Carlyle has announced a senior hire to support its growing board and advisory practice.
The executive search firm, founded in 2002, has appointed Alice Deakin as its new principal, bringing more than 20 years of finance, commercial and leadership experience gained from working across the technology, professional services, media and financial services sectors.
She held the chief financial officer role at IndigoVision, before going on to help run Deloitte’s CFO programme, where she was a director, and also led the education function at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, before establishing her own board coaching practice.
Fiona James-Martin, partner at Carlyle, said: “From her experience of being a CFO at a listed company, to helping senior finance professionals develop towards and transition into CFO roles during her time at Deloitte, Alice is a fantastic fit for both our team at Carlyle, and our client base in Scotland, London and beyond.
“Her insight into the intricacies of how Boards operate is particularly relevant for where Carlyle is growing.”
Deakin said: “Carlyle has built a pre-eminent position in the market, working with many of the leading corporate brands across multiple industry sectors, and the firm’s offering is underpinned by a strong and respected research capability.
“It’s great to be on board, with continuing growth and exciting times ahead.”
Meanwhile, Lucy Seligman is Carlyle’s latest addition to its research and market intelligence team, taking up the role of researcher.
The firm also recently welcomed its latest graduate, marking the seventh year of its graduate programme.
Duggie Carlyle, founding partner at Carlyle, said: “We have always had a strong focus around investing in our people, which is paying dividends in the talent we are attracting and with the calibre of assignments we are securing.”
He added: “Post-Covid has been a buoyant time at the senior level, with much of our portfolio growing or looking to augment their leadership teams for the future.
“Undoubtedly, there are challenging times ahead but we plan to continue focusing on our clients, the quality of reporting and delivery, and the development of our services, brand, and people.”
Carlyle’s primary services are executive search, board and advisory, senior interim and market intelligence.
In March, Carlyle’s annual salary survey, in partnership with digital industry trade body ScotlandIS, revealed findings on the wages of c-suite executives in high-growth technology businesses in Scotland, comparing base salary and equity levels at various stages of funding.
In addition to continued activity in the financial services sector, with long-term clients like Tesco Bank, M&G Wealth and Hastings Direct, Carlyle has seen strong demand at board level from technology and venture capital-backed businesses including xDesign, Zumo, Forensic Analytics and Frog Systems.
The firm has also recorded growth in the food and drink sector, with leadership assignments with Baxters, Macphie and the recently-completed search for new Scotland Food & Drink chief executive Iain Baxter.
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