Function

Corporate Development & Strategy

Our Corporate Development & Strategy Practice supports clients across the spectrum of Corporates, Conglomerates and Portfolio Companies.

We focus on senior appointments across the functions of Corporate Development, Strategy, M&A, Corporate Finance, Treasury, and Investor Relations. Our consultants leverage the firm’s resources across practices to access a multi-dimensional perspective on talent.

Meet Our Team

Hong Kong
Christian Brun
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Hong Kong | London | Melbourne | Singapore

Christian Brun is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Wellesley. He is based in Singapore but also splits his time between London and Hong Kong. Christian was a founding Partner of Wellesley Partners, and has worked on numerous senior level executive search appointments across every jurisdiction in Asia-Pacific and Europe across both the Financial Services and Technology sectors; he also leads the Corporate & Investment Banking Practice.

Christian relocated to Hong Kong from London to launch our Asia business in 2005. Prior to founding Wellesley in 2004, he was a Principal at Heidrick & Struggles, the global executive search firm, based in London, where he focused on Investment Banking. He started his search career at Whitehead Mann in 1997, before joining The Consulting Group, a London-based boutique search firm, which was subsequently acquired by TMP. Christian has an MA in History and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University, where he was awarded a College History Scholarship.

Mirjam Gustafsson
Executive Director
Hong Kong

Mirjam Gustafsson is an Executive Director in our executive search business based in Hong Kong working primarily with our investment banking clients but also supports our alternative investment clients across Asia with particular strength in Greater China. She specializes in junior to senior level investment banking and investment professional searches.

Mirjam has been an executive recruiter in Asia since the beginning of 2014 and has a strong track record of placing a range of front office professionals across all industry sectors. Prior to joining Wellesley, Mirjam held a similar role with Robert Walters based in their Hong Kong office. Before entering search, Mirjam had a year-long internship with Deutsche Boerse AG as an Analyst Intern in their Beijing office. She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Trade and Economics from the Beijing Language and Culture University. Originally from Sweden, Mirjam is a native Swedish and English speaker, is fluent in Mandarin and proficient in German.

London
Christian Brun
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Hong Kong | London | Melbourne | Singapore

Christian Brun is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Wellesley. He is based in Singapore but also splits his time between London and Hong Kong. Christian was a founding Partner of Wellesley Partners, and has worked on numerous senior level executive search appointments across every jurisdiction in Asia-Pacific and Europe across both the Financial Services and Technology sectors; he also leads the Corporate & Investment Banking Practice.

Christian relocated to Hong Kong from London to launch our Asia business in 2005. Prior to founding Wellesley in 2004, he was a Principal at Heidrick & Struggles, the global executive search firm, based in London, where he focused on Investment Banking. He started his search career at Whitehead Mann in 1997, before joining The Consulting Group, a London-based boutique search firm, which was subsequently acquired by TMP. Christian has an MA in History and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University, where he was awarded a College History Scholarship.

Alice Bagshawe-Sutton
Executive Director
London

Alice Bagshawe-Sutton is an Executive Director with Wellesley based in London. She primarily focuses on executive search for our Private Capital (private credit, private equity and real assets) and FinTech clients across Europe and the Middle East. Secondarily, she also helps with our Southeast Asia market coverage. Alice recently re-joined Wellesleys having spent a year helping to build a successful FinTech practice at Russell Reynolds; she originally joined the firm in our Singapore office in 2015 where she spent seven years focused on Private Capital searches across Southeast Asia and Australia/ANZ. She started her search career in 2009 in London.

Prior to joining Wellesley, Alice spent two years with another Global Search firm in Singapore where she helped build a successful corporate and investment banking practice as well as specializing in senior-level searches within the natural resources and infrastructure sectors. She started her search career in London where she spent three years with a leading European boutique firm focused on Capital Markets and Leveraged Finance searches across Europe. Alice graduated from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland with a Master’s Degree in Theology and Classical Civilization.

Melbourne
Christian Brun
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Hong Kong | London | Melbourne | Singapore

Christian Brun is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Wellesley. He is based in Singapore but also splits his time between London and Hong Kong. Christian was a founding Partner of Wellesley Partners, and has worked on numerous senior level executive search appointments across every jurisdiction in Asia-Pacific and Europe across both the Financial Services and Technology sectors; he also leads the Corporate & Investment Banking Practice.

Christian relocated to Hong Kong from London to launch our Asia business in 2005. Prior to founding Wellesley in 2004, he was a Principal at Heidrick & Struggles, the global executive search firm, based in London, where he focused on Investment Banking. He started his search career at Whitehead Mann in 1997, before joining The Consulting Group, a London-based boutique search firm, which was subsequently acquired by TMP. Christian has an MA in History and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University, where he was awarded a College History Scholarship.

