Meet the Team

Paul holds the position of Managing Director with ChapmanCG and is a member of the organisation’s senior management team (Global). He holds responsibility for people and performance across the Australia and New Zealand region, and he works with a dynamic team across SE Asia. Paul takes a particularly hands-on approach to building ChapmanCG’s business and brand in Singapore, Jakarta and Manila. In the past he has managed teams and continues to deliver regional searches across APAC.

Before joining the ChapmanCG team, Paul spent eight years at Talent2 International as Managing Director of the recruitment business across Australasia, where he also served as a member of the Global Recruitment team. Prior to this he held various senior management roles with TMP Worldwide (NASDAQ Listed) and Morgan & Banks (ASX Listed) across Australia and New Zealand.

Originally from Melbourne, Paul has worked with the Essendon Football Club, Arthur Andersen & Co and Pacific Access. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from Monash University and has participated in professional development at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

These days Paul’s personal interests revolve around his teenage family and trying to stay balanced. He is an avid lover of sport and has a passion for football, cricket and golf.

René Rosso is a Managing Director at ChapmanCG based in Germany, leading the ChapmanCG consulting team and offering in the region. His focus is on senior and executive search mandates while partnering with local and global clients across DACH, EMEA and globally.

René has more than 15 years experience and knowledge in the recruitment industry, having spent the last 10 years focusing on HR positions across sectors. Prior to joining ChapmanCG René helped set up and launch three recruitment agencies in Germany, including Robert Walters and Frazer Jones where he also led the German business as Managing Director and Partner.

René studied political sciences, Anglo-American history and English and holds a diploma in Information Economics from the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. Before moving into the recruitment business in 2006, René worked in the media sector as an information specialist, including RTL, one of Europe’s biggest broadcasting companies.

René, who supports Borussia Mönchengladbach, enjoys quality time with family and friends, going to concerts and loves being outside going on hikes or competing in his local triathlon club.

Katherine Qu is a Managing Director based in Singapore. Since joining ChapmanCG in 2014, she has worked with the team across APAC and around the world to identify the top HR talent across Greater China, Singapore, SEA and APAC.

Before joining us, Katherine ran her own executive search business in Beijing focusing on senior executive roles for leading Chinese companies in the consumer, healthcare and real estate industries. She has also held positions with Hudson and Charterhouse Partnership leading the Healthcare practice and HR function respectively. Katherine’s corporate experience has spanned many different sectors with global leaders such as PepsiCo, Pfizer and Lenovo.

Born in China and educated in both China and the United States, Katherine achieved her Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland. She has worked in China, Singapore and the United States and speaks both Mandarin and English fluently.

Finian Toh is a Managing Director with ChapmanCG based in Singapore. His focus is on senior-level appointments across the full spectrum of HR functions in local and global multinational organisations.

He is a knowledgeable subject matter expert in HR who has a successful track record of leading senior HR searches and provides deep insights into HR market trends, talent landscape and astute career planning advice for HR professionals. Prior to joining ChapmanCG, Finian led the Human Resources Practice of a leading regional search firm in Singapore where he was instrumental in building the business as well as successfully delivering senior HR mandates across various industry sectors in Asia Pacific.

Finian graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Commerce from The Australian National University and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Governance from The Governance Institute of Australia. He is qualified as both a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Secretary. He speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese fluently.

Kirsty is a Managing Director with ChapmanCG and is based in Switzerland. She works with the team in identifying high-calibre HR talent in Europe and the Middle East, and also assists the company’s global leadership with internal projects.

Kirsty is originally from South Africa and has worked in the UK, Singapore and Australia. Before joining ChapmanCG, Kirsty worked in a consulting and senior project manager capacity in the communications, financial services and professional services industries in Australia, Asia and Europe. During her time at Verizon Communications, SAI Global, Salmat and Babcock and Brown, she worked closely with business leadership teams on the development and implementation of key projects to support business strategies.

Kirsty has a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management and Industrial Psychology from the University of South Africa, and a Master of Business Administration from Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Australia.

Outside of work, Kirsty is passionate about travelling, spending time with her two young children and keeping fit with running, spinning and yoga.

Vargin Yeke is a Managing Director with ChapmanCG based in Singapore. He works to identify first-class HR talent across the ASEAN region and internationally with a key focus on senior HR appointments in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam across all sectors.

Vargin began his executive search career in 2007 in the UK, where he successfully led teams across various industry sectors, eventually specialising in Human Resources. Originally from Istanbul, he has lived and worked in Turkey, the UK, Thailand and Singapore.

