Our People

Michael Cripps

Educated in the UK, Michael Cripps read sciences and business studies. Mike developed an early career in industrial management before moving into recruitment.

Mike formed Cripps Sears whilst still in his 20's and has since developed his international search career to focus primarily on the energy/infrastructure and the energy finance/legal sectors. He is active globally but particularly in the EAME region and is supported by a specialist team.

Having recently recruited successfully for a number of positions at MD / Regional /Board Director level, Mike is also involved at the Senior Commercial Originator / Trader / Business Developer / Financial Specialist levels, as well as many Senior Technical positions.”

Mark Scollay

Mark heads the Infrastructure Practice. He has fifteen years recruitment experience within the sector, working with international clients.  He has successfully recruited for Global Engineering firms, Major Contractors, Engineering Consultancies, Property developers, Property Consultancies and Corporate Real Estate departments.  The infrastructure practice works closely with our professional services and energy practices to provide a diverse and robust network amongst senior level contacts.

Mark started his career in property recruitment with a FTSE 250 company after graduating from Nottingham University.  Early in his career he successfully developed a new business in the emerging outsourcing/FM and PFI markets, leading him towards a client based increasingly focused on engineering, development and construction.

Graham Spencer

Graham heads the international LNG, Gas and Midstream practice. His focus comprises a number of facets of the value chain, including senior management, technical and commercial disciplines. His body of work includes executive, project development, portfolio/ trading, shipping, and supply chain searches all over the world.

Joey Chong

Based in Singapore Joey specialises in the energy, Trading and IT sectors, drawing on her experience as an industry executive with 2 years in oil & gas, 6 years in technology sales and 5 years in HR. Joey began her search career with an international Executive Search Consultancy and left the firm as a Vice President, managing Energy and Technology search desks.

Joey’s focus has been predominantly in the Asia Pacific markets, and she has placed positions ranging from senior management to mid level roles within her specialised industries. Joey holds a MBA and is pursuing a Masters in Human Resource Management.

Houghton Hutcheson

Based in Houston, Houghton has nearly 30 years of experience in executive search and recruitment.  He has helped clients to recruit senior executives and other key contributors across the Energy industry and across both management and technical disciplines.  He was formerly a partner in two of the world’s leading executive search firms, and opened the Houston office for one of those firms.  Prior to his association with Cripps Sears & Partners, Houghton owned and operated his own executive search firm for 14 years. Houghton is a graduate of Princeton University (B.A) and The University of Texas (MBA)

Michael Saunders

Based in Perth, Michael has over 30 years experience in the Oil & Gas industry – half of that time on the front line in Australia / SEA, and for the last 15 years in executive search in the UK, Houston and Australia.
Michael has a background in engineering, initially within the UK mining industry and then the international oil & gas sector. Michael is ideally placed in Perth where his past experience provides him with a grass roots understanding across key Australian industries. Michael holds a Bachelor of Business from Curtin University, Australia.

François Lebailly

François has more than 10 years of professional experience in executive search and draws on a decade of prior experience as a management and business development consultant.

Based in Paris and specialised in Finance, Infrastructure and Energy, he has conducted searches ranging from mid-level roles to specialised and high-level positions in the French and Western European markets.

Previously, François was a principal in one of France’s leading consulting and search firms.

François speaks fluent English, Italian and French, and holds a French business school degree and a post-graduate degree in Export Marketing from Buckinghamshire New University (London).

Zoran Marinkovic

Zoran is based in Dubai and has broad experience of retained search over a range of sectors.  These include oil & gas, industrial gas, infrastructure (outdoor, indoor, submarine), MEP Contracting, IT/Telecom, stainless steel and HVAC equipment manufacturing.

Prior to entering the search world he worked in corporate finance with leading multinational financial and healthcare organisations in Europe and the Middle East and so appreciates the challenges corporate clients face within the Middle East region.

Zoran holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from University of Paris-Nanterre, France, and a post-graduate degree in International business from Paris Graduate School of Management. He is fluent in French, English, Serbian and has a fair knowledge of Spanish.

Joe Dubbin

Joe read Construction Management at Westminster University and has over twelve years recruitment experience within the Infrastructure and PFI sector, working with Financiers, Investors, Developers and Advisors across Transport, Utilities, Energy & Renewables and Social Infrastructure.

After spending his early career in the commercial team of a leading sub-contractor, Joe began his recruitment career with a FTSE 250 company where he successfully developed a new business in the emerging PFI market, initially with the Contracting community and, ultimately, within the financial sector. More recently Joe has worked for a leading executive search boutique specialising in Infrastructure Finance.

