Directorbank appoints Finance Director specialist recruiter  

  
London and Leeds-based Directorbank has appointed John Pearce, a well known and senior figure in the finance director recruitment market.   
   
Directorbank are niche non-executive and executive director recruiters, specialising in chair and chief executives for the corporate market as well as being retained by private equity houses to find teams for Management Buy-ins and Buy-outs. Pearce will increase their market in finance director appointments.  
   
Recent appointments in the corporate market include non-executive directors for Holidaybreak, Oakdale Bakeries and ICM and the former finance director of Sainsbury’s, Roger Matthews, was appointed chairman of Land of Leather in advance of its flotation.  
   
Pearce joins from the financial recruitment specialist ECHM - sold to AIM-listed Imprint Plc earlier this year - to head up and develop Directorbank’s finance offering. Pearce trained with Arthur Andersen and has fourteen years’ financial and accounting recruitment experience with organisations including Michael Page, Hays, and ECHM Hitchenor Maher, where he helped develop its leading national brand in financial recruitment. In the last five years John has placed more than 80 senior financial candidates in to a wide variety of roles across Europe for FTSE 250 Plcs, larger private businesses and SMEs.   
   
John Pearce said: “I was approached by a lot of headhunters – but Directorbank was where I really wanted to be. I see them as the next big thing with quality individuals and an excellent reputation. Their contacts at chairman and chief executive level are superb, they get the job done better and are very approachable. There is no complacency and they have a really down to earth style.”   
   
Directorbank is retained by more than 50 private equity houses - KKR, the American giant is the latest to sign up. The retainer allows private equity firms to have constant access to Directorbank’s database of 2,500 top directors interested in leading, chairing or becoming a non-executive for Management Buy-ins and Buy-outs.  
   
Chair appointments have been made for houses including ABN Amro, Granville, Hermes, Cazenove, Dunedin and LDC. Directorbank found three chief executives for MBIs who were critical to deal completions: Peter Selkirk at Taylor Continental Holdings; James Wilson at Palletways and Tony O’Neill at The Original Factory Shop.