Executive Search
Your Executive Search Recruitment Partner
Your Executive Search Recruitment Partner
Finding the right senior leader — or finding the right next role — takes more than a good CV and a few interviews. It takes people who truly understand the landscape, who've spent years building relationships across New Zealand's executive community, and who know that the best appointments come from genuine fit, not just impressive credentials.
Tribe Executive is a contemporary executive search practice with over 100 years of combined experience. We work with Boards, CEOs and leadership teams to appoint the executives who will shape their organisation's future — and we work with ambitious leaders to help them find environments where they can do the best work of their careers.
Our search consultants don't just match skills to job descriptions. They go deeper — understanding your leadership style, your values, the cultures you've thrived in and the ones you haven't. Many of the senior leaders we place have worked with us before, either as candidates or as clients, because the relationship matters as much as the result.
Sectors We Recruit Within
Our Executive Search Process
Our Executive Search Process
Every senior appointment is different. But our approach is consistent: thorough, transparent and genuinely collaborative. Here's how we work.
1 Role Understanding and Collaborative Process
Develop a strong brief through a deep understanding of both the organisation and the role requirements. Includes as much relevant background as possible, leadership competencies, personal attributes sought, diversity and equity goals, development of strong Candidate Value propositions
2 Deep Forensic Research
Executive appointments shape strategy, risk and long-term performance. Yet traditional executive search often relies heavily on networks, interviews and consultant judgement. Forensic Executive Research (FER) introduces a structured, AI-augmented, evidence-based intelligence model—transforming executive hiring from intuition - led selection to precision decision-making.
3 Market Data and Database
Our business model differs from every other Search practice in New Zealand because we have 60+ other recruiters operating throughout New Zealand organisations at every level, and across all disciplines. So, our market data on ‘who is in what job where’ leads the market
4 Networks and 'Black Book'
Like all Search organisations we have our “black book”. But we don't want to rely on it as the only source of candidates and reshuffle leaders and Board Members around the market. So, we cultivate our networks to complement Search lists where value exists, and we use established networks to help us find new networks.
5 Returning Kiwis and Those Living Offshore
A wonderful source of leadership candidates are those New Zealanders who have moved offshore for their careers and now have a motivation to be back in New Zealand. Often this is for family reasons.
6 Integrated Market Leading Digital Content
Strong research and pro-active outreach is necessary for passive Executive candidates. However, digital and social channels complement this approach. We articulate the value propositions around your roles clearly (with or without disclosing the organisation), getting messages in front of Executives who may be thinking about their career pathway.
7 Leadership Assessment & Risk Mitigation
Hiring for Executives and Board members can be high-stakes. We work to reduce risk through Interview Best Practice and strong Leadership Assessment criteria. We back this up through market leading Organisational Psychometric assessment (leadership styles, communication and stakeholder capability, strategic agility, development needs, etc) and also consider factors such as sustainability competence and diverse short-lists
8 Probability and Due Diligence
Alongside Psychometric or Testing requirements we run 360-degree reference sites, opening the door for you to also speak informally to referees. We look for connections in common (trusted sources, credible to you) to add insight where possible. We review social media and past media interactions.
9 Leadership Transition & Development Needs
Global stats indicate that over 60% of newly appointed Executives are dissatisfied with how they integrate into their new organisation. We will work with the successful candidate to help them transition, staying particularly close during those important first 6 months
“Brad quickly gained a deep understanding of our business, presented an outstanding shortlist of both local and international candidates, really impressed me. Looking for an agency that genuinely understands, Tribe Executive is the perfect choice."
“Cameron is, without a doubt, one of the best recruiters for this type of role. He runs a very thorough process and provides really insightful briefing documentation on candidates to back up his recommendations. We are thrilled with the outcome.”
"We turned to Tribe Executive for two key business roles - COO and P&C Director. They took the time to know what we were looking for and what made our workplace special. Tribe Executive really helped us find the right people for the role."
"A PE firm recommended we use Tribe Executive for our portfolio company CEO search. For a regional NZ hire, we considered more than one firm. Tribe Executive's candidate reach and experience in PE hires were the deciding factors."
"We were searching for a candidate with a very specific combination of skillset, experience and cultural fit. We went to Tribe Executive specifically for this assignment, as we knew that they would take an innovative approach."
Get in Touch
Looking to grow your team or find your next Executive position? Get in touch with the team Tribe Executive for a confidential chat.
Meet the Team
Bruce Pilbrow
Chief Executive Officer
Bruce@tribegroup.com
+64 21 246 4335
Bruce is a purpose-driven leader who thrives on creativity and building impactful brands. With experience across corporate, NGO, government, and entrepreneurial sectors, he champions talent, culture, and collaboration. At Tribe Group, he unites vision, agility, and people to drive meaningful success.
