Experienced professionals appointing successful leaders

As an experienced Office and Accounts Manager Alison has spent 25 years’ working in the financial and hospitality sectors in Australia, South Africa and the UK.

In her role as Accounts Associate for Gerard Daniels she supports the Commercial Manager and is responsible for invoicing, payroll and the production of financial reports.

In her previous roles Alison has worked for organisations ranging from small family owned businesses through to large national corporations.

New to Gerard Daniels, Alison is enjoying now being part of a friendly and professional team.

Berta joined Gerard Daniels in 2024 as a Research Associate. Having spent seven years prior working in recruitment, research and client services roles, she brings a wealth of highly transferrable skills and experience to support the Firm’s Executive search assignments.

In her current role Berta helps to identify Executive talent. She also performs in-depth market research and analysis to understand industry trends; to track the competitive landscape; and to develop talent maps for Executive-level profiles. Her proven ability to quickly understand the brief and to align talent with the requirement, ensures the right fit can be found for clients and candidates.

Berta’s energetic and highly personable nature makes engaging with her feel equally comfortable and professional. She values being able to provide a high level of service while building lasting relationships through meaningful engagement. Berta’s native Spanish language skills are another valuable asset, particularly for clients in Spain and Latin America.

Berta was first drawn to the Firm by a desire to have real world impact and to support the type of appointments that can shape the direction of client organisations. “Helping to identify and secure the right opportunities for individuals who can drive change, is in itself very rewarding,” she says.

Caron is a highly skilled Executive Assistant with more than 20 years’ global experience supporting c-suite executives, and coordinating, planning and supporting managerial, operational and administrative functions.

While working in high-pressure environments in mining, renewable energy, media and more recently in executive search and Board consulting, Caron has managed community grants and performed event management, conference presentation and training roles domestically and internationally.
In her current role Caron supports the London team and provides ad-hoc support to the wider global team as required.

Caron’s dedication, consistency, attention to detail and friendly demeanour position her well for corporate support roles, and she enjoys collaborating with others and the diverse and fast paced nature of supporting an international team. Caron thrives on the ever-changing priorities, dynamics, people and networks and variety of her role.

Chris brings considerable value to clients through his broad industry exposure and deep technical expertise, having spent 16 years supporting clients and candidates across multiple international jurisdictions.

During his 10 year tenure with Gerard Daniels Chris has led and successfully executed many technical and senior leadership appointments. In addition to his role as Associate Partner, Chris is also Head of Research for the Firm’s Asia Pacific region, and has a particular interest in emerging markets like renewables.

Chris previously spent a decade living and working in Japan where he was responsible for building and leading the medical device and pharmaceutical function for a boutique Tokyo-based recruitment firm. During this time Chris also led the Japanese Life Science Practice for a leading global recruitment firm.

Chris enjoys connecting the right executive talent with roles where they can really add value. He is driven by a desire to make a difference and has a genuine interest in the career progression of candidates.

Darlene leads the Corporate Services team at Gerard Daniels. She brings 21 years of experience working in executive search and over a decade as office manager for the Spotless Group.

In her current role as Corporate Services Manager Darlene works across varied functions including finance, commercial lease management, IT solutions and infrastructure, CRM implementation, privacy compliance, HR and marketing and branding. She is based in Perth, but supports all regions and regularly travels to the firm’s UK, US and Sydney offices. 

Darlene has led the implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other key legislation for Gerard Daniels. Supporting several commercial property moves and confidential projects have been other career highlights.

Darlene has considerable project management and strategic growth planning experience. She has also been involved in the implementation and strategies that govern the day-to-day operational activities of the organisation. 

Darlene brings value to clients by overseeing the work that goes on behind the scenes managing the many processes and procedures that are applied across each assignment. She takes pride in ensuring the corporate services team provides clients with best practice and enjoys being part of a strong, cohesive team that works closely with the leadership of the firm.

Erin was appointed to the role of Research Associate for the Gerard Daniels Perth practice in early 2025.

As one of the first points of contact for prospective clients and candidates, Erin builds rapport and relationships with ease. She also works collaboratively, bringing refined research and analytical skills to shape the critical early stages of the Executive search process.

