Grichan Whitestone Partnership Turns 18!

Eighteen years ago, a bold idea was born from a simple but powerful observation: executive search could and should be better.

When Richard Hewitt founded Grichan in 2006, he drew upon his experience as SVP of HR for a global outsourcing firm and set out to build a business that understood complexity, delivered quality, and didn’t just promise results but delivered on them too.

What started as a frustration with outdated search methods grew into a forward-thinking firm, grounded in project discipline, sector intelligence, and uncompromising delivery standards. Grichan was remote-first before it became the norm, process-driven before it became fashionable, and obsessed with quality before it was expected. This strength led to Grichan’s second client being one of the biggest global outsourcers, a fantastic start on the path to success.

By 2009, Grichan had already gained traction across the UK, the Middle East, and North America. The arrival of Martin Gammon as Chairman in 2016 brought a new leadership perspective and entrepreneurial energy, which propelled the launch of a Consulting practice in 2019. That same year, Robert Smith founded The Whitestone Partnership, drawing on nearly 20 years with top-tier recruiters to launch a practice in Interim Management and Consulting, shaped by deep industry insight.

A merger in 2021 brought the Grichan and The Whitestone Partnership together to form the Grichan Whitestone Partnership, now an Executive Search, Interim Management and Business Consulting firm built for today’s challenges. Testament to their strength, GWP last year achieved Silver status at the first time of asking with the Institute of Interim Management (IIM) and became the only Boutique practice on the Crown Commercial Services Executive Recruitment Framework.

Over the last 18 years the Grichan Whitestone Partnership has evolved, grown and adapted in what has been a demanding market. We’ve also listened to the needs of our clients creating a new recruitment practice to serve middle management, Whitestone Resourcing which continues to grow from strength to strength since its inception in 2022.

It is proof that when you combine vision, values, and execution, great things happen.

Here’s to the Grichan Whitestone Partnership: 18 years young, with experience well beyond its years and a future that’s only just getting started.