Chris Smith
Partner | London
Chris is a Partner and global sector leader with Leathwaite responsible for the strategy, performance and growth of the firm’s corporate and private equity clients globally. Functionally, Chris leads the global HR practice supporting the appointment of impactful HR leaders to leadership teams that drive meaningful change in their organisations. He is also a member of the Board practice and works with private equity firms on operating partner, value creation and portfolio leadership team builds.
Chris brings fifteen years of global search and leadership advisory experience working with leading corporate and private equity organisations acting as a key partner to CEOs, Boards, investors and CHROs to ensure they have the most progressive Corporate Officer leadership at the top of their organisations.
Chris joined Leathwaite in 2022 from Korn Ferry, the world’s largest global executive search and organisational consulting firm, where he was a senior partner and leader in the global HR practice. Prior to Korn Ferry he spent over a decade with a leading search and advisory boutique working globally in across the HR, talent and human capital market. Before moving into search, Chris worked in the television industry researching and producing documentary programmes and had a successful early career in Real Estate.
Chris grew up in Vienna, Austria and is a graduate of the University of Leeds.
