We’re delighted to announce that we have backed a new executive search start-up – Praeva Partners. Founded and operated by former Drax chief executive Mark Sherman, Praeva Partners aims to work alongside high-growth, primarily owner-managed businesses in the UK and Europe to strengthen their senior leadership teams.

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After launching late in 2025, Praeva Partners has already appointed its first Principal, Daria Koren, and is in full swing developing its client list.

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The deal followed months of behind-the-scenes work to jointly plan and build the business’s launch.

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With backing from the team at Jigsaw Equity, Praeva aims to work alongside the leading privately owned businesses across numerous sectors. Jigsaw’s Graham Goodwin joins Praeva Partners as chairman, while Michael Goodwin takes on the role of financial director. Our associate advisor, John Toppin, joins the new venture as chief operating officer.

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Graham Goodwin, our co-founder, said: “Mark has built an incredible business proposition in Praeva. His experience and connections make him a formidable force in executive search and I’ve every confidence in his high ambitions for Praeva Partners. Jigsaw Equity is delighted to be working alongside Mark to develop Praeva and make it into the success we all know it can be.”

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Mark Sherman, chief executive of Praeva Partners, said: “Praeva Partners takes a new approach to executive search, aiming to become the search partner of choice for ambitious businesses in the UK and Europe. I’ve got huge aspirations for this company. Praeva will shake off the weights that so often accompany executive search firms and tackle our brief with vigour and passion.

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“We want to bring the best consultants and partners on board so that we can deliver the highest quality of work, and we’ll reward our teams with a fresh incentive model to connect the impact we have for our customers and candidates to our colleagues. Their expertise will be augmented by technology – as a tech-first search firm, we are focused on using AI and other systems to streamline the candidate and client experience and to enable our people to spend time where they have the most impact. We will focus unrelentingly on delivering excellence,” he added.

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Mark led the Drax Executive team in the UK for the last two years and before that headed up its consumer and leisure sectors, supporting their growth through to a successful minority investment by private equity. He added: “Executive search plays an incredibly important role in supporting the success of businesses in the UK and Europe. Market conditions are tough – the economy is challenging, and competition is fierce, so it’s never been more critical to have the right leadership team in place.

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“Praeva Partners will strive to deliver on this mandate, acting as a consultative partner to clients and candidates alike, better understanding how the entire leadership structure works in harmony to drive growth.”

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Interested in launching a new recruitment firm?

We’re a specialist recruitment investor, working with ambitious start-ups and growing recruitment businesses to help them achieve their goals. We’re always interested in hearing from people looking for a partner to help their businesses launch or grow, and from those considering selling a recruitment business.

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If that’s you, get in touch.