An international-level water polo player and coach, Vargin has represented his club and country in multiple competitions in Europe for over 10 years. He is now a keen triathlete and a qualified triathlon coach with multiple podium finishes across APAC. Vargin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Translation & Interpretation from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey.

Abby is a Senior Director with ChapmanCG’s EMEA practice. She leads complex searches across the UK, Continental Europe and the Middle East, and works closely with the global team to identify senior HR leadership talent across the region.

Abby has enjoyed over 20 years working in the executive search industry, based in both London and Dubai. Prior to joining ChapmanCG, Abby worked with a major international search firm and a boutique legal search business, leading teams and advising clients on senior level executive assignments across Europe and the MEA region. She has an excellent reputation for her consultative approach.

Outside of work, Abby can be found buried in cookery books, preparing for half marathons and looking after her two young and very active daughters. She is an avid skier and is always looking for new travel opportunities. Abby holds a Bachelors Degree in Modern Languages (German and Italian) from University of Exeter.

Fiona Jury is the Senior Director, Global Research and Market Intelligence at ChapmanCG. She is passionate about excellence in search delivery and leads ChapmanCG’s global research and market intelligence team in identifying top-quality HR talent.

Fiona’s executive search and recruitment career spans over 20 years, working across multiple markets including Asia Pacific, the United States, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand. A search consultant at heart, Fiona understands the unique needs of clients. During her time with ChapmanCG, Fiona has delivered on CHRO, Global HR Director, Regional HR Director, Global Talent Head, Global Head of Reward and many other high impact searches.

Prior to joining ChapmanCG, Fiona held a variety of leadership and senior consulting roles at Talent2 and at Morgan & Banks/TMP. She possesses broad industry experience across pharmaceuticals, FMCG, financial services, media, professional services and IT & Telecommunications.

Fiona originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant and spent her early career with Coopers & Lybrand. She holds a Bachelor of Economics (Accounting) from Monash University in Melbourne. Outside of work, Fiona enjoys spending time with family and her three children. She enjoys all sports and is fascinated by human ingenuity and positive psychology.

John is a Senior Director with ChapmanCG’s EMEA team. Based in the United Kingdom, he has over 20 years experience building dedicated HR recruitment practices across the UK, Europe and Australia. His focus is on delivering fast, efficient, and quality-driven services for clients across the region.

John is responsible for delivering top HR talent to CEOs and HR leaders locally, regionally, and globally for a range of clients from multinationals to SMEs. This includes CHRO’s / HR Directors, Senior HR Managers and Heads of HR as well as HR Business Partner positions.

He also manages assignments within specialist areas including Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Learning & Development, Organisational Development & Culture, Total Rewards, Inclusion & Diversity, Employee Relations, and HR & Data Analytics.

Before joining ChapmanCG, John worked for a leading global recruitment firm. Originally from Scotland, John is a graduate of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Nicola Hasling is a Senior Director with ChapmanCG and is based in Northern Virginia, in the United States. She is responsible for senior level HR searches across all disciplines of HR in the energy, industrial, pharmaceutical, financial and professional services, and consumer goods sectors for major blue chip and private equity backed organizations.

Prior to joining ChapmanCG, Nicola was with Heidrick & Struggles International where she was a core member of the firm’s CHRO, CEO and Board of Directors, Private Equity, and Energy and Natural Resources practices. Originally from the United Kingdom, Nicola has over 20 years of experience in executive search, primarily in the US and has also conducted international searches in Europe and Asia. In her earlier career, Nicola worked in human resources management roles, corporate sales and for the diplomatic service in London and Prague.

She holds an MBA from Henley Management College, England. After spending time in Houston, Texas, she is now located close to Washington, D.C., which allows her the opportunity to spend time with her horse and compete in eventing and continue to try to improve her tennis skills.

Ringo is a Senior Director with ChapmanCG based in Hong Kong. His role involves in-depth research and analysis to seek out high-calibre HR talent across the Asia Pacific region, with a particular focus on Hong Kong and North Asia. He also assists the group in the design and delivery of strategic internal projects involving process and operation development.

Before joining ChapmanCG, Ringo did several internships as a business analyst and photographer. He holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Organisational Analysis from the Warwick Business School, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing.

Outside of work, Ringo enjoys travelling, outdoor activities and photography. Prior to his move to study abroad, he was one of Hong Kong’s top competitors in athletics.