James Brooke
Managing Partner
james@tribegroup.com
+64 27 595 9979
As an entrepreneur at heart, James has a strong focus on how organisations attract and retain the best talent. We've shaped NZ’s most progressive, people-first recruitment and Search brand by surrounding ourselves with outstanding people, being bold with tech, and striving to do a better job than anyone else.
Jenny Jones
Managing Partner
jenny@tribegroup.com
+64 27 571 9300
Jenny is Co-Founder of Tribe Recruitment Group, bringing 25+ years of experience in FMCG, commercial leadership, and Executive Search. She’s known for her people-first, strategic approach, delivering bold, high-impact recruitment solutions with heart and expertise.
David Hammond
Public Sector, For Purpose, and Advisory
david@tribegroup.com
+64 27 444 6368
Experienced former Chief Executive with 10 years of experience at that level, now leading Chief Executive and Board search across the range of non-private sectors. A national expert in KPI development, bespoke remuneration assessment, Māori sector work, board advisory and entire structure reviews.
Brad Gatehouse
Commercial and Private Equity
brad@tribegroup.com
+64 27 611 3638
Brad specialises in senior executive appointments across commercial and PE sectors, bringing 27+ years' experience and a background in finance. He works closely with Boards and CEOs to shape leadership teams, offering insight on search, succession, remuneration, and confidential advisory.
Cameron King
Commercial and Private Equity
cameron@tribegroup.com
+64 22 073 1320
Cameron leads Executive Search across Sales, Marketing & Digital, helping NZ businesses find transformational leaders. With 15+ years' experience in NZ & the UK, Cameron is a specialist in senior hires, culture-fit, and strategic growth roles - driven by a consultative, values-first approach.
Sandy Gibbs
People, Culture & Capability
sandy@tribegroup.com
+64 27 583 7411
Sandy brings 25+ years of Recruitment experience, and can lean into most disciplines, however her passion for people and capability has resulted in her leading Tribe's HR consulting team, and spearheading executive search across HR and P&C.
Russell Spratt
Te Kaitūhura, Tau Mai | Co-Founder, Tau Mai
russell@tribegroup.com
+64 29 446 3770
From Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Russell is the GM Wellington at Tribe and co-founder of Tau Mai. With 25+ years in recruitment, he has led senior appointments across many sectors, specialising in Māori-focused roles and governance, with a passion for culturally grounded leadership and equity.
Geoff McDowell
Research Director
geoff@tribegroup.com
+64 27 599 4020
Geoff McDowell has over 20 years’ experience working with boards and CEOs on critical appointments. His Forensic Executive Research methodology applies evidence-led assessment beyond CVs and interviews, giving decision-makers a clear, defensible basis for executive decisions and reduced appointment risk.
Mia Mrsić
Senior Researcher
mia@tribegroup.com
+64 27 213 2356
Behind every great leadership appointment is rigorous, human-led research. Mia supports the full search lifecycle: market mapping, sourcing, and candidate research for C-suite and governance roles. With curiosity and care, Mia focuses on the detail that makes the difference in executive search.
Zahrah Bashir
Executive Assistant
zahrah@tribegroup.com
+64 27 269 8691
Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Zahrah proudly calls Aotearoa home. As an experienced executive assistant, she’s known for her bubbly personality, calm approach, and sharp organisational skills. Passionate about helping others thrive, she brings warmth and energy to every team she joins.
Justine Winter
Registered Organisational Psychologist
psychometrics@tribegroup.com
+64 21 424 992
Justine holds a Master of Social Sciences in Industrial & Organisational Psychology and has over 20 years’ experience in recruitment, selection, assessment and training. She is a pragmatic, down-to-earth person who enjoys supporting clients and candidates to make robust decisions by providing good quality, and insightful, information through comprehensive analysis and reporting of psychometric assessments (such as Hogans, Watson Grazer and Ravens).
Insights
Stepping Into the CEO Seat: Lessons from the First-Time CEO Roundtable
Tribe Executive hosted a roundtable with first-time CEOs to discuss the realities of stepping into the top leadership role. Key themes included the shift from functional leadership to enterprise accountability, the importance of the CEO–Chair relationship, managing board dynamics and other NED’s, and building personal resilience and personal development techniques.
Farrah Breads Ltd. appoints new Chief Financial Officer
Brad Gatehouse and the Tribe Executive team are pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Watson as Chief Financial Officer of Farrah Breads. Dean joins the business at an exciting time, bringing strong financial leadership experience to support the next phase of growth.
Event – Aligning Executives with Enterprise Goals: NZ Private Capital
Tribe Executive and NZPC co-hosted an event, bringing Private Equity and Venture Capital professionals together to discuss incentives that drive value. Executive incentive design sits at the centre of value creation in private capital, yet it remains one of the least standardised aspects of organisational leadership.