Leadership Team
Kathryn is Founder & co-Chief Executive Officer, leading both the firm’s global Executive Search and Intelligence businesses.
She is the client lead for some of the firms’ most prestigious and longest serving clients, spanning the corporate and investment banking, insurance, retail banking, and asset management industries.
Kathryn has 15 years’ experience delivering c-suite executive talent solutions for financial services clients globally. She has lived and worked in both New York and London and understands both markets intimately.
Kathryn is passionate about social justice and drives the firm’s diversity and inclusion agenda. 60% of Rice Search Partners placements since 2018 have been diverse (across gender, BAME, LGBTQ+, the disabled, & veterans). She leads our partnership with Progress Together (the socio-economic campaigners) and our charity drive which saw us raise GBP 25,000 for Duchenne, the leading European muscular dystrophy charity.
Prior to joining Rice Search Partners in 2011, Kathryn worked for the Global Risk Solutions Group (GRS) with whom she specialised in placing senior Infrastructure professionals at banking, asset management, and insurance clients in both Europe & America.
Kathryn graduated with a BA 1st Class honours & MPhil in History from the University of Sussex.
James is Founder and co-Chief Executive Officer of Rice Search Partners.
He is also the client lead for the Front Office Investment Professionals practice. The team has expertise across the global capital markets structure for both investment and distribution specialists. James has partnered with some of the highest profile global funds and capital market businesses for over 15 years. He has delivered c-suite executives and investment teams for strategies managing more than USD 50 billion. The team has also delivered human capital with attributable revenues of close to USD 15 billion.
James has been integral to embedding both competitor analysis and market intelligence into our core executive search offering. The firm has delivered 75 plus pieces of bespoke research projects (across the global financial services, technology & energy industries) for clients.
James joined Rice & Dore Associates (subsequently becoming Rice Search Partners) in 2006 from a peer with whom he focused on both Emerging Markets and Commodities.
Prior to joining the Executive Search world, James worked at Deloitte & Touche and graduated with an MA in Philosophy & German from New College, Oxford University in 2001.
Stephen Ireton is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Rice Search Partners.
He is responsible for managing the firm’s global platform including its strategic operating plan, business analysis, data, finances, technology, marketing, human resources, and global offices. He is also Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary.
Between 2014 and 2022, Stephen was the Chief Operating Officer at Adjuvo Network Limited, an investment syndicate comprising 200 plus high-net-worth Operating Partners. He was also Company Secretary and a Director.
Adjuvo and its Operating Partners provide funding, strategic advice, board advisors, mentoring and business services to start-up and early-stage British companies. At the time of his departure, Adjuvo had invested £45M into 25 companies, employing more than 400 people across the regions of the United Kingdom.
Stephen joined the financial services executive search boutique Rice & Dore Associates (subsequently Rice Search Partners) in November 2001. He was promoted to Global Head of Equities & Research managing a global team of 14. By 2008, he had placed 149 candidates across 13 cities around the world. He subsequently became Chief Operating Officer.
Stephen studied Politics, Philosophy, & Economics (Upper Second) at Trinity College, Oxford University.
Marc is a Partner at Rice Search Partners and head of the firm’s Energy & Commodities practice.
The Energy & Commodities Practice partners with some of the most influential fund and investor businesses allocating to the energy & commodity industries globally. Marc leads executive searches for senior investment professionals and works closely with clients’ investment teams to advise on new strategies and c-suite appointments. He and the team also provide global market intelligence covering all liquid energy & commodity products, real assets, infrastructure and the energy transition.
The team execute projects across the globe with a track record spanning over 20 cities in the last five years.
Prior to joining Rice Search Partners in 2014, Marc headed the European commodity practice at a leading Global Markets search firm. He has been active in the commodity executive search space since 2009. Prior to entering the industry, Marc received his MA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
Based in New York, Victoria is a Partner and co-head of the global Corporate Functions practice at Rice Search Partners.
The practice focuses on director to board level corporate functions executive search across both the global financial and professional services industries. Specifically, the team has a deep understanding of the compliance, risk, controls, legal, and finance worlds.
Victoria has 20 plus years’ experience of both the Americas & EMEA markets, having lived and worked in both New York and London. She has partnered with some of the leading global alternative asset managers, banking, insurance, market making, private equity, and fintech clients.
Prior to joining Rice Search Partners in 2017, Victoria was a Founding Partner and Head of Americas at a boutique search firm. Previously she led their European search practice.
Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages (French and Spanish) and Economics.
Rowan is a Partner and co-head of the Corporate Functions practice at Rice Search Partners. Based in London, he has a particular focus across the UK, EMEA, APAC and UAE regions.
The practice focuses on strategic and business critical senior hires across both the global financial and professional services industries. Specifically, the team has a deep understanding of the legal, regulatory affairs, compliance, financial crime, risk, first-line controls, and chief financial officer markets.
Rowan has 20 plus years’ experience in executive search working with alternative asset managers, banking, insurance, market making, private equity, sovereign wealth funds, consulting and fintech clients around the world.
Prior to joining Rice Search Partners in 2017, Rowan was Head of the Infrastructure practice at a well-established executive search firm for seven years and a core partner to multiple leading global sell-and-buy-side financial institutions. He started his career in executive search, as a compliance and financial crime specialist.
Rowan holds a BA in Business Studies and German from De Montfort University.
Kelly is a Partner and head of the Digital, Data, Technology & Operations (DDTO) practice at Rice Search Partners.
DDTO deliver human capital solutions to clients via a range of services which include executive search, talent pipelining, organisational design, strategic workforce planning, and market intelligence. Their expertise covers digital, data, technology, and operational functions, serving clients across financial services, ecommerce, and technology.
The team has a specific focus and global track-record delivering searches and pipelines across the following domains: chief information officers, technology officers, chief operating officers, chief data officers (including analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning), chief digital officers, GM / product officers, chief commercial officers, revenue officers, and group transformation.
Kelly has 14 plus years’ experience delivering Director to C-suite executives for clients across the DDTO landscape. She has lived and worked in both New York and London.
Prior to joining Rice Search Partners in 2016, she worked with a global talent advisory and executive search boutique, ultimately as Chief of Staff to the Americas CEO and head of the firm’s Leadership Advisory Services practice; leading consulting and market intelligence engagements for Fortune 500 corporates, banks, insurers, hedge funds and technology organisations. She began her career with Rice & Dore Associates.
Kelly received her BA in International Relations from Suffolk University. She speaks Spanish, German & English.
Based in London, Tom is a Partner and head of the private markets and traditional asset management practice at Rice Search Partners.
The practice focuses on c-suite executive and divisional head searches for both global private and traditional asset management clients.
Prior to joining Rice Search Partners, Tom had over 20 years’ experience in executive search latterly as a Managing Director at a global boutique.
He started his search career at Russell Reynolds Associates in 2005. He subsequently worked for CT Partners (from 2008) becoming one of the youngest Partners in the firm before joining Heidrick & Struggles in 2013 to lead their Global Real Estate Practice. He has spent the last fifteen years working between New York and London for some of the world’s leading traditional and alternative asset managers.
Tom has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Nottingham.