Originally from the UK, Simon has lived in Japan for the past 25 years, having worked his entire career as both an HR practitioner and recruitment search leader. Prior to ChapmanCG, he worked for two leading recruitment firms specialising in searches across the full range of HR disciplines in mid-to-senior management level roles. He has also built leading recruitment teams having been responsible for the direct leadership, training and development of up to 40 recruitment consultants and led international business development activities. Based in Tokyo, Simon leads our ChapmanCG team in Japan.

Simon is passionate about HR and best practice selection processes and helps to match top HR practitioners with leading global organisations for the Japan and APAC markets. He has a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management & Development from The University of Manchester, and is a member of both the CIPD and SHRM. He actively participates in HR industry and networking events in Japan and has a strong network and followership within the Japan HR and business community. He has particular expertise in advising global organisations on effective recruitment strategies to help them navigate the challenges of recruiting in Japan and has assisted numerous organisations successfully enter the local market.

In 2021 Simon received the Outstanding HR & Recruitment Professional of the Year Award at the Recruit International / TALiNT International Annual Recruitment Awards.

Living with his wife and two children, in his free time Simon is a keen cyclist, enjoys running and supporting various good causes and charitable events amongst the international community in Tokyo.

Andrea Merrigan is a Director with ChapmanCG based in Germany.

Andrea works as part of our EMEA team to deliver regional and global searches for ChapmanCG’s major clients across a range of industries and HR specialisations. Prior to her current role, Andrea worked for ChapmanCG in Singapore.

Before joining ChapmanCG, Andrea was an HR recruitment specialist with Profile Search & Selection in Singapore and a Talent & OD Professional, working both in consulting and in-house.

Andrea is originally from the Republic of Ireland and has spent over seven years living and studying in New York, Hawai’i, China, Japan, and Singapore. Outside of work Andrea loves to travel, dance and spend time with family.

Christopher (Chris) Kouns is a Director with the ChapmanCG US team. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, he works on senior HR searches across the United States. ChapmanCG calls upon Chris to lead complex searches in talent-short locations, where an exceptionally fast and highly responsive approach is needed.

Prior to joining ChapmanCG Chris worked for the Lucas Group, where he led HR searches at the Director to Vice President level across a range of organizations, including private companies and the Fortune 500.

Chris is the author of two books and has written more than 100 coaching articles for World Class Coaching Publications. As a Collegiate Head Women’s Soccer Coach, he was named as a finalist for the NCAA National Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.

Chris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and History from Mars Hill University and has also completed master’s degree coursework at the University of Pennsylvania, Union College, and the University of West Georgia.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys travelling. He is also a founding member and season ticket holder for the 2018 MLS Cup Champions, Atlanta United.

Fleur is a Director with ChapmanCG based in Singapore. With over 15 years of experience across the APAC and London markets, she works with the APAC team to identify high-potential HR talent and lead senior HR leadership searches across the region and globally, with particular emphasis on Singapore and Hong Kong markets.

Prior to joining ChapmanCG, in Hong Kong Fleur worked for a Fortune 100 Commercial Real Estate company; specialising in the Singapore and South East Asia Professional Services sector, with particular emphasis on the Human Capital Management Consultancies, Commercial Real Estate and Legal industries.

Passionate about facilitating career development, Fleur is an advocate of the Human Resources function and its’ ability to attract, manage and develop high-calibre talent.

Originally from the UK, Fleur has worked in New York, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. In her spare time, Fleur loves to take part in x3-day ultra-marathons in places such as Nepal and Lijiang – when in Hong Kong you’ll find her hiking somewhere along the MacLehose Trail, playing tennis and taking a keen interest in the world of horse racing.

Dee Karsan is a Director with the ChapmanCG team based in Japan. He has over six years of recruitment experience across Asia Pacific and Japan.

Prior to joining Chapman CG, Dee worked as a Senior Consultant focussing on senior-level HR searches including HR Head/Directors, HR Business Partners and Heads in specialised functional COE areas. He has worked across all industries with particular success in Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Technology.

Originally from London, Dee relocated to Japan in 2015. When he is not recruiting, he enjoys playing a variety of sports and has a strong passion for food, exploring different cuisines as well as cooking and is also a keen pool player.

Orelia Chan is a Director at ChapmanCG based in Düsseldorf, Germany.

She is part of our EMEA team to deliver regional and global searches for ChapmanCG’s clients across a range of industries and HR specialisations.

