Core capabilities
Key appointments we deliver include:
- Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
- Chief People Officer (CPO)
- Head of Talent & Talent Acquisition
- Head of Total Rewards & Executive Compensation
- VP / Director of HR Operations & HRIS
- Head of Inclusion, Belonging & DEI
The Essenta difference
Why Essenta?
Our specialists have a deep understanding of complex and fundamental operating models, global mapping for efficiency and transformation, and the critical emphasis on planning for future success. Our HR practice spans multiple industries, including but not limited to private equity, consumer goods, digital infrastructure, financial services, energy, and manufacturing.
Deep functional expertise
We take pride in maintaining a transparent search process, supported by HR subject matter experts who bring years of practical experience and a demonstrated record of operational excellence.
Global talent networks
We connect clients across the US, UK, and Europe to exceptional HR talent, delivering Search, Interim, and Advisory through one integrated team.
Proprietary Discovery Process
We look beyond qualifications to assess real resilience, commercial judgment, and attributes necessary for success.
Context-led Assessment
Recognizing that workforce dynamics are constantly shifting, we partner closely with clients to build forward-thinking people strategy solutions grounded in rigorous Assessment.
Case studies
Proven lasting impact
Discover how our integrated Search, Interim, and Advisory solutions reduce the risk of senior appointments, helping organizations build lasting leadership strength.
Michelle DesChenes
Partner, North America
HR
Boston
David Purcell
Senior Partner, B2B
B2B
London
Emily Little
Principal, Consumer
B2C
New York
Ewan Peaston
Consultant, Consumer
B2C
London
Connect with Michelle 
Email Michelle Professional overview
The HR function is changing fast, shaped by emerging technology, shifting workforce expectations and a sharper focus on culture. Michelle helps businesses find the leaders to meet that change. A Partner for North America, she leads human resources at Essenta, advising boards, CEOs and executive leadership teams on critical HR appointments, across North America and Europe.
Her clients span private equity, life sciences, energy, manufacturing, engineering, financial services and consumer goods, from privately held to publicly listed organizations. Working with colleagues, she also supports them with Interim solutions and executive Assessment and Advisory, so they have a full range of expertise as they build and strengthen their leadership teams.
With 20 years of experience placing senior HR leaders, Michelle is known for pairing strategic insight with disciplined execution. As demand grows for top strategic HR leadership, she makes sure each appointment fits a client’s long-term strategy and culture.
Personal perspective
HR is one of the most complex and demanding roles in any organization, so listening comes first. I work to understand each client’s unique needs and help them look not only ahead but around the corner at the challenges and objectives facing their business. That means partnering closely with key stakeholders on forward-thinking strategies grounded in best practice, and building relationships on honesty and transparency, so that clients and candidates alike have an excellent experience and the partnership lasts.
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
Fashion, retail, and the wider consumer world are what Emily knows best. She has built her career recruiting C-suite and senior executives for publicly listed and private equity-backed businesses, as well as founder-owned brands.
At Essenta, she leads every stage of a search, from defining the role and mapping the market to assessing and benchmarking talent, guiding clients through to a successful hire. Her clients range from founder-led start-ups and private equity-backed portfolio companies to established public brands.
Emily’s driven by finding creative answers to complex talent challenges, giving clients and candidates an exceptional experience, and building Essenta’s reputation as the firm of choice – both to work with and to work for.
Emily joined Essenta from Herbert Mines Associates and before that, she was at Egon Zehnder, first in London and then supporting the Dallas office, mostly on retail, apparel and luxury Executive Search. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed working with both established and disruptive businesses on their senior leadership needs.
Her early career was in financial services, focused on retail and consumer, and in retail itself as a merchant.
Personal perspective
Each search is a chance to make a real difference, both to a business and to the people in it. The right leader can transform an organization and the lives of its people, and I approach every mandate with that sense of possibility. Add a naturally competitive streak, and the work is both rewarding and genuinely enjoyable.
I’ve long believed that culture is a critical driver of performance. When placing senior leaders, I give cultural fit equal weight with technical capability instead of focusing on skills alone, and in my experience that typically means longer tenures and greater success in the role.
Professional overview
Ewan advises consumer brands on senior leadership appointments as part of Essenta’s B2C team, working across consumer packaged goods, health and beauty, fashion and apparel, and sports and lifestyle, in particular.
His work goes well beyond Executive Search. Ewan also leads market insight, talent mapping, and succession planning projects. Having partnered with clients across a wide range of functional disciplines, he sees how consumer businesses build and structure their leadership teams, end to end.
Before joining Essenta, Ewan spent three years at Fortune Hill Executive Search, specializing in commercial and marketing within the European consumer market. He started out as a researcher, moved into account management and ultimately led the delivery teams, so he knows the work from the ground up.
Personal perspective
The best leadership appointments come from understanding not just what a candidate has achieved, but how they achieved it: how they’ve built teams, navigated change and made difficult decisions under pressure. Consumer businesses move fast, and the leaders who succeed in them are rarely the ones who look best on paper alone. Our job is to get past that and find the person who will genuinely thrive in the context our clients are asking them to lead in.
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.