Kate Pearlman-Shaw

For over 30 years Kate has specialised in helping people gain insight into, and then enhance their behavioural impact: for the first 18 years as a UK NHS Clinical Psychologist and leader, since 2005 using these same skills as a leadership development expert. Kate has pioneered her authentic leadership development methods to help senior leaders behave even more impactfully: to help them enhance how they interact, approach their roles and crucially, make successful values driven transformations within their organisations. Kate is a highly experienced Team and Executive Coach, her approach relies on evidence based psychological methodologies drawn predominantly from the psychotherapies, neuroscience and the study of effective leadership.  Kate has always believed that to develop senior leaders you need senior leadership experience, this led her to take senior leadership and Board Chair roles. Kate now works independently, owning her own limited company. She is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist & a Registered Individual and Team Coach with the BPS and a Registered Practitioner with the [UK] HPCP.

Joe Green

Joe gained a master’s degree in Sport Business Management from Sheffield Hallam University. During this time working closely with one of the UK’s leading team kit and sportswear retailers on their marketing strategy. Upon leaving university he worked as part of a project team, supporting the ecological and mitigation works relating to HS2.  Since joining Starfish, Joe has worked closely with clients and candidates to support the effective delivery of permanent recruitment projects.

Joëlle Prins

Joëlle spent seven years working worldwide in Hotel and Event Management prior to joining Starfish. She has joined our social sector team building on her interest in the charity sector where she has previously been involved in a number of accessibility projects. Joëlle derives energy from building and maintaining personal client relationships, in which transparency, effective communication and exceeding client expectations are paramount.

Toni Anderson

Toni gained her International Relations Degree from York University. She has over ten years’ experience in various fast-paced customer service roles, and she prides herself in her ability to build strong and long-lasting relationships. Toni is interested in diversifying the executive teams within the Social Sector and has a keen interest in projects that support minority groups.

Katy Laville

Katy attained a degree in Geography from King’s College London. While at university Katy worked as the Communications co-ordinator for an international children’s charity where she organised residential events and ran the charity’s social media accounts. Passionate about social impact, Katy places emphasis on ensuring high quality results for our clients. Katy supports Catherine Kift and Yomi Johnston with the development of the interim practice across the social sector, public policy, and local government.

Sarah Smithson-Ellis

Sarah worked in the legal sector for 35 years before joining Starfish Search and has worked in a number of highly regarded law firms during that time.  She has built a reputation for providing efficient, thorough and professional work for clients on a wide range of projects and assignments.  Throughout her career, she has regularly been involved with CSR programmes, has run charitable events and is also a Mental Health First Aider.

Clair Clarke

With over 15 years’ experience in Executive Recruitment, Clair has a particularly strong knowledge of the industry. She has worked in a number of highly regarded Executive Search firms spanning two decades. Clair has built a reputation in the industry for providing efficient, thorough and professional work for both clients and candidates on a wide range of recruitment assignments.

Charlotte Basran

Charlotte is an Assessment and Development Specialist with experience of delivering insightful, pragmatic, best practice client solutions.  Previously an executive recruitment consultant, she has specialised in the assessment and development of leadership behaviours across senior managers for 15 years. Charlotte has a Masters degree in Occupational Psychology and is accredited in the full range of profiling tools, including NEO, OPQ, Wave, Strengthscope, FIRO-B and Hogan Development Series. Experienced in the design and delivery of bespoke assessment activities, she has managed many high stakes middle manager and executive level assessment and selection projects from end to end. 

Zoe Thompson

Zoe has worked in the field of executive recruitment since 2005 securing both permanent and interim executive leaders for clients across a broad range of sectors. In the latter part of her career, she has specialised in candidate engagement and strengthening pools for some of the most challenging appointments. Previously she has led on the recruitment of numerous appointments including Chairs, NEDs, Chief Executive Officers and Directors. Zoe prides herself on her strong principles and strives to deliver high-quality results for every client; she has a demonstrable track record of building strong and long-lasting relationships with clients and candidates while adapting to the changing demands of her markets.

Rebecca O’Connor

Rebecca has worked within executive search across the social sector for over a decade where her focus has been primarily at C-suite and board level. She began her career in search as a healthcare researcher for a leading executive search firm, moving on to lead the Not for Profit and Charity interim division. Her early career was spent in television production and art publishing. She studied English Literature at the University of Liverpool, and has a Foundation in Art and Design from Camberwell College of Art.