EXECUTIVE SEARCH
We listen
We research
We deliver
Welcome to daCunha Advisory
Hiring the right person for any position can be stressful, time consuming and costly.
There are often several factors at play which can impact a successful hire.
Our role at daCunha Advisory is to effectively manage those variants and limit their impact, to create positive outcomes for both clients and candidates.
Our clients and candidates benefit from our extensive network having worked across the finance industry, specialising in the asset and wealth management space, for over 17 years.
It is this experience that enables us to fully understand the evolving market landscape and the range of challenges faced by our clients.
We purposefully work as a small experienced team, and our aim is to build engaged, mutually beneficial relationships with both our clients and candidates. Each client has their own unique set of requirements, and our size ensures we can successfully navigate these.
A significant number of our search assignments come to us via client and candidate recommendations, and to us this is the most accurate and valued measure of our success.
Our Approach
TRANSPARENCY
TRUST
COMMUNICATION
We are passionate about the work we conduct, and believe in listening to both the express and implied. We do what we say, we follow up when we say we will and are honest in our feedback.
Our approach is heavily research driven. The forensic depth of our research not only identifies “best in market”, but also provides clients with credible market insight and value add intelligence.
It is the quality of our research that we believe sets us apart.
At the very core of our business is discretion and trust.
To fully engage and align with our clients we encourage open and active communication.
We value our reputation for being highly discreet and professional and
put that at the forefront of every search.
Our Clients
We provide a bespoke and tailored service to a range of clients.
Primarily we are focused on supporting boutique asset managers, alternative investment managers, family offices (single and multi) and UHNWIs with their hiring strategies.
Our hires include Head of Family Office, CEO, CIO, CFO, and CTO.
We also cover investment professionals, asset gatherers, relationships managers,
product specialists and senior operational hires more generally.
In addition to conducting retained searches, we also support
a number of organisations with human capital projects,
such as diversity studies, HR advice, market analysis, compensation
benchmarking, referencing and career mentoring programmes.
Our People
Gemma da Cunha
Founder
Gemma founded da Cunha Advisory in 2017, having previously co-run Lutyens Hutton Associates (Lutyens da Cunha) since September 2001. Prior to that Gemma worked at Armstrong International where she focused on private banking and traditional fund management mandates before joining the Alternative Investments team. More recently Gemma has carved out a niche market working with family offices (single and multi) and UHNWIs.
Gemma is actively involved in all aspects of each hire, taking a very “hands on” approach. Her extensive market knowledge and valuable relationships span many years across the finance community, both in the UK and internationally. Gemma makes herself available to advise clients and candidates 24/7. It is this level of commitment that ensures clients consistently return to her for advice, industry knowledge and to manage their future search requirements.
Gemma has a BA in English Literature from Leeds University. She lives in Hampshire, is married with two children and enjoys a number of sports.
Michael St. Aldwyn
Chairman
Michael joined daCunha Advisory in early 2019 as Chairman, having worked closely with Gemma for 17 years as an investor in her previous firm Lutyens da Cunha. Michael’s career has been predominantly hedge fund focused and he spent a number of years working in Brazil and New York.
In New York he joined Man Group, working initially in their commodities division and then helping to establish their hedge fund business. He then returned to the UK joining Man’s London office, before establishing his own third-party marketing business, which he ran for 15 years.
Michael sits on the Board of several charitable organisations including; The Rank Foundation, Hop Skip and Jump, Launch-It and currently holds a number of Directorships.
Jenni Hobbs
Senior Consultant
Jenni joined daCunha Advisory in December 2018, having previously worked at Charterhouse Partnership in Sydney, Australia. As an Associate Director at Charterhouse for eight years, Jenni partnered with a number of financial services and property investment organisations.
Prior to being approached to join Charterhouse, Jenni was a Senior Consultant at Apsley Recruitment which worked predominately within the Investment Banking space.
On relocating to England from Sydney, Jenni took a career break to focus on her family and is excited to have joined Gemma and the daCunha Advisory team.
Jenni completed her Law Degree at the University of Warwick. She is married with two children, and spends most of her free time with family and friends.
Louis Strong
Research Associate
Louis joined da Cunha Advisory at the beginning of 2019 as a Research Associate, to provide additional support to the team.
Louis is a Drama graduate from the University of Exeter.
