Founded in 2018, The Appleby Brown Partnership is a boutique executive search firm that brings together two of the most experienced executive search practitioners in the legal, compliance and regulatory markets.
Gill Appleby and Catherine Brown have over forty years’ combined experience of the private practice and financial services, legal, compliance and regulatory worlds and have advised firms and financial institutions on all aspects of their organisational development and corporate infrastructure.
Having spent many years as Partners in international search firms, we have been instrumental in working on some of the most significant market moves of the last two decades and have unrivalled market contacts and depth of expertise.
We provide bespoke market advice to law firms, financial institutions and individuals on human capital issues and career management.
We value integrity and professionalism and provide straightforward, honest and highly commercial advice. We believe in long term relationships with both Clients and Candidates and work in a genuinely collegiate way with the firms and individuals that we partner with.
All assignments are Partner-led to ensure our research and market intelligence capabilities are best utilised and are completed expeditiously and to the highest standard.
About Us
Gill Appleby
Following a Law Degree from Bristol University, Gill trained and qualified as a Solicitor in 1994 with Herbert Smith. She spent 2 years in private practice before joining international recruitment firm Taylor Root where she became the Partner responsible for developing the specialist US Practice. She was instrumental in establishing Taylor Root’s International Division and the Partner Team.
In 2009 Gill co-founded Macrae Roxburgh Appleby (MRA) where she was involved in some of the most high profile firm build-outs of UK and US firms in the London market. When she exited this business, Gill went on to establish The Appleby Brown Partnership with Catherine Brown.
With over twenty years of legal recruitment and executive search experience Gill has placed Partners and teams in many of the international and London law firms and leads the Private Practice Team at The Appleby Brown Partnership.
Gill has two girls and is actively involved in fundraising for numerous Charities including running the occasional marathon and most recently climbing Kilimanjaro.
Catherine Brown
Catherine graduated in Law and trained and qualified as a Solicitor in 1994 with DLA. She spent four years at the firm before joining Michael Page London where she helped to build out the Legal In-House Division running the team of six Consultants across all industry sectors.
In 1999 she joined specialist financial markets firm Hogarth Davies Lloyd where she ultimately ran the global legal, compliance and regulatory team and she remains an Adviser to that firm.
With over twenty years of executive search experience Catherine specialises in the recruitment of General Counsel, compliance and regulatory professionals and has in recent years been involved in some of the most high profile recruitment assignments in the European financial services market.
Catherine leads the In-House Team at The Appleby Brown Partnership. She is a Licensed Career Counsellor and works closely with individual General Counsel and Heads of Compliance to help them to manage their careers.
Catherine has a teenage daughter and is a reticent open water swimmer.
Private Practice
Led by Gill Appleby the Private Practice Team specialises in growing leading UK, US firms and Professional Services firms in London and internationally.
We have a deep understanding and expertise of working collaboratively with senior management to assist with the expansion of growing firms.
We provide a Partner-led advisory approach and have extensive experience of providing individual Partners and Senior Associates with objective and honest counsel on career growth and development across both private practice and in-house.
Examples of completed assignments include:
Opened the London office of this West Coast based firm with the development of a 50 lawyer team.
Worked in collaboration with the Senior Partner of this insurance based firm to build it’s London Office into an award winning full service firm. Responsible for over fifty percent of its Partner hires.
Hired four partner Project Finance team into the London Office of this New York based firm.
Assisted a Leading Senior Equity Partner in their move to a Magic Circle firm.
Working in Partnership with the Senior Partners of an internationally recognised professional services firm to grow out their corporate team and assist in the strategic build of the practice.
Helped numerous Senior Associates move into their first partnership roles.
In-House
Led by Catherine Brown the in-house Legal, Compliance and Regulatory team has an unparalleled track record placing General Counsel, Heads of Compliance and senior regulatory professionals into financial services organisations and corporates. Team and Department build outs are a particular speciality.
Flexibility of approach in these markets is key and we work in partnership with clients on a retained search or an exclusive contingent basis depending upon the specific mandate’s requirements.
We provide a client focused, Partner-led approach to ensure that assignments are completed in a thorough and expeditious manner.
Examples of completed assignments include:
First General Counsel
Worked with the US GC to identify a Group General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer and COO for Europe. Subsequently built out the Legal, Compliance and Finance team.
Worked closely with the GC to develop a legal team of twenty lawyers over a ten-year period.
Worked alongside the Administrators and the General Counsel to build a team of fifteen lawyers to support the Administration.
Strategic Hire of CF10
Global Head of Anti Money Laundering CF11.
Investment Management Arm – Head of Compliance for Investment Management.
Diversity
We are entirely committed to inclusivity and diversity and actively promote the provision of Shortlists that are representative of this.
We have worked very closely with clients to ensure that their organisations are truly representative of the wider community and that their hiring processes are free from conscious or unconscious bias.
We have undertaken specific assignments to help address this issue and work creatively to ensure that clients consider the broadest range of possible candidates.
We actively represent and promote a broad cross section of individuals to ensure that they are assessed entirely on their own merits.
