Matt Smith

Managing Partner, ANZ

Matt loves connecting great people and companies with a purpose to make things better through technology and innovation. He works in MitchelLake’s Melbourne office and leads the MLG Growth vision for ANZ, working with an awesome team who source talent for leadership hiring and scaling teams across emerging technology, experience and service design, product, digital marketing, growth, data science and analytics.

Matt’s domain expertise leans towards hiring senior roles in experience and design and he enjoys the balance of working with fast growth, early stage organisations and larger scale companies going through digital transformation and the unique challenges they both bring.

Mary Karolyi

Global CFO

Mary Karolyi, our Global CFO, leads all traditional aspects of the finance function and helps drive the global commercial strategy of our business.

Apart from oversight and establishment of finance functions, her experience has also included the transformation and evolution of start-ups, scale-ups and other growth or disrupted organisations within the technology, retail, professional services sectors and across the Asia Pacific, United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.

Sophie Cohen

Senior Principal

Sophie Cohen is the Senior Associate of MitchelLake’s UK office and boasts 20 years of experience, managing executive search, market intelligence, succession planning, salary surveys, talent mapping and pipeline projects across EMEA, North America, Russia, Asia Pacific (Australia, China, India, Philippines), UAE and LATAM. She possesses broad sectorial experience in digital, advertising, marketing, media, pharmaceutical, and industrial.

Passionate about digital and technology start-ups, Sophie works with her clients to acquire the best talent for a healthy international growth or digital transformation.Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her children, exploring the world of nature, and being a climate change fighter.

Mark Sparrow

Managing Partner MLG UKI

Having operated in the industry for over 20 years, including 10 years in Asia, , Mark is responsible for driving the Tyzack Mitchellake solution suite . An highly respected search professional, Mark has often been quoted as a thought leader in the media and has appeared regularly on business-related broadcasts including CNN, CNBC, BBC, CNA and Bloomberg

Mark has led major recruitment businesses through periods of exceptional growth in both Europe and Asia Pacific. His experience covers a broad spectrum of industries but in the last 10 years he has been largely focussed on leadership appointments within Software, Technology Consulting, IT Services, Telecommunications and Media firms, globally where he has helped to appoint an array of roles spanning the C-Suite and their direct reports.  This exposure has seen him encounter businesses at all stages of their evolution; from Series A to pre transaction to turnaround and through to PLCs, giving him an ideal perspective to be able to advise firms in every situation they face, particularly in helping to appoint leaders who spur rapid growth.

Robert Kinkade

Senior Partner, Ventures & Transformation

Originally from Seattle USA, Rob is a Senior Partner based in our Sydney office. Earky in his career Rob gained invaluable experience at retail pioneer Nordstrom, where he cut his teeth helping modernise their digital footprint and e-commerce capabilities in the late 90s. This early exposure to transformative technologies sparked his passion for innovation.

After relocating to Australia, Rob’s expertise in driving digital transformation led him to leadership roles at global consulting firms Accenture and EY, where he spearheaded the launch of new digital advisory practices, combining strategic vision with executional excellence for some of Australia’s biggest brands across retail & ecommerce, fmcg, travel, telco, media and technology sectors.

For the past 7 years, Rob has channelled his entrepreneurial spirit as a founder and investor, launching multiple disruptive start-ups. Rob specialises in collaborating to identify untapped market opportunities and design innovative business models to capitalize. Today, Rob partners with ambitious leaders across private equity, venture capital and corporates who share his enthusiasm for pushing boundaries.

James Foster

Partner, Cybersecurity

With 17 years recruitment experience, James specialises in cyber security providing strategic talent solutions to established and early-phase cyber vendors, consultancies, and end-user organisations globally.

With a deep commercial understanding of the cyber industry’s ecosystem, he operates as a strategic partner to many VC/PE backed cyber vendors. Actively collaborating with senior stakeholders to advise on the design and calibration of international headcount and workforce plans, and internal mobility and succession readiness programmes that align to revenue targets and GTM strategies. As a result, he has supported numerous sales territory expansions and new market entries with significant ‘bottom line’ results for his clients.

As cyber security is integral to organisations of every kind, James’ end-user clients are sector agnostic and range in scale from SME’s to FTSE100. From review to remediation, and spanning all cyber domains, his network allows him to work closely with business leaders to orchestrate human solutions that align to commercial, transformational, and regulatory cyber business needs.

Jon Tanner

Group CEO & Managing Partner

Jon Tanner co-founded the MitchelLake Group in 2001 and has been advising startup, scale-up and enterprise clients on leadership, executive search and talent acquisition for digital ventures and initiatives for almost two decades.

As Group CEO and Managing Partner, Jon is based in Singapore and works across our international hubs in APAC, Americas, and Europe. He directent and partner organisations. Jon is an active earlntrepreneurs, ventures and innovation including SocietyOne, Biteable, Blackbird VC, and Genos International.

Illona Vak

Partner, ANZ

Illona Vak is a Partner with MitchelLake, Melbourne and brings over 16 years’ experience recruiting across Digital, Marketing and Product from both local and international markets.

She joins after successfully running a boutique executive recruitment firm where she partnered with global and local businesses to deliver exceptional talent solutions. Illona is passionate about digital innovation within corporates and advising growth businesses on how to build successful teams. Illona has invested her time developing deep networks, and the culmination of her experience ensures recruitment strategy is always perfectly aligned to the client’s overall business strategy.

