The Shortlist – A Personal Perspective, from Guy Fraser

Director Guy Fraser leads a team of consultants at Damhurst across functions and regions, including underwriting, claims, risk, actuarial, legal and compliance. As a specialist in risk management and the legal and regulatory sector, Guy has successfully closed assignments not only in the London market but also across Europe and the US. Prior to joining Damhurst, he worked in financial services recruitment for several well-established international recruitment firms.

Highly respected for his thoughtful and considerate approach, Guy is collaborative and supportive of his colleagues’ development and growth. In the latest instalment of The Shortlist, our interview series with Damhurst team members, Guy spoke to us about what makes a successful search, his passion for sport and travel, and the importance of family.

I studied modern languages at the University of Nottingham. I’ve always been interested in different cultures, communities and ways of working.

I didn’t have a grand career plan after I graduated. The 2008 financial crisis had just hit, and hiring had frozen, so I took the chance to spend two years travelling around the world. I’ve lived in St Petersburg, Berlin and Paris – and even spent a night sleeping on the Great Wall of China.

I started my career in recruitment in a fast-paced, target-driven environment, which gave me a great grounding in the industry. It taught me a lot about resilience and delivering for clients. As I got more experience, I realised I was really motivated by building deeper partnerships and offering more strategic advice, rather than focusing just on numbers. While I have a lot of respect for the model I trained in, I knew early on that I’d be better suited to a more relationship-led approach.

I made a conscious decision to move into executive search. I’d been told it was a better fit for my style and approach. I started my recruitment career on a financial services desk in the aftermath of the financial crisis, when ringfencing, regulatory reform, and conduct risk were top priorities for banks. That focus on risk management and corporate governance became a consistent thread throughout my career – initially working across banking and asset management, and then specialising in insurance from 2015 onwards.

Search is very different from recruitment. We conduct fresh research for every project – nothing is off the shelf. Clients need complete confidence that they’re seeing the best talent in the market, not just those actively looking – and that takes rigour, precision, and a thorough approach.

Joining a specialist search firm early in its journey meant a steep learning curve. When I joined Damhurst, James [Cooper] was looking to deepen the firm’s focus on risk and governance – not just from a technical standpoint, but by genuinely understanding the people behind these roles. My focus has been on building a connected community of CROs and governance leaders, taking the time to get to know them – not just their professional challenges, but also who they are as individuals. For me, it’s about doing the small things consistently well and building trust over time, without any agenda.

We work hard to understand the issues our clients are trying to solve. We’re seen as advisors. I enjoy the intellectual side of it, and I love building relationships. The opportunities we’re trusted with are strategically critical to each business.

We operate like a team, sharing a common goal of helping clients with leadership challenges. We do it together and share our successes. I enjoy having the foundation and comfort of our community and togetherness, but also having the space to think through problems on my own.

Sport has always played a big role in my life. I was heavily involved in rowing through my childhood and into my early twenties, but it’s not the easiest hobby to keep up in London – the time commitment is brutal! I jumped on the triathlon bandwagon in 2015 and now that my daughter’s a bit older, I’d love to get back into it. Growing up in the North West, I’ve always supported Liverpool – the only real choice unless you enjoy lifelong disappointment! One of my sporting highlights recently was taking on the Coast to Coast Challenge with the team in 2024. For me, exercise is the best way to switch off and reset.

Family has always been a big part of my life. It’s what keeps me grounded and gives everything else perspective.