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 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 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.
Jola Omotosho
Abu DhabiJola joined HC Group in 2024 as an Associate within the Commodities Technology function.
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 in the Commodity Technology and Innovation 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
HC Talent Intelligence: The Access Constraint - Competing For Supply In Metals
We examine why access to supply, not trading exposure, is becoming the defining source of advantage in metals markets.
Spice: The Commodities that Shaped the Modern World with Roger Crowley
Our guest is award-winning historian Roger Crowley, discussing his latest book.
Bonus Episode: Molecule Contagion with Jeff Currie
Our guest is Jeff Currie, Chief Strategy Officer of Energy Pathways at Carlyle.
The Strait of Hormuz and Asia with Tom Reed
Our guest is Tom Reed, VP of Crude and Products at Argus Media.
Bonus Episode: Gulf War III and Global Financial Crisis II? With Nick Kumleben
Our guest is Nick Kumleben, Director of Greenmantle, the Geopolitical Risk Consultancy.
US Energy Supply, Bottlenecks and Private Equity with Jason Downie
Our guest is Jason Downie, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tailwater Capital, a private equity firm.
Bonus Episode: Gulf War III and Commodities with Nick Kumleben
Our guest is Nick Kumleben, Director of Greenmantle, the Geopolitical Risk Consultancy.
Repricing Power: How Clean Energy is Reshaping Global Power Markets, with Luca Pedretti
Our guest is Luca Pedretti, CEO and Co-Founder of Pexapark, a pricing intelligence firm for clean energy.
The Other 364 Days: Supporting Working Mothers in Commodities, Beyond International Women’s Day
Mimi Chahal on why maternity remains an inflection point in commodity trading, and how firms can retain female talent.
HC Talent Intelligence: 2026 Outlook - Compensation Trends in Energy Trading
As 2026 unfolds, we examine early signals of evolving compensation structures and reflect on changes seen in 2025.
The Rystad House View and Notes from IE Week - With Claudio Galimberti
Our guest is Claudio Galimberti, Chief Economist at Rystad Energy, a global energy consulting firm.
AI is Coming for Your Operating Model - With Eren Zekioglu
Our guest is Eren Zekioglu, Head of Digital Asset Trading at MacroShifu and a veteran of hedge funds and trading houses.
Food, Fuel & Weaponised: Soybeans with Walter Cronin
Our guest is Walter Cronin, President and Co-Founder of White River Nutrition, a soy processing company based in the US.
Important, Growing in Demand and Hard: Energy with Mike Howard
Our guest is Mike Howard, Founder and CEO of Howard Energy Partners, the largest privately owned midstreamer in the US.
HC Talent Intelligence: Commodities Trading Talent in 2026
We examine the shifts that are reshaping competitive dynamics in commodity trading in 2026.
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.
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.
Retained search is typically used when a hire is senior, specialist, confidential, or business‑critical, and when market mapping and direct outreach are required to reach candidates who are not actively applying. In sectors such as energy and commodities, firms like HC Group apply retained search to support roles with high impact on strategy, risk, governance, or long‑term performance.