Core capabilities
Key appointments we deliver include:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Investment Officer
- Chief Sales Officer/Chief Commercial Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Technology Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Managing Director – country and regional leadership
- Head of Investment, Development, Asset Management & Capital Markets
- Development Director / Infrastructure Programme Director
- Head of Logistics, Supply Chain & Network Optimization
David Purcell
Senior Partner, B2B
B2B
London
Alex Maropoulos
Principal, B2B
B2B
London
Joshua Butler
Consultant, B2B
B2B
London
Jessie Jaques
Operations Assistant and Project Coordinator, B2B
B2B
Central Operations
London
Connect with David 
Email David Professional overview
David Purcell is a Senior Partner at Essenta, where he leads the firm’s B2B practice. He advises private equity investors and their portfolio companies on senior leadership appointments across business and professional services, particularly when a business is growing, transforming, expanding internationally or changing hands.
Working across Essenta’s London and New York teams, David works closely with investors, boards and management teams to pin down the leadership needed to deliver their ambitions, from CEO and C-suite appointments to wider senior teams. His work spans multiple geographies and ownership structures, with a particular focus on private equity-backed businesses.
David has built his career in Executive Search, specializing in B2B services and senior leadership within private equity-backed and listed businesses. He has advised investors, boards and management teams on appointments across a range of business services sectors and geographies. Along the way, he has built a deep network of senior executives and a clear understanding of what leadership looks like at different stages of growth and transformation.
Personal perspective
A great CV is only the starting point. The real question is whether someone has the experience, mindset and leadership style to deliver what the business needs next. I enjoy working closely with clients to get under the skin of their situation, then bringing a clear, well-informed view of the market and the people who can make a difference.
Professional overview
Business leaders and investors across real assets and infrastructure turn to Alex to appoint the leaders who will deliver their strategic ambitions. He works across the US and the EMEA, supporting clients through growth, transformation, and market change.
His specialism is senior appointments across real estate and digital infrastructure, with particular depth in industrial and logistics, and multi-site and residential platforms. He supports domestic and multinational businesses across investment, development, asset management, and operations.
Combining deep market knowledge with a pragmatic approach, Alex helps clients look beyond experience on paper to the leadership capabilities and context an individual needs, to succeed in a role.
Before joining Essenta, Alex was a Principal at ZRG, working across its industrials and infrastructure practices with multi-site B2B platforms worldwide. Previously, as a Principal at Granger Reis, he led the industrial logistics real estate practice, advising REITs, developers, and owner operators across EMEA, with a focus on the Benelux, Nordics, CEE, and Southern Europe.
Personal perspective
The right leader is not simply the person with the strongest track record, but the one whose experience and leadership capabilities align with what the business needs next. That’s why I focus on understanding where a client is heading and the context a leader will step into, so every appointment is made with the road ahead in mind. Get that match right, and the difference it makes to the business is felt for years to come.
Professional overview
Joshua sees Executive Search assignments through from the first brief to the final offer, leading delivery from start to close, including negotiation. He works in the B2B practice, with deep experience in manufacturing and services, for both publicly listed and private capital-backed companies.
His focus is on growth and turnaround, where the leadership challenge may be operational or commercial, and he has particular expertise in general management transitions. Joshua is well versed in helping clients work through ambiguity to find the people who can lead through adversity and deliver results.
Joshua began his career at global Executive Search firm Egon Zehnder, in its Industrial practice. There, he worked across industrial sectors including natural resources, energy, infrastructure and engineering, with a particular focus on manufacturing and B2B services.
He then spent two years away from search, working in sales at AB InBev, the world’s largest brewing company. On returning, he joined Granger Reis as a senior associate, where he built his skills in delivering assignments end to end and gained in-depth experience in the infrastructure and mining sectors.
Personal perspective
Honesty, integrity and respect are the bedrock of any successful partnership, whether we’re working with clients or the market. From there, our role is to stay solutions-focused, even when that means constructive challenge or relaying inconvenient truths. Ultimately, we prove our worth as consultants by listening and finding mutually beneficial ways forward that lead to exceptional hires.
Jessie Jaques
Operations Assistant and Project Coordinator, B2B
Professional overview
Jessie is the person who keeps Essenta running smoothly behind the scenes, as Operations Assistant and Project Coordinator for the B2B practice, where she works closely with the team to coordinate assignments from start to finish.
Alongside her practice work, Jessie oversees a wide range of operational activity, including office management, internal processes, supplier coordination and employee onboarding.
She is proactive and detail-oriented, and it shows in how seamlessly the business runs day to day.
Before moving to London and joining Essenta, Jessie spent six years working as a nanny. She started at Essenta in an administrative role supporting all of the practice areas, which gave her a broad understanding of the business, before moving into the role she has today.
Personal perspective
A seamless experience is built on thoughtful coordination, proactive support and attention to detail, so that every client, candidate and colleague feels valued. Working across the business as I’ve grown in my role has shown me how much each part depends on the others, and I try to make sure none of them are ever left waiting.
The Essenta difference
Why Essenta?
Essenta brings an end-to-end perspective on physical assets, evaluating complete capability to secure transformational leaders who deliver sustainable performance.
Deep sector expertise
Specialized search across infrastructure, property, and capital markets for private equity, listed, and privately held firms.
Global talent networks
Connecting clients with proven leadership across the UK, Europe, and the US to support global growth agendas.
Proprietary Discovery Process
Implementing data-led evaluation to map, assess, and optimize leadership across complex physical networks, logistics, and multi-site platforms.
Context-led Assessment
Evaluating complete leadership capability across acquisition, development, and asset management to match your specific lifecycle stage and exit goals.
Let’s build your next leadership team
Tell us what the business needs to achieve. We will give you an honest read on the leadership challenge in front of you, and how you should approach it.