People
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Over the years, it has been a huge privilege to have worked so closely with such a range of clients. What has been just as exciting for me is to have watched so many of our candidates grow to become leaders in the retail and consumer industries. Whenever we start a new search, I still get the same thrill because we are dealing with the very best current and future leaders.
Moira Benigson
Managing Partner and Head of Luxury and Fashion
Widely recognised as one of the UK’s most successful and respected search consultants in the retail, fashion, luxury and consumer sectors, Moira has personally overseen over a thousand searches which have included many high-profile appointments that have helped to step-change companies’ performance.
Moira’s talent lies in her unparalleled knowledge, exceptional grasp of the sector, vast experience and her intuitive ability and keen judgement. Her original approach, passion for diversity and her eye for detail always provide a fresh and insightful take on any search. As founder and managing partner, Moira remains personally involved in all aspects of the firm.
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Working in retail and leisure, the variety of my work is great - multinationals on the one hand and start-up businesses on the other. I'm so fortunate to work with such talented, motivated and ambitious clients, candidates and colleagues.
Jon Midmer
Head of Retail & Leisure
Jon leads general management and functional director searches in the retail and leisure sectors. Since joining The MBS Group in 2000, he has worked on a broad range of national and international assignments for consumer-facing businesses. He has developed long-standing relationships with clients and candidates, and has become an expert in his field.
Recent assignments he has led include: CEO & FD of a £100m, private equity-backed retailer; global COO of a multi-billion pound turnover, multi-brand retail and hospitality player; two trading directors for a FTSE 100 general merchandise retailer; the CFO, Commercial Director and Divisional MD of a FTSE 250 pub company; CEO of a high-profile, not-for-profit restaurant; the CFO, Operations Director, Supply Chain Director and Marketing Director of the UK division of a global quick-service restaurant business; and the “talent pipeline” for a leading UK supermarket group, which has seen him place c. 40 people at director and senior manager level.
Jon holds a first-class honours degree in modern languages from Oxford University. He speaks fluent French and Spanish.
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Quality and passion are at the heart of everything we do and we never forget that acting as a strategic partner to our clients, both big and small, is a huge privilege. Best of all, working in consumer goods allows me to touch the widest range of products, from spices to shower gel and from wine to washing-machines.
Mike Roberts
Head of Consumer Products
Mike leads assignments in the consumer products sector across all functions and also heads the company’s cross-sector corporate responsibility practice. Before joining The MBS Group in 2006, Mike worked at one of the largest global search firms, where he handled UK and international roles for some of the world’s most prestigious FMCG companies. Mike has had significant experience of pan-European account management and has executed a wide range of searches, including a European general manager for a US food business; a head of corporate responsibility for a FTSE 100 retailer; a global finance and strategy director for a confectionery company; a logistics director for a leading automotive business; a managing director for a high growth ready-meals manufacturer; a UK HR director for a US food manufacturer; a senior global brand director for a premium alcoholic drinks business; and a European sales director for one of the world’s leading soft beverage brands. Mike holds a first-class degree in classics from UCL and an MA from Essex University.
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My background in engineering gives me a different approach to search. I am a naturally inquisitive person, and my work in R&D has fostered that curiosity, together with an obsessive tenacity when it comes to getting results.
Thomas Green
Head of Digital Technology
Thomas leads the Digital Technology practice at The MBS Group. Prior to joining MBS, he was a partner in the technology division at one of the world’s largest global search firms, helping some of the world’s leading media, telecoms and technology companies with senior roles across business functions including finance, sales and general management. An engineer by training, Thomas spent his early career in research & development at an electronics company in Cambridge. Keen to combine his technical expertise with his passion for people, he moved into executive search, working both as a sector specialist, and with venture capital firms in the online and technology arena, helping them build leadership teams for their portfolio companies.
Thomas brings to MBS over twelve years experience, and his recent searches include: head of customer experience for a world leader in network systems; global head of productisation for a mobile handset manufacturer; chief executive for a mobile provider; head of product development for a pre-eminent search engine; chief technology officer for a pan-European publishing company; and the chief financial officer for a FTSE250 software company. -
What do I like about the job? That’s easy. There is no matching the feeling of achievement when something I say hits the mark, gets that thoughtful look, and turns up again in the form of a positive change.
Alma Erlich
Head of MBS Change
Alma Erlich leads MBS Change and is a chartered psychologist with over 20 years’ organisational consulting experience in the private and public sectors in the UK, Continental Europe, Africa and South America.
Alma has a wealth of expertise in the fields of coaching, assessment, management development and training, working at board and senior management level, as well as with young managers for clients ranging from multinationals to smaller, high-growth businesses.
Through her work with local companies across continents, Alma has developed a broad understanding of the implications of cultural diversity, equal opportunities and company cultures. Alma’s strength and particular interest lies in bringing solid, analytical skills and psychological insight to build a clear, evidence-based understanding of the issues in organisations as a prelude to change.