to the cinema and playing badminton.
Iain
Lorriman
London office
Iain has been a Director of Pure since 2005.
Iain Directs the EMEA Tax business across all service lines. This involves leadership of the business and personal handling of key partnership or Head of Tax assignments. If you would like an overview of the full range of sectors and disciplines Pure covers in Tax, or if you require impartial career advice, you should contact Iain in the first instance.
Iain has 13 years' Tax and Financial Services search experience. He joined Pure in 2003.
Previously Iain worked for a medium-sized search practice at which he set up and ran the banking and commerce sector teams. Prior to this he trained in a Big Four tax division having gained a postgraduate degree in Law.
Iain was born to a Danish mother, brought up in Edinburgh and worked and studied in Italy. He enjoys taking his young family on cross country skiing and mountaineering holidays.
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.
Ian
Addison-Smith
London office
Ian is responsible for developing our Actuarial 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 the actuarial space and a track record of consistent delivery across a range of search assignments. Through the provision of specific market insight and his ability to outline market trends and industry dynamics he is well placed to identify, present and place premier actuarial talent.
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.
James
Everett
London office
James is responsible for developing our Actuarial practice across all functions with a specialism in the Insurance arena. He joined Pure in 2009 from a boutique recruitment firm where he was responsible for the performance and development of the UK business.
He has delivered on retained and contingent mandates at mid and senior management levels and built extensive networks across the insurance industry. Having worked across multiple geographies including the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa he has established a diverse client base ranging from established insurance companies and consultancies to start up operations. James's knowledge of the insurance market has seen him place Chief Actuaries, Senior Management and Insurance Directors.
James has a passion for travel having spent time living and working across Asia. An avid sports enthusiast he will turn his hand to most sports.
James
Incles
London office
James operates within the tax and finance sectors in the EMEA region. His remit includes Heads of Business, Tax and Finance Directors and Senior Analysts.
Having spent four years recruiting within capital markets for a UK plc in the London market, James moved to Japan to start up and launch the brand in Tokyo. Within four years, James established the brand as a market leader in financial services and commerce recruitment, both in the contingent and retained sectors.
James graduated in Accounting and Law from Kingston University.
James is an enthusiastic sportsman with a keen interest in cooking and travel.