Mark Ashcroft has over 20 years of experience in the executive search sector. Before cofounding SEQEL in 2008, Mark spent eight years with Korn Ferry, most recently leading the firm’s Auckland office. Mark’s early career was spent with Lion Nathan, gaining functional and line management experience in Retail, Operations, Marketing and Trade Marketing as part of Lion’s Graduate Development Scheme, before moving into management consulting. He has assisted numerous publically listed companies, cooperatives and private equity firms to appoint or assess Executives and Non-Executive Directors. Mark holds Bachelor Degrees in Commerce and Arts, both from the University of Auckland.

Cilla joined the team at SEQEL in 2013 following 6 years at Heidrick & Struggles as an Associate in the Global Industrial Practice and Financial Officers Executive Search Practice. She has participated in a wide range of local and global executive searches, and gained broad industry sector expertise from her 13+ years in search. Cilla has demonstrated experience in “C-suite”, CEO and Non-Executive Director appointments within publicly listed, private and co-operative business models. Her earlier background includes experience in the professional services, technology and insurance sectors.

Lauren has been involved in executive search for over 13 years. She joined SEQEL in 2015 and has worked on numerous global, high profile searches for both publicly listed and privately held organisations. She was previously with Heidrick & Struggles in Auckland where she was an active member of the Financial Services, Industrial, Life Sciences and Consumer practices across New Zealand. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Lauren spent time with Westpac and SKYCITY Entertainment Group, both in New Zealand. She has previously worked in the United Kingdom with various financial institutions including Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.

James Sleigh joined SEQEL as a Client Partner in 2016 after spending the previous four years with Egon Zehnder based in Sydney. Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, the majority of James' career was spent in the global pharmaceutical industry, including leading Eli Lilly’s New Zealand business and completing a series of expatriate assignments with the company in the United States. His early career was in BHP’s Graduate Programme and subsequent roles. James has extensive experience facilitating CEO, Executive and Board appointments across a range of sectors. He also has expertise in Executive Assessment and CEO succession. James holds a Master of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School and an Honours degree in Economics from Monash University.