Erin has gained broad local and international experience through prior employment and study, including:

Working as a research student on Murujuga country in the Burrup Peninsula of WA, collecting and analysing data on the possible impact of industrial emissions on Indigenous rock art in the region.

Completing internships with Fortescue in Shanghai and Curtin University in Western Australia.

As a recipient of the New Columbo Scholarship (a program that supports Australian undergraduates with international study, language training and internships), Erin attended the India Entrepreneurial Internship to connect with and learn from a range of international businesses.

Erin enjoys the opportunity to continuing learning and growing in her current role, as she supports the delivery of diverse Executive search assignments across the Asia Pacific region.

Geoff is a deeply experienced business leader and executive search professional with over 35 years’ experience across the Asia Pacific market. Originally from Perth, Geoff resides in Sydney where he heads up the Gerard Daniels Practice.

During his career Geoff has also completed many executive appointments in the Philippines, Singapore and early on in London.

He has gained multi-sector experience and substantial functional expertise in general management, technical, sales and marketing, operations, finance and customer management.

Today Geoff continues to serve as trusted adviser to a wide range of clients including listed, private and not-for-profit organisations. He delivers value by combining broad experience with persistence and the capacity to really understand a client brief.

Geoff enjoys providing sound advice, building relationships and being able to positively influence and gain the trust of the clients and candidates that he supports.

Geraldine brings broad international experience to the executive search	team at Gerard Daniels, having worked for leading management consulting and executive search firms for more than 20 years.

Geraldine's early recruitment career began in Sydney, before she relocated to Singapore and moved into executive search. While in Singapore, Geraldine worked with several European and American technology companies, assisting	their expansion into Asia by placing their inaugural Head of Asia.

Geraldine made a career change into public relations while living in Dubai – an experience that helped her to develop a deep market understanding and a strong network across the Middle East.

On returning to Australia Geraldine also returned to executive search. Today she brings diverse research expertise to senior executive placements for clients across diverse industries and sectors. She also offers niche functional experience placing candidates in senior level technology roles.

Geraldine’s ability to identify standout candidates that align with a client’s needs and culture brings substantial value to her assignments. She enjoys supporting varied clients, and is known for tenaciously and methodically approaching each search until the best candidate can be appointed.

Ivan joined Gerard Daniels in 2010 as Senior Research Associate, progressing through roles before being appointed as Partner in 2020. Today he combines extensive industry knowledge with rigorous search processes to source and recruit exceptional executive talent across a wide range of industries and disciplines.

Working from Perth and London, Ivan has successfully delivered executive and senior management level appointments in the resources and industrial sectors. He has also acted for leading companies with operations across South East Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.

Ivan has particular experience supporting clients in delivering C-suite and executive level roles. He is driven by a desire to make a difference, and is widely recognised by clients and colleagues as someone who operates with integrity and delivers a high standard of customer service.

James is a highly skilled consultant with 15 years’ experience working across human resources and executive search disciplines.

Having spent the early part of his career as a generalist HR advisor for a global energy services business in Western Australia and Singapore, James later took on senior HR and executive search roles for global organisations based in Sydney and London.

Since joining Gerard Daniels in the UK James has been predominantly focused on delivering executive appointments for high calibre clients in the energy and industrials sector.

A genuinely collaborative approach allows James to build trusted international networks, which he leverages to partner with leading organisations and to acquire outstanding leadership talent throughout the UK, Europe, Middle East, North America, Australia and Asia.

By combining these networks with vast functional expertise James has successfully delivered mandates from Board, C- Suite, Functional and Regional leadership level across a diverse range of Energy (including oil and gas, power, renewables and clean technology), Private Equity, Industrial and Technology-focused clients.

James joined Gerard Daniels in mid-2025, building on an accomplished career in 

As Partner, James serves as a trusted advisor to boards and executive teams, aligning leadership capability with organisational strategy in sectors where execution is critical. He brings more than two decades of specialist expertise to the role, having worked extensively in the energy, utilities and infrastructure sectors, with both traditional and pioneering generation, transmission, distribution and renewables/storage providers.

