Practice Areas

Our Commerce & Industry practice partners with and recruits for a broad range of industries and geographies for multinational, PE / VC-backed and SME / start-up businesses. We search globally for the following functions:

Our Not For Profit practice recruits extensively for charities, professional bodies, trade associations, the education sector, the NHS, Government bodies and other non-commercial organisations throughout the UK for the following functions:

A clear and cost-effective search and recruitment strategy by:

• working with the Governors to understand the school and its needs;
• preparing the full Candidate Brief, including the Job Description and Candidate Profile;
• conducting a full search;
• drafting and placing advertisements and handling all responses;
• making in-depth assessments of candidates who would best promote the school's ethos;
• arranging all meetings and interviews;
• advising and assisting on the conduct of interviews and any other assessments;
• taking up references;
• assisting in negotiations with the selected candidate.

• We offer and deliver a quality bespoke service.
• Our entire business is about people and so we know the value and importance of the personal approach to all our assignments.
• We have a long and successful record of working both in and across sectors in the Not for Profit and Commercial environments.
• Over two thirds of our assignments derive from existing clients or recommendations.
• Assignments will always be managed by the people who take the brief and who are experienced in search and selection and education.
• We have a dedicated team of education specialists coupled with our proven Search experience.
• We leave no stone unturned in identifying and attracting leadership talent for our clients.

Our fee structure is competitive and clear, as we work on a fixed fee basis on three bands.

• We comply with best practice and safer recruitment legislation.
• As part of our quality assurance we carry out independent post assignment reviews.
• We provide follow-up assistance to facilitate the transition and settling-in stage for appointed candidates.

• To provide a supportive framework to ease the transition of a new Head/Senior Management Team.
• Facilitate discussions with the School Governors and discussions with the incoming Head to design a mentoring program tailored to fit the organisation and the individual's needs.

Increasingly schools are recognising the importance of fundraising and marketing to support them in the delivery of their overall strategy.

We have a long track record of working with organisations to find them specialists in these areas and of ensuring the right organisational fit.

We promote educational dialogue across the sectors by running events on key issues. In addition to the speakers we invite a cross section of the education establishment.

The Education Practice is supported by an Advisory Group which includes serving and experienced Heads from across the sectors.

Sarah Thewlis - Managing Director, Thewlis Graham Associates
Sarah's early career was in operational and strategic HR at Marks & Spencer. She then transitioned into the public sector, as Deputy CEO at the Royal College of Physicians and then CEO at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and finally, CEO and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Sarah also has a number of non-exec board and committee responsibilities including; Phoenix Futures: the Home Office DNA Ethics Group; the Church of England Deployment and Conditions of Services Committee and the RCGP Audit Committee.

Dr Yvonne Ann Burne OBE - Lead Consultant, Thewlis Graham Associates
Former Headmistress of The City of London School for Girls
Formerly Headmistress of the City of London School for Girls and St. Helen's School, Northwood, Yvonne is Governor of a number of independent schools, Brighton University and trustee of two Academies. She is a member of the Education Panel for the Wolfson Foundation. She established and co-ordinated the Eton/Slough/Windsor/Hounslow and Haberdashers' Independent and State School Partnerships. Yvonne is a Trustee of the 9/11 London Project and the charity Tomorrow's Achievers. She mentors and appraises Heads and senior leaders. She is Past Master of the Company of Educators and a JP in the City of London.

Diana Rose - Thewlis Graham Adviser
Head of The Royal Masonic School for Girls
Diana's early teaching career was spent in grammar schools across Buckinghamshire. She subsequently become Head of Sixth Form at St Helen's Northwood, before being appointed as Deputy Head of Oxford High School. Diana has been Headmistress at The Royal Masonic School for Girls since 2002.

Diana has an MA from King's College Cambridge, History part 1, Social & Political Sciences Part 11 and a PGCE from Brasenose College, Oxford.

Former A-Level Examiner of History & Politics 1986 – 1996; previously Schoolteacher Fellow Merton College, Oxford, 1988-89; Member of Wolfson Foundation Education Panel 1992; Freeman of Guild of Educators; Member of Governing Council of Wycombe Abbey and Associate Fellow Harris Manchester College, Oxford, 2010.

David Thomas - Thewlis Graham Adviser
Headmaster of Reigate Grammar School
Educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford, and The Queen's College, Oxford, where he took an MA in Music. David began his career teaching at The Leys School and The King's School, Canterbury, before becoming Director of Music at Fettes College, Edinburgh. After a spell as Deputy Head at Trinity School, Croydon, he was appointed Headmaster of Reigate Grammar School in 2001.

Former A-level examiner and ISI inspector. He also spent a term as a Research Associate at the National College for School Leadership. Member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC); currently serving as Chairman of the South-East division from 2010-11 and sitting on HMC's Academic Policy Committee. Hobbies: music, music and more music.

Richard Bannister - Thewlis Graham Adviser
Principal of The City of London Academy (Southwark)
Formerly Deputy Head at Drayton Manor High School, a West London school rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted.