Retained search is the bedrock of our business. We closely partner our clients to understand their strategic objectives and deliver on the critical roles required to meet their business goals.
Our search consultants combine sector-specific product, functional, and regional expertise to enable our clients the access and insight required to make truly informed hiring and recruitment decisions.
Industry Coverage
- Agriculture & Nutrition
- Financial Services
- Renewables
- Liquid Fuels & Chemicals
- Metals & Minerals
- Shipping & Logistics
- Gas and LNG
- Power and Environmental Products
Functional Coverage
Discover Our Talent Intelligence Services
Competitive Analysis
Talent Pipelining & Succession Planning
Compensation Data & Advisory
Diversity Studies
Behavioural Assessment
Our Relevant Consultants
Laura Lee (née Berger)
New YorkLaura joined HC Group in 2021 & is a Portfolio Director working within the Financial Services practice in New York.
Robert Wells
HoustonRobert Wells joined HC Group in 2022 and is part of the Gas, Power, & Renewables practice in Houston.
Daniel Cordell
LondonDaniel joined HC in 2007 and is the Managing Director for HC Group's European Energy practice.
Anoush Kefayati
LondonAnoush joined HC Group in 2013 and is Group Managing Director of HC Group. He is based in London.
Victoria Todd
Abu DhabiVictoria joined HC Group in 2019 and works within the EMEA Liquid Fuels practice.
Alex Coghlan
HoustonAlex joined HC Group in 2013 and is the Portfolio Director for the Agriculture and Nutrition practice, based in Houston.
Andrew Watson
São PauloAndrew joined HC Group in 2015 and is responsible for managing Latin America.
Alexander Walsh
SingaporeAlex joined HC Group in 2023 and is a Portfolio Director working within the Energy practice in Singapore.
Alexis Bailey
Abu DhabiAlexis joined HC Group in 2023 and works within the Corporate Functions practice in Abu Dhabi.
Andy Morrison
HoustonAndy, Portfolio Director in the Gas, Power and Renewables practices in North America, joined HC Group in 2021.
Arabella Talbutt
Abu DhabiArabella joined HC Group in 2023 and is a Senior Associate, working in Liquid Fuels & Chemicals, based in Abu Dhabi.
Arjan Bains
LondonArjan is a Senior Associate specialising in European oil mandates in London.
Ed Bennett
HoustonEd joined HC Group in 2022 and works within the Financial Services practice as a Senior Associate.
Edd Scicluna
New YorkEdd joined HC Group in 2023. He works in the Corporate Functions practice as a Senior Associate in New York.
Edward Carter
LondonEdward Carter joined HC Group in 2014 and is the Head of Corporate Functions.
Edzel Maniego
HoustonEdzel joined HC Group in 2023, and is now a Senior Associate working within the Commodities Technology practice.
Erika Fajardo
Abu DhabiErika joined HC Group in 2021 and works within the Liquid Fuels practice in Abu Dhabi.
George Campbell-Wilson
LondonGeorge Campbell-Wilson joined HC Group in 2024 as an Associate within the Corporate Functions practice.
Helena Sarlanis
São PauloHelena joined HC Group in 2023 and is responsible for the technology, data, and innovation practice in Latin America.
Igla Lici
LondonIgla Lici joined HC Group in 2022 and works within the Corporate Functions practice in London.
Jay Perhar
LondonJay joined HC Group in 2025 as a Senior Associate and works within the European Financial Services practice.
Jonathan Kimura
São PauloJonathan joined HC Group in 2021 and is focused on the commodities and natural resources in Brazil.
Joseph Kulbeth
HoustonJoseph joined HC Group in 2022 and is responsible for the Liquid Fuels & Chemicals practice in Houston.
Josh Clayton
LondonJosh joined HC Group in 2021 and is the Portfolio Director of European Gas, LNG, Power, & Environmental Products.
Louis Stevens
HoustonLouis joined HC Group in 2022 and is a Senior Associate within the Liquid Fuels practice in Houston.
Marcos Tassote
São PauloMarcos joined HC Group in 2022 and is focused on the commodities and natural resources in Brazil.
McLean Dickson
HoustonMcLean joined HC Group in 2026 as an Associate in the Agriculture and Nutrition practice. He is based in Houston.
Milford Koh
SingaporeMilford joined HC Group in 2024 and works within the Asia Energy practice in Singapore.
Nick Quilkey
LondonNick joined HC Group in 2024 and works within the Liquid Fuels & Chemicals practice in London.
Nick Snoek
LondonNick joined HC Group in 2023 and is responsible for the European dry bulks practice.
