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Who we are

Pure Executive is the Executive search division of Pure.

We are the Executive search division of Pure, the leading professional recruitment company in the East of England which was founded in 2002 by Lynn Walters, Ian Walters and Gill Buchanan.

Recognising a gap in regional expertise, Pure Executive was born out of a desire to bring a much more holistic, personal approach to Executive recruitment and to cultivate lasting relationships between clients, candidates, and external partners. 

From our head office in Cambridge, the Pure Executive team delivers exceptional board-level talent, senior leadership and chair appointments to family and privately owned businesses, SMEs, not-for-profit and AIM-listed companies across the East of England. 

Our in-depth market knowledge, extensive networks, and innovative search methods allow us to provide clients with valuable insights and help them make informed business decisions.

We are particularly proud of our series of leadership development programmes, which support the personal and professional growth of senior teams and lead to more inclusive business environments in which everyone is able to thrive. 

United by one vision

Pure Executive’s work on the outside rings just as true behind the scenes.

We are united as a team to deliver the best outcomes for our clients and candidates. Together, we’re driven by our vision to be the leading Executive search firm in the East of England.

Led by our values

Being leaders in Executive recruitment means shaping the industry and region for the better, providing a stronger, fairer, more diverse space for leaders to thrive.

  • Delivers

    Bringing energy and expertise, surpassing expectations.

  • Collaborative

    Teamwork and partnerships deliver better results.

  • Supportive

    Helping individuals and organisations to grow and succeed.

  • Trustworthy

    Integrity, and quality is at our core.

  • Innovative

    Continually striving to bring a fresh approach and inspire new ways of working.

Meet the team

  • Lynn is a co-founder of Pure and spends her time supporting clients with their Board appointments through Pure Executive.

    For over 30 years, Lynn has worked with a breadth of boards, recruiting executive and non-executive appointments, and advising on board succession planning. 

    A skilled facilitator, Lynn founded the employee engagement initiative Best Employers Eastern Region, the Women’s Leadership Programme and Board Ready Talent Scheme, supporting organisations to develop their pipeline of Board talent and strengthen the talent within the east of England.

  • Jodie began her recruitment career in 2000, joining Pure in 2005 to launch their Suffolk operation.

    She managed the Ipswich office for over four years, specialising in interim and permanent senior qualified accountancy appointments up to Director level before her maternity leave.

    On returning in 2010, Jodie helped launch the Financial Services division for Pure, specialising in senior management posts across Ipswich, Essex, and London.

    She is currently utilising her experience and relationships to develop the Executive and senior finance divisions.

  • A founding Director and CEO at Pure, Ian has worked in specialist recruitment since 1990.

    He has advised on a wide range of executive appointments, including CFO and FD, Partner appointments for mid-tier and regional firms and CEO and MDs for privately owned businesses.

    Ian’s breadth of business experience combined with an established network has helped many clients to make successful appointments.

  • A Director of Pure, David joined in 2003, focusing initially on public sector and charity recruitment. 

    He created and chairs the famous Charity Leaders Group with accounting firm PEM, providing an invaluable networking and ideas sharing platform for the region’s charity executives.

    David leads the Cambridge team delivering recruitment solutions across a broad mix of clients that reflect the rich tapestry of employers Cambridgeshire offers.

    From pre-revenue start-up ventures to established blue chips and non-profit to family-owned businesses, David is skilled in outsourcing recruitment solutions for senior management, senior finance and Board level appointments.

    In addition, he enjoys partnering with clients that enable him to add tremendous value and insights.

  • Scott is a Director at Pure, having begun his specialist recruitment career in 2001 and joining Pure in 2004.

    Specialising in senior finance recruitment for several years, Scott now spearheads the technology recruitment division and personally leads senior management and Board level technology appointments in the East of England.

    His strong, longstanding relationships with businesses in the region have enabled Scott to advise on many Board appointments, including CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, and IT Directors.

  • Caroline joined Pure at the beginning of our journey in 2002. As a director, Caroline co-manages the Cambridge office and is responsible for recruiting HR professionals across Cambridgeshire, covering all levels and sectors. She has developed long-standing relationships with her ethical approach to recruitment and thorough understanding of delivering a quality service.

    As a qualified coach, Caroline inspires her candidates to reach their career potential, support their confidence, career choices as well preparing them for interview. Caroline also coaches delegates who attend our Women’s Leadership Programme to support their leadership development journey. 

  • With more than 26 years of recruiting experience in accountancy, Mark has extensive knowledge of the Cambridgeshire market. He has worked with a wide range of clients ranging from owner-managed businesses through to PLCs for both contingency and retained assignments.

    Mark is responsible for recruiting both permanent and interim roles for senior management and board level accountancy roles.

  • Becky joined Pure in 2010 and has specialised in recruiting HR professionals across the Norfolk region since 2005. She prides herself in building strong relationships with both her clients and candidates and has an established network of contacts across the region.

    Becky is co-founder of the successful HR Energy network group, which brings HR professionals together to share ideas, best practice and provide learning and career opportunities.

  • Joseph has over 30 year’s specialist recruitment experience. Joseph joined Pure in March 2005 and specialises in recruiting interim and permanent finance directors, controllers, heads of finance and other senior management, board and executive appointments.

  • Lucy joined Pure Executive in 2014 to support the Executive Recruitment team with research and administration of Executive and Board level appointments, as well as organising the leadership development initiatives and events.

    Before joining Pure Executive, Lucy worked as an internal recruiter for a private health care organisation, and a recruitment consultant specialising in HR, sales and marketing roles across Suffolk and Norfolk.

  • Una started working in recruitment in 2022 as a graduate. Now working for Pure’s Executive division as a Search Associate she works alongside our Executive recruiters undertaking research projects and market mapping for the Eastern Region.

Join our team

We are a values-driven business rooted in cultivating lasting relationships, building trust, nurturing external partners, and creating a collaborative, inclusive environment for people to work. We are building the team and are interested in hearing from experienced search consultants and aspiring recruiters who share our values. If you would like an informal discussion, please get in touch with Lynn or Jodie.

Reach out