Sophie Meyers
Managing Director
Melbourne | Singapore

Sophie Meyers is a Managing Director with Wellesley based in the Singapore office. She specialises in both Investment Banking and Private Equity / Alternative Investments across Southeast Asia and Australia.

Having initially joined Wellesley Partners in our Sydney office focusing on the domestic ANZ Investment Banking Sector, she relocated to Singapore to help our expanding Southeast Asia team in 2013. Prior to joining Wellesley, she spent six years in the Australian market with a global recruitment firm where she managed a team specialising in senior level finance placements across Banking and Wealth Management. Sophie graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BA (Hons) degree in French and Hispanic Studies.

Mumbai
Sourabh Chattopadhyay
Managing Partner, Head of Professional Services
Mumbai

Sourabh Chattopadhyay is the Managing Partner and Head of Professional Services with Wellesley Partners and leads the firms India business. He is a generalist with broad success across alternative investments, investment banking, private equity portfolio companies, and professional services.

Prior to joining Wellesley Partners, Sourabh headed Options Group’s executive search and strategic consulting practice in India. Sourabh has also been an entrepreneur and worked in institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Ernst and Young, and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.  Sourabh is an active angel investor and an LP in a few early-stage funds.  He is also an advisor to several startups.  Sourabh is on the board of Khela Ghar, an NGO based out of Calcutta, and a founding trustee of Daya Foundation.  He holds a BBA in Economics from Pace University in New York.

Vasumati Bhat
Executive Director
Mumbai

Vasumati Bhat is an Executive Director with Wellesley Partners India. She works with clients in the Alternative Investments and Professional Services industry.

Vasu has been in the Executive Search Industry from the beginning of her career in 2009. She began her career as a Research Associate with Hunt Partners where she conducted extensive Market Research, Talent Mapping Exercises for clients across sectors and geographies. She joined Wellesley in 2011 as an Associate and has been closely working with the Practice Leads on several Leadership positions. At Wellesley, Vasu focuses on search mandates for Private Equity, PE Portfolio Companies and Professional Services Firms. Vasu graduated from the University of Mumbai with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mcanagement Studies and has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She is fluent in English, Hindi and conversant in Marathi and Konkani.

Harmmit Walia
Associate Director
Mumbai

Harmmit is an Associate Director with Wellesley Partners India and focuses on searches across Private Equity & Portfolio Companies, Investment Banking and Professional Services.

Prior to joining Wellesley Partners, Harmmit was associated with Think People Solutions and Black Turtle, where he focused on sectors including Financial Services,  IT, FMCG and Professional Services.  Harmmit holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai. He is fluent in English and Hindi.

Singapore
Christian Brun
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Hong Kong | London | Melbourne | Singapore

Christian Brun is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Wellesley. He is based in Singapore but also splits his time between London and Hong Kong. Christian was a founding Partner of Wellesley Partners, and has worked on numerous senior level executive search appointments across every jurisdiction in Asia-Pacific and Europe across both the Financial Services and Technology sectors; he also leads the Corporate & Investment Banking Practice.

Christian relocated to Hong Kong from London to launch our Asia business in 2005. Prior to founding Wellesley in 2004, he was a Principal at Heidrick & Struggles, the global executive search firm, based in London, where he focused on Investment Banking. He started his search career at Whitehead Mann in 1997, before joining The Consulting Group, a London-based boutique search firm, which was subsequently acquired by TMP. Christian has an MA in History and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University, where he was awarded a College History Scholarship.

Sophie Meyers
Managing Director
Melbourne | Singapore

Sophie Meyers is a Managing Director with Wellesley based in the Singapore office. She specialises in both Investment Banking and Private Equity / Alternative Investments across Southeast Asia and Australia.

Having initially joined Wellesley Partners in our Sydney office focusing on the domestic ANZ Investment Banking Sector, she relocated to Singapore to help our expanding Southeast Asia team in 2013. Prior to joining Wellesley, she spent six years in the Australian market with a global recruitment firm where she managed a team specialising in senior level finance placements across Banking and Wealth Management. Sophie graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BA (Hons) degree in French and Hispanic Studies.

Anna Lewis
Executive Director
Singapore

Anna Lewis is an Executive Director with Wellesley Partners based in Singapore, leading our PE portfolio practice for Southeast Asia and Australia. She has deep expertise in advising portfolio companies on board level hires across Europe as well as appointing senior investment, operating and M&A professionals.

Prior to joining Wellesley, Anna worked at Livingbridge, a private equity fund where she supported portfolio companies in building high performance management teams. Previously, Anna worked at a boutique search firm in London where she advised clients on board-level talent and executive search across the consumer sector. Anna graduated from St Andrews University with a MA (Hons) degree in Geography.