Connecting Top Talent with Leading Professional Services Firms

PLA Professional Services is the commercial arm of
Public Leaders Appointments

Tailor made search and selection

Whether you are recruiting a new Chief Executive or senior leader, strengthening your board with a new Chair or Non-Executive-Director, or seeking expert consultancy or advisory support we are here to help. We are a boutique firm that will tailor robust yet agile and inclusive recruitment processes to meet your unique needs and ensure a broad, diverse reach for exceptional candidates to strengthen and grow your business.

Businesspeople with partner explaining strategy

Our bespoke approach as your trusted partner guarantees a genuine understanding of the culture and values that underpin your business, ensuring outstanding, enduring appointments are made.

For professional and shared services firms our services focus on:

Executive search for senior and board level appointments
Interim management and consultancy
Board review and development
Psychometric profiling

We bring expertise in:

Senior legal and accountancy professionals
Operational and board leadership
Advisory and consultancy
Private practice, in-house, and corporate

Building outstanding leadership teams, transforming clients’ performance

Managing Director Anna Jay brings extensive experience with legal and professional services firms, advising on and leading executive and non-executive appointments. With 20 years in executive search and interim management, she established PLA in 2017 and works across sectors providing strategic advice and bespoke support to organisations at Board and Executive level. During her time working in the Cayman Islands, she developed extensive international networks and has a strong track record in appointing to firms in the legal, accountancy and insurance industries and shared service providers.

Feedback consistently highlights our rigorous approach to the search and appointment processes. As trusted partners, we provide balanced, thoughtful recruitment advice based on intelligence and insight and ask the difficult questions that help our clients appoint the best, not the predictable.

Building outstanding leadership teams, transforming clients’ performance

Managing Director Anna Jay brings extensive experience with legal and professional services firms, advising on and leading executive and non-executive appointments. With 20 years in executive search and interim management, she established PLA in 2017 and works across sectors providing strategic advice and bespoke support to organisations at Board and Executive level. During her time working in the Cayman Islands, she developed extensive international networks and has a strong track record in appointing to firms in the legal, accountancy and insurance industries.

Feedback consistently highlights our rigorous approach to the search and appointment processes. As trusted partners, we provide balanced, thoughtful recruitment advice based on intelligence and insight and ask the difficult questions that help our clients appoint the best, not the predictable.

Client Voices

Giles Letheren

CEO, DELT Shared Services

“I’ve worked with Anna for nearly a decade, and she stands out in the crowded recruitment market for her genuine care and consistent excellence. She recently managed a NED recruitment for us, delivering an exceptional shortlist that exceeded expectations. Anna’s dedication and results make her highly recommendable.”

Mark Greaves

Chair DELT Shared Services

“I worked with Anna on recruitment of an experienced public/private sector non-executive director. She was a pleasure to work with, helped shape an effective advert and job profile, used her extensive network to generate an expansive (and very thought provoking) short list and aided in the interview process and final choice. I will definitely work with her again.”

Duncan Jackson

CEO, Buckles Solicitors

“Anna was great, most importantly she took the time to really understand the skillset we were looking to recruit. When we had distilled that I thought we were looking for a unicorn, but Anna quickly identified a number of eminently qualified candidates a number of which we would have been happy to appoint, but we had the luxury of recruiting the person we found to be the best fit for us.”

Darryn Hedges

CFO & NED

“Anna connected with me about a NED role in a law firm, which we subsequently secured. Anna was really professional from start to finish, engaging and had clearly done her homework/preparation. What also impressed me was Anna’s grasp of a different sector – professional services to her normal sector experience. I would whole heartedly recommend Anna.”

CASE STUDY

Supporting continued growth through strategic finance appointments

Securing the financial leadership Buckles Law needed to support its next stage of growth,

Read full case study

Effective financial leadership can be instrumental in helping organisations manage growth, strengthen decision-making and prepare confidently for the future.

We were initially appointed by Buckles Law to identify an experienced finance consultant who could provide strategic advice and support the Board through its next stage of development. Following the success of that appointment, we were subsequently asked to lead the search for a new Finance Director, creating an opportunity to strengthen the firm’s senior leadership while bringing the financial and commercial expertise needed to support its continued growth.