Senior appointments for boards, investors, and leadership teams across the United Kingdom and Europe.
From the City to the wider European market, Vellaris advises on chief executive, C-suite, board, and specialist leadership mandates with research-led discipline and local market intelligence.
London remains one of the world's most competitive markets for executive talent. Boards and investors here require more than a long list of names — they need evidence that a candidate can operate in a regulated, capital-intensive, and increasingly technology-driven environment.
Vellaris's London team works with listed companies, private-equity-backed platforms, family-controlled businesses, and professional-services firms on their most sensitive leadership decisions. Every mandate combines deep sector knowledge with the rigorous, research-first method that defines the practice globally.
We meet clients and candidates by appointment across London, with a permanent base in the City.
The city's leadership market demands fluency in regulation, capital, governance, and complex operations.
Financial Services
Financial institutions operate under sustained regulatory, technological, and competitive pressure. Leadership appointments must satisfy governance expectations while carrying genuine commercial and transformation capability.
Industrial
Industrial leadership is measured in operational discipline, supply-chain resilience, and the ability to modernise complex physical operations without disruption.
Senior consultants with sector depth, European reach, and accountability from briefing to appointment.
Founder & Managing Partner
Adrian founded the Vellaris practice after eighteen years advising boards on chief executive succession across North American and European markets. He works between New York and London, leads the firm's most sensitive mandates, and chairs its appointment quality review.
New York & London
View profileTalent Advisory & Executive Recruiter
Victoria advises leadership teams on talent strategy and leads executive searches across consumer, technology, and professional services. She is known for candid market insight and for staying close to appointments long after they are made.
London
View profileLeadership & Board Appointments Advisor
Julian counsels chairs, nomination committees, and chief executives on board composition and senior leadership appointments across the United States and Europe. He brings decades of boardroom experience and a calm, measured judgement that clients trust on their most consequential decisions.
London
View profile“The appointment is never the end of the work. It is the moment the client finds out how well the work was done. I sign every shortlist personally because that accountability has to live somewhere.”
Adrian Vale works between New York and London and chairs the firm's appointment quality review. He signs every shortlist that leaves the practice personally.
Selected retained and interim searches in and around the London market.
Industrial · Board
London, United Kingdom · Board
Board appointment strengthening financial oversight ahead of a capital programme.
Private Capital · Permanent
London, United Kingdom · Partner
Mid-market fund adding operating capability to its industrials value-creation team.
Published with the authorisation of each individual and organisation.
“Vellaris arrived with a map of the market before they arrived with a name. That sequence changed the quality of our board discussion entirely.”
Marianne ChevalierBoard Chair · Northbank Financial Group“They told us plainly that our preferred internal candidate was two years from ready, and showed the evidence. It was not what we wanted to hear, and it was right.”
David OkonjoChief Executive Officer · Meridian Industrial Holdings“I was not looking to move. The approach was discreet, specific, and respectful of my position — which is why I took the call at all.”
Elena VasquezChief Technology Officer · Appointed 2025“Our regulator asked how the appointment was made. We handed over the coverage evidence and the assessment record without editing a line.”
Peter LindgrenChair, Nomination Committee · Baltic Mutual InsuranceWhen the appointment matters, the search should begin with a conversation.