Oana Roman
LondonOana joined HC Group in 2024 and is currently a Senior Consultant within the Legal & Compliance talent practice.
Olivia Palacio
HoustonOlivia Palacio is an Associate in our Power and Environmental Products talent practice in Houston.
Premesha McDonald (nee Motha)
SingaporePremesha joined HC Group in 2015 and is a Portfolio Director working within the Metals & Minerals practice in Singapore.
Richard Lee
New YorkRichard joined HC Group in 2020 and is Global Head of Technology & North American Corporate Functions.
Rosie Hennessy
LondonRosie joined HC Group in 2023 in London with a focus on front office analytics, in Gas, Power, LNG, and Carbon for EMEA.
Sky Koh
SingaporeSky joined HC Group in 2024 and works within the Asia Energy practice in Singapore.
Thomas Webster
LondonThomas joined HC Group in 2026 as Head of European and US Shipping.
Tori Tootell
HoustonTori joined HC Group in 2026, and is a Senior Associate within HC Group’s Corporate Functions practice in Houston.
Gianluca Castellano
LondonGianluca joined HC Group in 2022, he works in the EMEA Gas & LNG practice as a Senior Associate.
Latest Talent Insights
European Energy Trading Volatility: The Hybrid Talent Pivot
Dan Cordell explores the attraction of hybrid skillsets in an increasingly volatile European Energy trading market.
Unearthing Alpha with a Metals Hedge Fund, with Matt Heap
Our guest is Matt Heap, founder and CIO of Forth Fund Management, a hedge fund dedicated to metals and mining.
Japan Power Trading: Opportunity Is Growing Faster Than Capability
We examine Japan’s power shift and the talent gap shaping commercial success in a complex market.
No Peace, No War and No Flows with Aldo Spanjer
Our guest is Aldo Spanjer, Head of Commodity Strategy at BNP Paribas Markets 360
Sulphurous Times with Meena Chauhan
Our guest is Meena Chauhan, Research Manager at Argus Consulting Services.
Whitepaper: Commodity Trading HR - Navigating the Talent Maze
In this whitepaper, we explore how HR leaders in trading navigate bonus pressure, retention and transformation.
Commodity Trading’s Bumper Q1, with Archie Hunter
Our guest is Archie Hunter, Commodities Trading Reporter at Bloomberg.
Whitepaper: AI in Commodity Trading - From Competitive Edge to Commercial Reality
We examine where AI is delivering value in commodity trading, and what is limiting its ability to scale.
Escalation Impotence with Doomberg
Our guest is Doomberg, the largest dedicated energy and finance Substack.
Mimi Chahal: UAE Talent Market During Uncertainty
Head of Talent Intelligence Mimi Chahal examines how geopolitical risk is reshaping UAE hiring and localisation.
Notes from the FT Global Commodities Summit with Paul Chapman
Paul Chapman shares his reflections from the FT Global Commodities Summit, which he attended in Lausanne.
Report: AI in Commodity Trading - Why Data Will Define the Winners
Our survey of trading leaders explores AI adoption in commodity trading and pathways to delivering value.
Paul Chapman: The Roiling Storm
The conflict with Iran has laid bare the fragility of global commodity supply chains, argues HC Group’s Paul Chapman.
Europe’s Power Trading Outlook with Xavier Veillard
Our guest is Xavier Veillard, a Partner at McKinsey and their lead for power trading.
Tungsten with William Parry-Jones
Our guest is William Parry-Jones, founder of Wolfram Advisory, a tungsten and critical minerals consultancy.
Talent Intelligence
Competitive Analysis
Identifying market benchmarks to support strategy development.
Talent Pipelining & Succession Planning
On-demand access to talent
Compensation Data & Advisory
Aligning productivity and performance
Diversity Studies
Leveraging different perspectives & fostering better decision-making.
Behavioural Assessment
Helping you identify the talent needed to build the right team.
Speak to a consultant
Contact our team to discuss your specific requirements. We will endeavour to respond to your message as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
HC Group supports senior hiring through retained search by working closely with organisations to understand strategic objectives and identify the leadership and specialist roles required to deliver them. This approach is typically used where roles are complex, confidential or critical to business performance.
HC Group recruits senior leadership and specialist roles across energy and commodities markets, including executive officers and key functional hires in trading, marketing and origination, operations and transformation, technology, finance, risk, legal and compliance, and sustainability.
Executive search firms help organisations in energy and commodities markets identify, assess and hire senior leaders and specialist professionals. They research the market, approach relevant candidates, including those not actively looking, and evaluate suitability, supporting the hiring process from initial search through to final appointment.