Working across Executive Search and Board Advisory, James helps clients to develop and appoint high-performing individuals, that lead effectively and drive major transformation in complex and highly regulated markets.

Clients value James’ understanding of global governance, transformation and leadership needs, in industries that balance policy shifts, technological change and stakeholder scrutiny. James also enjoys partnering with decision makers to navigate high-stakes challenges, advise on succession planning and influence the leadership agenda, understanding the pivotal role that leaders play in shaping these industries.

Prior roles, servicing the Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America regions, have allowed James to gain global perspective; to deliver impact at scale; and to develop broad international networks that benefit clients and candidates alike.

James has earned his reputation for delivering successful appointments at C-suite and senior leadership level, with other notable achievements that include:

Advising on appointments that underpin large-scale energy transition and infrastructure projects

Supporting governance reform and leadership renewal in listed, private, and state-owned enterprises

Building senior leadership benches in technically complex and highly regulated markets.

, supporting local, national and international talent requirements. 

Jennifer has more than 20 years’ experience working as a trusted adviser in executive search, supporting the Boards and CEOs of some of Australia’s largest and most influential organisations.

Her background as a former political adviser to a Federal Attorney-General and as a political journalist with The West Australian, allows Jennifer to bring high functional expertise to external/corporate affairs, communications, investor engagement and general commercial roles. Jennifer also maintains a large network of contacts within both State and Federal political, media and Government circles, which she uses to great effect.

Jennifer naturally gravitates towards roles with a high level of people engagement and takes pride in offering exceptional client and candidate service through her transparent, honest and open approach.

Jennifer enjoys understanding people and why they might fit into leadership roles, and her ability to think laterally helps her to source candidates and match skills from less obvious places. Testament to the value she brings to her clients, Jennifer also maintains a very high level of client/candidate satisfaction and repeat business.

Julia is a senior research and marketing associate with more than 20 years’ experience working in professional service firms, including 15 years in global executive search. She has lived, worked and supported executive appointments in the UK, North and South America, Southern Africa, South East Asia and Australia.

Before starting in research Julia was a consultant for an Adelaide based executive search, and earlier, was a graphics and desktop publishing specialist for a global management consulting and executive search firm based in London.

To support clients and candidates, Julia also draws on project management and marketing experience, and functional expertise in C-suite, Board and upper management executive roles, and those roles deemed specialised or hard to fill.

Julia offers exceptional support to clients through her professionalism, responsiveness, dedication and tenacity.

She enjoys the continued learning opportunities and diversity that her current role brings and takes satisfaction from being part of a process that places candidates where they should or need to be – especially for roles and organisations that make a positive impact on the world.

Kester is an experienced international professional with extensive experience working across the Asia Pacific, CIS, EMEA and Americas markets with a strong track-record completing C-suite, Non-Executive Director, Country Manager, Regional and functional leadership appointments for listed entities, private companies and private equity backed businesses.

With a particular interest in the Energy sector, Kester has a developed specialism in Sustainability and ESG mandates, and their evolving impact on the extractive industries. He has also established deep functional expertise in Renewables and Decarbonisation projects, including Hydrogen, Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Sequestration, Offshore Wind and Hydropower.

Kester is motivated by the personal and intellectual challenges of partnering with boards and C-suite leadership to ensure that they have the right teams in place to ensure both success today and critically, relevance tomorrow.

Lloyd established Gerard Daniels in 1986, together with CoFounder and Director Michael McAnearney. Since then the firm has grown to service diverse clients and markets, nationally and internationally.

For more than 40 years Lloyd has gained extensive board and executive search experience in Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, and South East Asia. He has also developed and maintained extensive networks of key executives in all regions.

As a trusted advisor to many of Australia’s leading CEOs Lloyd regularly works with boards on the appointment of Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, Managing Directors and CEOs. He enjoys the responsibility that comes with this trust, knowing that both clients and candidates want to be successful in what they do, personally and for the organisations they represent.

Lloyd has a strong philosophy around building and supporting community, culture and health. Over the years he has made a number of high-profile CEO appointments and undertaken significant pro-bono work in these sectors to build the capacity of Not-For-Profits.

