About Us
Connectors
Ivy Street is a leading boutique search and coaching business driven by the creation of thoughtful and meaningful connections.
Having operated in Boardrooms and Executive Leadership Teams for the past 25 years within media, entertainment, sport and digital companies, we proactively make the right connections for your needs today and in the future.
Partners
To both our clients and our candidates.
Every search is Partner-led and Partner-delivered and we stand out because we always work as an extension of our clients. You can tell the difference because we will never feel transactional.
Candidates trust us. We do what we say we will. We always follow up. And we listen.
Advisors
We are a trusted source of support and advice in the industry because our relationships have been built and nurtured over many years and we have invested time and energy into understanding the dynamics, cultures and challenges in the segments we serve. We are constantly therefore a sounding board for leaders as they build their teams and senior executives as they navigate their careers.
Expertise
Search
Building complementary, successful and diverse Boards and Senior Leadership Teams as our clients continue to evolve and transform at pace is our focus. This requires the right relationships, a depth of knowledge and the ability to effectively advise and challenge which we have articulated, developed and delivered throughout our many years of experience.
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We specifically work with clients on their critical C-Suite and Senior level appointments across established and scaled challenger businesses within the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, as well as Private Equity Portfolio companies and Privately Owned organisations. We are proven in delivering successful search work across a wide range of functions including:
CEO / General Management
Direct to Consumer
CTO
Digital
Finance
People
Marketing
Strategy
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As businesses continue to rapidly change and diversify across many areas, the need to build Boards with different but complementary and value add experience is even more crucial. With our broad and deep network, we bring expertise in helping to appoint Chairs, Committee Chairs and Non-Executive Directors who can quickly make a positive impact and successfully deliver in the Boardroom. We are specifically focused on delivering true diversity, be that gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or socio-economic.
Coaching
Maximising ambition and potential through effective, personalised coaching can be revolutionary. With over 25 years working with Boards and Executives, coupled with rigorous and practical training, we are a chosen partner for both Teams and Individuals as they navigate new and often challenging circumstances to both be their best and deliver results.
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We work with Board members & Executive Leaders, as well as those aspiring to move into their first Executive or Board role.
Over a 6 or 12 month programme, we help to define and shape a tailored plan, focused on refining and articulating the leadership qualities, capabilities and communication skills needed to ensure success.
We also support our placed candidates with a transition plan as they embed into their new organisation.
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Supporting newly formed Executive Leadership Teams or established teams who are delivering change at pace is our focus.
Tailored, agile plans which are crafted to each individual team mean we work as an extension of your business to deliver cohesion, build trust, improve communication and enhance performance.
Programmes typically include psychometric profiling, in-person team sessions and 1:1 coaching.
Recent Clients
We work with scaled and growth clients in the media, entertainment, sport and digital consumer sectors, supporting repeatedly with both Board and Senior Executive appointments. Examples include:
Why Us
Quality Not Volume
We are driven by working in genuine partnership with our clients, not by a need to deliver volume. Therefore you get us, experienced Partners, who remain close to you throughout and are responsible for delivering each stage of your search work from briefing to completion.
Clear & Transparent
Transparency is a core value of ours. And this translates to our fees. We have no hidden percentage expense fees but a clean and simple charging model which is aligned with clear objectives.
Deep & Creative Research
Thorough, discreet and detailed research is in our DNA and we have seen first-hand how key this is to delivering successful searches and minimising unwanted surprises. Extensive informal referencing and sourcing from our trusted network is done in the initial stages of the search, in addition to formal referencing at the end.
No Limits
As a boutique, Ivy Street offers a different search experience, one which is personal, proactive and dedicated to you, without restrictions from off limits.
Highly Discreet
Maintaining confidentiality and ensuring discretion is something we pride ourselves on, whether that is in search, succession planning or advisory work and mentoring.
Trusted Advisor
Our depth and breadth of multi-disciplinary expertise and ability to advise with honesty and candour, ensures we are a trusted partner to both clients and candidates.
Diversity in Leadership
“Increasing the diversity of leadership teams leads to far greater innovation, significantly better employee engagement, and improved financial performance”
Whilst gender diversity has been a clear priority for the executive search industry for some time, at Ivy Street we are committed to ensuring all aspects of inclusion and diversity are top of our agenda.
We are focused on helping our clients to build stronger and more successful Boards and Management Teams comprising people with the widest possible range of backgrounds and perspectives. This enables businesses to drive creativity and innovation and deliver meaningful change in a truly inclusive way.
In order to identify and attract diverse leaders, advisors and mentors, we dig deep into our varied and trusted international network to ensure we consider all aspects of diversity including gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, nation of origin, and socioeconomic status.
Furthermore, we passionately believe that in order to deliver significant and lasting change through diversity, these initiatives have to be actively sponsored and led from the top and cannot only be an objective of HR.
Team
Kate Bamford
Founding Partner
Kate is the Founder of Ivy Street and brings deep and specific expertise in the media, entertainment and consumer digital sectors.
She has over 25 years of international Board & Executive search expertise and is recognised as a highly trusted partner to both her clients and candidates. She partners with Plc, PE and privately-owned companies on their senior search mandates across most functional areas, including Chair, NED, CEO, CFO, CHRO, Marketing & Commercial.
Kate is also a qualified coach, having completed the Meyler Campbell Mastered Programme and is actively engaged in both Team coaching and 1:1 coaching with a particular focus on working with leaders as they step up into an Executive or Board role.
Prior to establishing Ivy Street, she was a Partner at JCA Group, the pre-eminent boutique executive search firm where she spent 12 years leading both executive and non-executive international search work for a wide range of clients including those in the media, digital, technology and consumer sectors across FTSE 100, FTSE 250, Private Equity and family-owned organisations.
Kate has an MA from St Andrews University.
Amanda Dominy
Operations Partner
Amanda joined Ivy Street in 2018 and ensures the smooth running of the business. She leads on all events and business development activities and plays an invaluable role in supporting Kate, and the research team in delivering client work. She previously worked with at JCA Group for 11 years and prior to that was at Korn Ferry for five years.
Alicia Urquhart
Consultant Partner
Alicia brings 10 years of executive search experience, specialising in Consumer, Digital & Technology, Retail, Leisure, and Data across FTSE 100, FTSE 250, Private Equity and family-owned organisations.
She began her career in communications, focusing on coaching for five years before transitioning to executive search. Alicia joined a boutique firm specialising in the Leisure, Travel, and Retail sectors and subsequently spent over three years at MBS Group, developing deep sector expertise within consumer-facing industries. She then moved to Founders Keepers, focusing on senior digital marketing appointments within VC and PE-backed businesses. Most recently, Alicia was with Candela Search, specialising in technology, data, and product appointments globally. Alicia joined Ivy Street in 2025, where she advises on executive and non-executive board-level appointments across Media & Entertainment, Sport, Digital and related sectors, as well as a broad range of functional appointments.
Alicia has a BA from Leeds University.