Our management team has extensive experience of delivering effective client solutions

Charles Whitaker
Charles is the founder and Managing Director of Connaught Search Solutions. He entered the Executive Search industry in 2001 and has held roles ranging from International Consultant to MD, with experience in the financial services, technology, industrial, property, defence and aerospace sectors. His passion lies in delivering the highest quality, ethical propositions to major corporations, whilst saving cost and contributing to competitive advantage via strategic partnership - partnership in the truest sense of the word. He conceived and implemented this innovative and unique senior resourcing model within a FTSE 100 company, and subsequently developed it for the wider market – launching Connaught as the first "Search Solutions" company in the executive recruitment industry. A pioneer in the delivery of strategic senior resourcing solutions to major corporations, Charles specialises in the construction of high performance, cost-effective and high impact services for Clients across global platforms.

Formerly a professional soldier for some 15 years, Charles was educated at Sandhurst and The Staff College, his latter appointments including command of an operational reconnaissance squadron in the Balkans, and Chief of Staff of a Brigade.

Nicholas Bunkum
Nick has more than 15 years experience in recruitment. Starting his career in the IT contract market he spent four years recruiting specialists in both the UK and Europe for EAL, eventually moving to Brussels to manage the European operation. He then joined Integrated Control Systems IMPAC a US Management Consultancy where for the next five years he led the recruitment team as European Recruitment Manager responsible for hiring consultants in twenty-two Countries before joining the consulting division of Cambridge Technology Partners, where, as Functional Head of Recruitment, he held responsibility for recruitment across the business. In 2000 Nick moved into the Executive Search industry as one of five founding partners in a boutique established to provide recruitment services focussed on Technology and E-Commerce sectors, via both Search and Selection. In 2007, excited by the innovative approach developed by Connaught Search Solutions he joined them to lead the delivery of Executive Recruitment to some of its key clients in the Technology sector, working across the European and Emerging Markets theatres. In 2008 he became Customer Services Director of Connaught, where he is responsible for the quality of all the company’s services to its Clients.

Neal Pickering
Neal is a highly experienced senior international Principal Search Consultant with strong cross-sector depth. Since joining Connaught in May 2007 as a Client Director, Neal has led large scale search operations for Connaught’s strategic clients across the technology, mobile, rail, healthcare and public services sectors throughout Europe, the Gulf and Asia Pacific Regions. He previously led the successful delivery to FTSE 100 & Fortune 500 Clients across a range of senior management roles across Business Development, Operational Management, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Services, Project & Programme Managers, Consulting, Human Resources, Engineering and Engineering Design, Healthcare, Public Relations and Real Estate. Neal is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps. During his time in the Army he served in the UK and Northern Ireland, Germany and the first Gulf War. Neal is a qualified Medical Laboratory Scientist and has managed medical diagnostic laboratories as well as lecturing in Microbiology, Biochemistry and Haematology. Upon leaving the Army Neal held various Sales and Marketing roles in the pharmaceutical industry and was a Marketing Director prior to moving in to Executive Search.

Chris Boot
Chris is the Head of Defence & Aerospace Operations. Chris entered the Executive Search industry in 2003 and developed a successful global business by actively working with clients to shape and deliver searches on a global basis. Chris started his career as an aeronautical engineer then fulfilled international assignments for Smith’s Aerospace, which led to a secondment to the Royal Navy to provide avionics technical support on Sea Harrier aircraft. He subsequently held senior positions at aerospace firms including Racal, Thales, Plessey and GEC Marconi. Chris’s international experience was a factor in his appointment as Managing Director at the UK Schunk Group of companies in 1996 and Group Managing Director in 1998. Chris has a passion for people, processes and performance, and joined Connaught in 2009 to spearhead the company’s expansion in search solutions across the Defence & Aerospace global market.

Crispin Blunt MP (Non-Executive Director)
Crispin is a Non Executive Director of Connaught Search Solutions. He read Politics at Durham University and gained an MBA at Cranfield. After serving as an Army Officer, Crispin stood for Parliament in 1992, then becoming Special Adviser to Malcolm Rifkind between 1993 and 1997 as Defence and then Foreign Secretary. In 1997 Crispin was elected to Parliament for Reigate in Surrey, and re-elected in 2001 and 2005. His parliamentary appointments have included frontbench appointments as Shadow Minister for Trade, Energy & Science; Northern Ireland and Crispin was Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council and C0-Chairman of the Council for Arab British Understanding 2004-8. In January 2009 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Counter-Terrorism by David Cameron