Spear’s Review

When Alex Diffey first stepped into the world of executive recruitment, he encountered ‘a very old-school, hot-house mentality’. Developing a specialisation in private banking placements, he moved on to boutique firms that were dedicated to catering to private banks and wealth management firms. This involved a brief relocation to Singapore, where he worked alongside top-tier firms with a presence in the East Asia region. 

Now a partner at Valentine Thomas & Partners in London, Diffey focuses on placing candidates in high-level roles, from director to C-suite. Recent positions he has closed include the Lombard Odier UK CEO and the head of a large single-family office.

Diffey has noticed a greater emphasis in the UK labour market on retaining and pursuing Gen Z talent; he tells Spear’s that it’s a trend that is embraced at Valentine Thomas. ‘We look after next-gen clients, and that’s our way of staying close to them,’ he says. ‘The most talented person we have here who is essential to the running of our business is a Gen Z hire who started out as an intern for us.’