Clients value Lloyd’s deep understanding of what it takes to be successful in an executive role, and his ability to look beyond the more obvious selection criteria to truly understand the human capabilities that individuals can deliver to make a difference.

Member of the Curtin Business School Advisory Council (9 years)

Immediate Past Chairman of the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (7 years)

Former Chairman Rottnest Island Foundation (6 years)

Michael has over 40 years’ experience acting for the Boards and CEOs of some of the world’s most successful companies. With significant experience in international markets, Michael has strong commercial expertise in placing effective appointments across the oil & gas, mining & minerals, industrial and infrastructure sectors.

Michael is a founding director of the company and is responsible for the international development of Gerard Daniels. He was instrumental in establishing the company’s offices across the EMEA and the Americas and retains predominant responsibility over both regions.

A firm advocate of education and not-for-profit enterprises, Michael is an Adjunct Professor in the Business School at the University of Western Australia and is a Board Member of the Telethon Kids Institute.

He holds a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Western Australia.

Michelle joined Gerard Daniels in 2024 as a Database and Compliance Associate, drawing on more than 20 years’ administrative experience gained working in the legal sector.

In this role Michelle maintains the Firm’s database and other systems to manage candidate, client and company information. Her process-driven approach and impeccable attention to detail ensure that a high degree of accuracy, quality and confidentiality can be achieved. Michelle’s meticulous approach to data and information management also helps the Firm to comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to promptly resolve any issues that occur.

Having spent time working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, Michelle is able to maintain high standards and a professional approach, despite any challenges that she faces. Her strong communications skills, ability to work collaboratively and commitment to achieve good outcomes, delivers further value to Gerard Daniels and its clients.

Michelle enjoys working as part of a friendly and high performing Perth-based corporate services team.

Nona joined Gerard Daniels in 2023 as a Partner in the London office, strengthening the Firm’s natural resources and industrial sector footprint in the EMEA region. She draws on 15 years of experience – including a decade spent working in the mining and infrastructure industries – advising senior decision makers on anticipated socio-political and human capital trends impacting their businesses as well as connecting Executive talent with the right opportunities globally.

Nona is driven to help clients understand what the right profile looks like for a given role, and to identify and deliver candidates that are the right fit. Understanding that the mining sector’s challenges and opportunities are complex and multifaceted, Nona also draws on her knowledge of regional and global business critical trends to advise clients on:

Socioeconomic factors impacting the natural resources sector

Human capital and technology trends and the anticipated impact of technological innovation

Anticipated challenges for the future leaders

To-date Nona has appointed senior leaders as well as board directors in Canada, the USA, Chile, Peru, the UK, South Africa, Guinea, Australia amongst other places. Having lived and worked in several countries, she has established enduring relationships and enjoys continually learning from a network of experienced professionals around the globe.

Nona also has strong coaching skills, and a keen interest in talent development and mentoring.

Paul has spent his 18-year executive search career working with and helping to grow Gerard Daniels across the international resources sector. During this time he has delivered many successful appointments, including some highly challenging roles, placed into most parts of Australia, USA, Canada, Indonesia and Africa.

Throughout his career Paul has developed broad technical, metallurgy, sales and marketing management experience working in R&D, projects, operations support, business development, product development and consulting roles.

Paul’s diverse executive search skills are complemented by experience gained working with leading international organisations in mining, mining services and OEM sectors, and from direct involvement in coal, gold and diamond mining, iron ore and alumina production.

Paul has specific technical experience in the life extension of components in mining, crushing and mineral processing, hands-on experience in slurry pumping (for process plants and tailings disposal) and the application of high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) in mineral circuits. 

Building on significant Board and Committee experience, Paul is currently Director and National Treasurer for Materials Australia. He previously chaired MA’s National Committee for Technical Training and was Chair of a Technical Committee with Weld Australia. Paul has also been Chair/Convenor for a number of technical conferences and seminars.

As a Partner at Gerard Daniels, Paul brings honesty, tenacity and passion for delivering high quality appointments. He enjoys being a trusted advisor to senior industry representatives and growing relationships with candidates that later become clients.

