Team

Our team only ever deal with a handful of clients as part of a hands-on approach and customer service which are second-to-none.

Our executive search team has never failed to find the right person and built our reputation as being truly expert in our chosen recruitment fields.

If you'd like to find out more about our successes and what clients think of services and working practices please visit our Testimonials pages.
 

Paul Rayner - Managing Director

As founder and MD of Oakstone, Paul’s primary focus is to lead our organisation's continued growth.

With the help of his experienced team - he helps maintain the outstanding work which has built our first-rate reputation for delivering exceptional results.

Paul has over 25 years in International Executive Recruitment Strategy, Talent Acquisition and Management.

He has extensive experience of recruiting at a variety of levels on an international scale.
 

Tristan Heywood - Divisional Director and Managing Consultant 

Tristan joined Oakstone in 2000 and has progressed through the company, leading our London operation since 2007.

His commitment to projects on behalf of our clients and dedication to assisting our candidates with their careers has led him to become a cornerstone of our business and he is widely-renowned in our sector as a true expert in his field.

Prior to Oakstone, Tristan worked as a professional soccer coach, completing the UEFA Coaching qualifications and coaching at the Centre of Excellence for Arsenal & Wycombe Wanderers as well as private organisations.

After spending some time travelling, working and studying overseas, including Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the US, he returned to the UK, working initially as an International Account Manager in the “Well-Being” sector before joining Oakstone.

Tristan’s passions in life are music, Arsenal F.C. and his family.
 

Steve Farr - Senior Consultant 

Steve has over 5 years experience delivering pan-European searches, sourcing the best talent for early stage / pre-IPO software vendors and service providers.

Steve enjoys the dynamic, fast paced nature of the software industry and keeps a close eye on emerging technologies.

He has worked across a number of sectors including: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), eCommerce, Marketing Automation, Customer Experience Management (CEM), Web Content Management (WCM), Business Process Management (BPM) and Complex Event Processing (CEP) – helping source from a variety of disciplines from Sales Director through to Technical Support.

The searches he carries out are predominantly European in nature however, he’s always eager to expand his network into new territories.

Steve’s commitment to his clients is not only to match the correct skills and experience to their requirement but also to establish a cultural fit; a particularly key criteria for early stage ventures. He strives to form long term relationships both with clients and individuals, enabling him to deliver the best results time after time.

Prior to joining Oakstone in 2005, Steve progressed through the ranks of Marks & Spencer’s management training scheme. 

Andy Strong - Divisional Director and Managing Consultant 

Andy is responsible for building Oakstone’s reputation as the best recruiting firm in its sector within EMEA by delivering outstanding recruitment solutions to our clients.

He joined Oakstone in 2007 to set up our first office outside of our original HQ in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

He demands the highest levels of effort, energy, quality, professionalism, honesty and - most of all - sustainable results for both our company and our clients.

Prior to Oakstone, Andy had a successful 11-year career within the mobile telecoms sector helping small and large companies grow their UK footprint, overall revenue and profitability.

His leadership and recruitment skills developed from hiring and managing teams of 4 to 56 with experience ranging from running single-site national flagship outlets to field-managing 15 stores across the South of England.
 

Juan Askew - Senior Consultant International 

Juan enjoys the international focus at Oakstone having lived and worked in Hong Kong, America and Spain.

His fluent Spanish has proved invaluable when working on projects in South America and Spain.

Juan has helped clients in South America, Europe and the Middle East on a range of opportunities including recruiting Sales Directors, Client Directors, Project Managers and Pre-Sales Managers.

Prior to Oakstone, he spent 8 years working in the mobile telecoms sector gaining valuable international business development and account management experience. He has specific experience working with OSS/BSS software vendors, system integrators, service providers across EMEA.

Interacting at C-level, he was able to build a strong network in key areas of Distribution, Applications and Emerging Technologies.
 

James Stockton-Chalk - Senior Support Consultant  

James heads our Project Support Team and personally works across all areas covered by Oakstone.

An avid follower of the technology industry, he continues to expand his reach and knowledge with particular focus on our existing and planned sectors of expertise.

Prior to joining Oakstone in early 2008, James had been successful in a variety of commercial roles whilst deciding where he wanted to develop his career.

He has now earned himself a key place in our organisation and is happy that our principals and development programmes are ideally suited to his long-term goals.
 

If you'd like to find out more about any of our team and the services they provide please contact us on 0845 456 4849 or via email at info@oakstone.co.uk.