We are delighted to announce the appointment of Shannon McKechnie as our first Commercial Partner at H&P Executive Search, marking a significant new addition to our team. This newly created role reflects our evolving approach to client relationships as we continue to scale.

Shannon will lead on building deeper, longer-term partnerships with all our clients in the Legal sector, both in-house and in private practice. She brings over two decades of recruitment experience to the role, including more than ten years in senior leadership positions. Most recently, she served as Managing Director with her previous executive search employer.

Shannon will lead H&P’s commercial function with a focus on client care, strategic alignment, and service consistency across international markets. The new role has been specifically designed to ensure that our most valued clients benefit from a more cohesive and thoughtful experience as we continue to grow rapidly.

Speaking about Shannon’s appointment, Jack Hayes, Founder and CEO of H&P Executive Search, said:

“I’m delighted to welcome Shannon to the firm. Over the last six months, we recognised the need to evolve how we approach and nurture our key client relationships. We brought Shannon onboard because key to the success of this role is the ability of the postholder to really challenge our current thinking and not just deliver against it.

“In the short period of time she has been with us, Shannon is already proving to be the right person to do this by helping to re-shape and re-think all client relations. This role will naturally evolve and become something that the business can build around as we continue to scale.”

Shannon adds that in a world of hyper-growth, executive search firms often run the risk of becoming transactional as consultants hunt for the next mandate.

She explains: “Few firms invest in a role such as this and those that do tend to treat it as a business development position. What we’re doing at H&P is quite the opposite.

“It’s about understanding client priorities and aligning our expertise, market intelligence, access, and unique brand of execution accordingly to deliver the long-term value they seek from their most important hires.”

The appointment comes at a key point in H&P’s growth trajectory, as we continue to expand our footprint within the Legal market, supporting ambitious organisations with critical leadership hires both in Europe and across the US.