Andrew Lacey-Smith

Senior Partner, APAC

Dedicated to making a difference, Andrew is a dual UK & Australian citizen with more than twenty years experience in executive search.

Andrew moved from London to Sydney with a Fortune 500 firm in early 2000, then on into boutique local search firms before starting the first of my own businesses in 2010. In 2024, joined forces with the team at Mitchellake Group to focus on executive and board search in high-growth tech ventures and digital transformation.

Aditi Kittane

Principal

Sam Randall

Partner MENA & APAC

Sam brings a wealth of experience in executive search, with a strong track record across the MENA and APAC regions. Sam has supported market entry and global expansion for some of the world’s leading ventures and firms, helping them scale by sourcing top-tier leadership talent for growth-stage technology companies.

As a seasoned entrepreneur himself, Sam’s background includes co-founding a successful B2B SaaS company in Singapore, giving him unique insights into the challenges faced by multinational founders, investors, and operators. Beyond recruitment, Sam mentors with several VCs and accelerators and continues to grow his angel investment portfolio.

🌍 Based in Dubai, Sam will be focusing on supporting tech-driven ventures in sourcing global leadership talent through the region, as we continue to guide tech companies through growth and international expansion.

Benjamin Bullock

Head of Research & Delivery, ANZ

Ben fell into recruitment looking for work experience whilst studying Business & Psychology at University in Manchester. Well schooled in headhunting, he moved to London to join the Australian recruitment firm Morgan & Banks. Despite never really understanding Investment Banking, Ben was able to convince the company he was worthy of a transfer to Sydney. Here, Ben and his teams successfully navigated an acquisition and multiple rebrands before he left to pursue several startups of his own. After 3 years leading an Internal TA function helping to build Australia’s 3rd fastest growing business, Ben now has a player/coach role in MitchelLake’s Research and Delivery team.

Michael Solomon

Board Advisory, ANZ

Michael Solomon has led a varied commercial life from coaching leaders and teams as a management consultant to heading emerging technology ventures for News Corp, to driving digital transformation and operational excellence at the AFL.

Michael is currently a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, shareholder and advisor to Enex Carbon, Chair of the Michael Long Foundation, and Director of the Darwin International Essington School. Past governance and directorships include Executive Director of News Digital Media, CEO and Director of Learning Seat, Director of Moshtix, Director of Recruit Advantage, Chairman and Director of Getprice, and Chairman and Director of Sporting Pulse.

Tracey Claxton

Finance & Operations

Tracey has nearly 20 years of experience as a corporate accountant, operations and administration manager for both enterprise and growth businesses across professional services, insurance, gaming, and technology.
Tracey brings stellar communications, a cool head and and positive energy to the firm and the clients we collectively serve.

Mark Chote

Group Advisor

Mark Chote is the Non-Executive Director for The MitchelLake Group. Boasting over 30 years of experience in the tech recruitment industry, he has partnered with a number of start-ups and grown these to multi-national operations through to successful exits. Mark is incredibly passionate about digital ventures and serves on a number of boards, utilising the knowledge he has gained having led businesses in both New Zealand and Australia.

Fyza Sharma

Associate Consultant

Patrick Blute

Growth Advisor, North America

Patrick has over 10 years of experience leading product marketing and global sustainability initiatives with a focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact.

He started his career in Silicon Valley consulting with early stage startups facilitating positioning and go-to-market strategy development. He has advised and partnered with leaders at companies including Ernst & Young, Silicon Valley Bank, and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. Patrick holds a degree from Columbia University in Sustainable Development and is pursuing a Masters in Business Administration focused on Sustainability at Trinity College Dublin.

Patrick is based in New York, advising MLG on product and marketing strategies for hypergrowth technology, social good, and sustainability ventures.

Emma Dwyer

Head of People & Culture

Emma Dwyer has over 15 years’ experience working with some of Australia’s largest corporations, specialising in the supply of the key competencies responsible for driving strategy & innovation.

Initially operating within the realm of talent acquisition and recruitment, Emma now operates as a trusted business partner to Executives, Senior Management, Employees and Peers providing strategic advice and executing on general HR, Employee Engagement and Talent Management initiatives, and ultimately drives the internal people and culture agenda.

Emma has worked with clients across our businesses, which gives her unique insights into this leadership role.

Michael Datta

Partner, Sport Media & Entertainment

Michael Datta is a Partner with MitchelLake who has strong expertise in building ventures, brands, and activating multinational organisations across multiple industries and geographies, with a driving passion for technology, agriculture, food & beverage, sport, and consumer goods.

Operating as a ML’s Lead in Queensland, Michael will stimulate both the outbound and inbound US venture market while building into the company’s sport, entertainment and entrepreneur network!

Hal Barne

Growth Advisor, North America

Hal has amassed over 20 years of international business experience, specializing in strategic business development & marketing in the interactive entertainment/video games, digital media and technology sectors across global markets, having lived and worked across Asia, Europe and the US.

Hal started his career in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), helping Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies expand to countries newly integrated into the EU.  He then joined PlayStation Europe, heading up the CEE region, including challenging territories like Russia, before joining Codemasters Software Company (later acquired by Electronic Arts), focusing on the Middle East and Asia in particular.  Hal then moved to Singapore in 2011, where he took on various roles and companies in Esports and Web3/Blockchain technology.

Hal is now based in LA and splits his time between LA, Singapore and other locales, advising MLG on Global Growth strategies and opportunities, particularly in the Web3/Blockchain space.