With more than 12 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, she was previously a Financial Services specialist with Profile Search & Search in Singapore, and Pure Search and Robert Walters in Singapore and Hong Kong. Prior to her recruitment career, Orelia worked at Bloomberg LP in Hong Kong as a Client Services and Analytics Representative.

Orelia is originally from Hong Kong and has had an international career based in USA, Singapore, and Germany. Outside of work Orelia enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, watching football, exercising, and travelling.

Hiro Azuma is a Director at ChapmanCG Japan. He has worked in recruitment for nearly ten years sourcing senior professionals for key positions across all business sectors in Japan and across Asia Pacific.

Before joining ChapmanCG, Hiro built his network across a broad range of industries in both contingent and retained searches. He is passionate in helping companies across Japan and Asia Pacific build for future success by hiring the right talent to their business and cultural objectives.

Hiro was born in Japan, but grew up in the US and has spent his professional career in Japan.  Away from his desk, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family.

Prachi Desai is a Director at ChapmanCG based in India. As part of the Asia Pacific team, Prachi works to deliver best-in-class HR leadership talent for organisations in India and Southeast Asia.

With an MBA in Human Resources, Prachi started her recruitment career as a Talent Acquisition Manager at an Indian Insurance company in Mumbai. For two years she was responsible for mid to senior level recruitment across all functions. She then relocated to Japan and worked as a Principal Consultant based in Tokyo specialising in senior talent across FMCG, Retail and Hospitality sectors for over 6 years, before moving back to India.

Prachi enjoys spending time with her daughter, loves to explore different cuisines, enjoys reading fiction and travelling.

Alejandro Castillo is a Director at ChapmanCG, based in Atlanta. He advises clients across geographies and sectors on hiring and developing progressive human resources officers. He recruits CHROs and their direct reports, including other critical HR leadership functions. Alejandro has placed executives across Fortune 500, pre-IPO, venture-backed, and private equity-backed organizations.

As a search consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates prior to ChapmanCG, he worked closely with senior leadership to recruit top talent, assess management teams and enable transformation across sectors. Before RRA, Alejandro was a Managing Director of Thematiks, a digital platform providing business leaders with exclusive analysis and commentary across a variety of industries and issues. As the founder and managing director, he held a range of responsibilities – from developing the original brand strategy to engineering the entire sales structure. Prior to Thematiks, he held sales and operations leadership roles at World 50, Inc.

Alejandro holds a BBA in marketing management from Kennesaw State University. He is also an active member of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GHCC).

Ipek is a Senior Associate with ChapmanCG and is based in Istanbul. She is one of our key contacts in Turkey where she works closely with the team to identify high-calibre HR talent across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Ipek began her career in marketing, where she worked for a global retailer, before turning to recruitment where she has enjoyed success partnering with both global and local IT companies. Prior to joining ChapmanCG, Ipek worked for BeathChapman for almost two years in Istanbul, where she played a key role in building out the technology division.

Having graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Information Management, Ipek spent a year in Brazil as an exchange student, and has also worked as a volunteer with disadvantaged children in Portugal. In addition to speaking Turkish and English, Ipek is fluent in Portuguese. In her free time she enjoys travelling and practising yoga.

Nathalie Hinrichsen is the Marketing Director for ChapmanCG. She works closely with the global leadership team to deliver marketing strategies to strengthen the ChapmanCG profile and brand.

Nathalie has over 15 years of international marketing experience having worked for brands like British Airways and Hilton Worldwide. She has lived and worked across the Middle East and moved back to the UK in 2011 and supports the team around the world from London.

Jovin is an Executive Assistant based in Singapore. He facilitates HR searches by assisting the consulting team in coordinating interviews for candidates and clients, as well as organising call screenings and other administrative duties.

Prior to joining ChapmanCG, Jovin was employed in a hospital call centre, which provided a good grounding in customer service. He also spent some time working for a recruitment consultancy, where he was responsible for placing junior positions.

Jovin has competed in the Paralympics four times: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. He has also represented Singapore in the disabled sailing community since 2002. Jovin was awarded his Para Sailing Coaching Certificate in 2016, and is now a certified Sailing Coach. He was also the first person with a disability to acquire a Powered Pleasure Craft Driving Licence (PPCDL) in Singapore.

The Singapore Disability Sports Council made Jovin aware of the career opportunity with ChapmanCG in 2011. In order to maintain his strict training regime, Jovin needs an employer that supports flexible working and allows employees to pursue outside interests, which are both priorities at ChapmanCG.