Samala supports the Directors and Co-Founders of the firm Lloyd Smith and Michael McAnearney and assists the team across all offices where necessary.

As a professional C-Suite Level Executive Assistant, Samala brings a wealth of experience and more than 20 years’ experience supporting senior executives in various industries across the globe. She creates calm out of chaos, while delivering high quality results.

Samala brings honesty, effective communication and strict confidentiality to her work, and she is focused, consistent, punctual, reliable, organised and trustworthy. Samala is also consciously accessible, and makes it a priority to understand the needs of her team whilst managing multiple schedules.

Collaborating with colleagues and regularly meeting diverse groups of people are highlights for Samala in her current role. She also enjoys opportunities for interesting interactions with clients and candidates.

Scott joined Gerard Daniels in 2022 and has played a key role in identifying and delivering successful executive placements. With a focus on research in the mining and finance sectors, he combines strong analytical skills with a practical understanding of how these industries work.

His varied career, from elite sport and coaching to currency trading and account management, gives him a fresh perspective and a unique approach to executive search. Scott thrives in the high-performance, global environment of Gerard Daniels, where his adaptability, precision, and drive consistently add value to client engagements.

Originally from Perth, he has also lived and worked in Beijing, giving him a global perspective that complements his local insight. Whether navigating complex markets or identifying the right leadership fit, Scott approaches every search with the same discipline and focus that defined his earlier career in sport.

Susan is an ambitious and self-motivated Executive Assistant who brings more than 20 years of experience supporting senior executives to the firm.

Having worked previously in financial services, biotechnology and the resources sector, Susan is well accustomed to supporting fast paced and high performing teams. She delivers on deadline, takes initiative and utilises exceptional communication and computer skills. 

Susan also has a high level of cultural awareness and adaptability and is well suited to working with and supporting diverse teams.She enjoys learning from her colleagues and values the fact that every day in her role is a little different.

Appointed Chief Executive for Gerard Daniels in September 2025, Warren brings significant international experience to the critical leadership role while building on a successful 25+ year career.

Warren provides significant value to the Firm and its clients by guiding strategy, strengthening global partnerships, embedding a values-based culture and driving performance across all regions. He enjoys building long-term partnerships and is widely recognised for his ability to create sustainable client value, aligning leadership requirements with strategy and delivering transformational talent solutions.

As an experienced consultant and senior leader, Warren’s deep sector expertise informs a range of client issues, including:

Navigating evolving leadership requirements, particularly in the construction, engineering, infrastructure and energy sectors.

Leading through major change and transformation.

Building sustainable and values-driven culture.

Advising on industry best practice for Board and Executive leadership.

Driving technology-enabled innovation for enhanced client outcomes.

Consistently delivering on diverse and high profile Board and Executive level appointments, Warren has achieved particular success supporting the senior talent requirement for major landmark projects, such as the London Olympics 2012, Shard of Glass, Hinkley Point C, Sydney Metro, Westgate Tunnel, Western Sydney Airport and Snowy Hydro 2.0. Other notable achievements, include:

Establishing and leading successful organisations in Australia and the UK and building strong client partnerships across the UAE, New Zealand, South East Asia and Europe.

Scaling the energy and infrastructure practice for a global executive search firm, while building the teams, technologies, processes and infrastructure to support sustainable growth.

Launching and leading a UK-based Executive search and leadership advisory, that partnered with Laing O’Rourke to create competitive advantage in core international markets.

, Warren provides global leadership while supporting client needs across local, national and international markets.

Council of Asia Pacific Member for the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) – 2021 to 2025.

Our Team

Alison Truter

Berta Fernandez Diaz

Caron Melville

Chris Tan

Darlene Sambell

Erin Fish

Geoff Curran

Geraldine Allan

Ivan Zuvela

James Christian

James Simpson

Jennifer Grove

Julia Turner

Kester Guy-Briscoe

Lloyd Smith

Michael McAnearney

Michelle Haseldine

Nona Sichinava

Paul Howard

Samala Nicolaou

Scott Andrews

Susan Stanley

Warren Rushbrook

We invite you to discuss your International Executive Search and Board & Executive Leadership needs.

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