Joe’s knowledge and experience in this sector complements well the existing portfolio at Cripps Sears.

Paul Templeton

Paul read Psychology at the University of Swansea and has an MSc in Marketing from Strathclyde Business School. He spent the early part of his career in the advertising industry and moved into recruitment in the late 1990‘s, focusing initially on sales and marketing positions for the manufacturing sector. Subsequently, Paul joined a tier one executive search firm supporting global manufacturers and allied service providers. Paul leads the mining practice and has strong functional expertise across downstream operations and the supply chain.

James Nichols

James leads the global subsurface recruitment within the upstream team. He has a proven track record of delivering international upstream assignments across management and director level technical, commercial and operational disciplines.

He has specialised in recruiting senior subsurface individuals for some of the world's major operators and services companies.

James joined Cripps Sears having also had previous experience with another leading executive search firm. He has an accountancy background and is a business graduate. His interests include a variety of sports including endurance events, and he also has a passion for cars and motorsport.

Darren Kershaw

Darren leads Operations recruitment within the upstream team. His experience at Cripps Sears has focused on senior management level searches across Operations, HSE, Finance, Commercial and General Director/board level appointments within a range of leading global upstream operators and service companies.

Before joining Cripps Sears he also gained experience as a financial recruitment consultant with a particular focus on the Investment Banking sector in London, which he then developed to incorporate the Asia Pacific financial markets of Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Darren has lived and worked in Japan and is a Japanese speaker. He has a passion for the languages, culture and economics of East Asia and is a graduate with honours from Sheffield University with a degree that focused on these areas. He enjoys playing golf and tennis in his spare time and has recently acquired a taste for open water swimming.

Tom Isobe

Tom is a member of the upstream team and leads the delivery of recruitment assignments in the face of the specific challenges faced by operators in the Americas. Working closely with the rest of the upstream team, Tom has a proven track record and strong network within the global E&P operators, service companies and consultancy organisations, having delivered numerous international upstream assignments across management, technical and commercial disciplines. He has specialised in recruiting senior subsurface individuals for some of the world's most significant operators.

Murray Fox

Brought up in Kenya, Murray is a principal consultant focusing on marketing and trading across the commodities spectrum. Murray has been involved in executive search for over four years working with investment banks, hedge funds, producers, operators and trading houses. Murray has completed searches globally including in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific regions and prior to joining Cripps Sears and Partners was responsible for establishing a commodity search practice for a top European boutique search firm.

Panny Skrivanos

Panny is a member of the Upstream team and leads the international Subsea practice. He has broad experience across Energy and Infrastructure, and has an extensive track record working on behalf of service companies, contractors and operators across EMEA, the Americas and Far East, where he has successfully delivered across senior management, technical and commercial disciplines.

Panny is a graduate of the University of Exeter where he read French and Russian, and advises on Cripps Sears’ business activities in Russia and the FSU.

Lucy Mackie

Lucy has been with the firm since 2005 and has broad experience across all the firm’s sectors. She holds a Masters in Interpreting, French and Russian from Bath University and has lived and worked in Russia. Lucy has lead the firm’s Russia desk which handles assignments across all the sectors.

Rafael Harbinson

Born in Brazil, Rafael graduated with honours from the University of Kent with a degree in Law. With experience dealing with international technology, environmental, energy and engineering companies, he is a researcher specialising in the international energy and infrastructure industries.

Hugo Cooke

Hugo is an industrial chemist by background and began his career in the power industry as a chemical engineer. Hugo is a senior associate in the Cripps Sears global energy and natural resources practice with a focus on technical and commercial assignments.

Ruth Hurlock

Ruth is a researcher and specialist in international energy and infrastructure industries. With a keen interest in international politics, economics and energy markets, she has a Masters in International Relations from King’s College in London and also holds a degree in Business.

Will McAlpine

A University of Bath graduate, Will spent 3 years based in Dubai with an international search firm recruiting across a range of sectors, including Oil & Gas and industrial at a mid to senior level until 2008. Will most recently spent 2 years at a global tier one search firm as a Researcher within the Industrial and Energy practices with a remit across a range of job functions.

Alex Lambert

Alex is an associate working primarily in upstream oil & gas and major projects. Prior to joining Cripps Sears he worked as a specialist recruiter in engineering and construction.

Phoebe Williams

Phoebe is an associate working in energy, natural resources and major projects. Her area of focus has been management within the application of cutting edge technology.