Financial Services.

Your Recruiting Partners in Financial Services.

Global headhunters in Financial Services & FinTech for over 20 years.

Our Financial Services practice is led by Managing Director, Phil Brakewell, who brings over two decades of global executive search experience supporting banks, insurers, fintech innovators, and private equity-backed financial platforms.

Having partnered with leading organisations across the UK, Europe, and North America, Phil’s expertise lies in building high-performing leadership teams that can navigate transformation, regulatory change, and digital disruption. His background working with both established institutions and fast-growth ventures enables him to understand the challenges — and opportunities — shaping modern financial services.

Named one of the Top 100 Leaders in Staffing in 2023, Phil combines deep market insight with a passion for innovation and technology, ensuring our clients benefit from data-driven precision and speed in every mandate.

With global reach, AI-enhanced sourcing, and a seamless delivery model, our Financial Services practice connects ambitious organisations with leaders who can drive resilience, compliance, and commercial success in an evolving market.

Phil Brakewell.

Managing Director

+44 (0)1423 229 199

phil@partnerwise.co.uk

OUR WORLD OF DIFFERENCE.

24/7 AI-Sourcing.

Our fusing of traditional network’s with AI global sourcing tech rapidly opens the gateway to previously unreachable, exclusive and more diverse candidates, insights and intelligence that enriches the performance of our customers.

Customer Led Approach.

We invest time to understand and from which craft personalised solutions and product and service offerings and fee structures that directly address your specific challenges or aspirations.

our global reach.

Our reach is highly specialist, genuinely global, data driven and fully supported by multiple years of industry and talent hiring expertise.

Outpace the Competition.

Harness our expertise to recruit leaders who understand the dynamics of the financial services sector.

GET IN TOUCH

  • “I worked with Phil for a couple of years and my dealings with him were invariably open and honest. We worked to develop a new recruitment model for Coats and Phil was instrumental in making that a success. He always worked with a high degree of integrity and inevitably delivered, even on the most challenging search assignments.”

    SVP HR | Transformation leader

  • “Phil is the absolute BEST partner! He quickly learned my organization, asked the right questions to understand the critical success factors for talent to succeed with us, and respectfully challenged us to open our aperture farther and consider unique options that would make us a stronger team. He's my first choice and go-to person for executive talent acquisition globally. He changed our business for the better and can help anyone anywhere - 10/10 recommend!”

    Innovative HR Leader

  • “Phil was great in supporting us with our talent needs as we scaled our organization into an independent company. He was personally helpful during my next CEO search. Phil connected me to 3i and kept me in the loop throughout the early stages of the process. Definitely someone I would recommend for our future talent needs.”

    CEO ofGlobal Medical Device Manufacturing Company

  • “Phil was great during the entire recruiting process. He was informative and very responsive. Kept me informed every step of the way, even when there was nothing much by way of an update. Professional all the way!”

    Customer Experience & Contact Center Executive

  • “Phil is a competent headhunter who can be very persuasive.

    He is very process oriented and efficient . He is also very energetic, which tends to rub off on you.

    Overall, a very effective senior recruiter and headhunter.”

    Founder & CEO

  • “Phil is an insightful and supportive professional in his field. Highly approachable, connected and knowledgeable.”

    Director of Marketing

  • “Phil facilitated a very effective recruitment process, delivering a great experience for the client and myself. At the frontend was very effective questioning and listening skills with the right level of prompt engagement and support through the process that ensured the right person for the role as an effective output. I would highly recommend Phil.”

    Strategy, Governance & Planning Lead

  • “Phil was the best sort of recruitment partner - fast-to-react, questioned lots to maximise understanding, and then delivered on his promises. What more needs to be said! Great result, and would be happy to work-with Phil again.”

    International Negotiation and Intercultural Engagement Master Practitioner

  • “Phil played a key role in the successful outcome of a recruitment process facilitated by HW. He did so by balancing attention for the interests of the recruiting company with care and genuine interest for the candidate and prompt follow ups of actions and queries.”

    CEO / Founder of a Specialized Management Consulting Firm

  • “Phil is a great person to work with and has an excellent communication ethic which means you are always aware of where you are at. As well as being so personable I am pleased to say that results are also achieved. I look forward to working with Phil again in the future.”

    Non Executive and Advisory

  • “I worked with Phil over a two year period, in which time he was directly responsible for the Executive Search function of Cornerstone. Phil was responsible for some very strategic and senior head hunt campaigns, that resulted in executive placements across the group.”

    Vice President Human Resources

  • “Phil demonstrates exceptional talent by incorporating and embracing emerging technologies into his search practices. Challenging the the 'old boy network' stigma attached to search and selection, Phil's refreshing methodologies deliver time after time and typically exceed expectation. Tremendously passionate and extremely hard working.”

    Director