Our Story

Where Strategy Meets Opportunity

Jefferson Locke is a strategic advisory, search and M&A business working with founders, CEOs and boards to build stronger, more valuable organisations.

We combine strategic insight, senior-level search and relationship-led M&A to help businesses define where they want to go, strengthen the leadership needed to get there and pursue the right opportunities for growth, acquisition or exit.

Our approach is deliberately hands-on and personal. We work closely with leadership teams, challenge thinking where needed and bring together the right expertise, people and connections as the business evolves.

Built on experience. Connected by purpose.

Our team brings together expertise across strategic search, leadership advisory and M&A, supporting founders, CEOs and boards through the decisions that shape growth, leadership and long-term value.

From identifying and appointing senior leaders to advising on organisational change, commercial strategy, acquisition and exit, we combine specialist expertise with deep market knowledge and long-standing relationships.

We work as one team, bringing the right people and perspectives around the table depending on what each client needs.

Tom Howe

Founding Partner

Tom Howe is the Founder and Managing Partner of Jefferson Locke, a strategic search, leadership advisory and M&A firm working with ambitious marketing, communications and technology businesses. With more than two decades of experience advising founders, CEOs and boards, Tom specialises in identifying and appointing senior leaders who can materially influence growth and performance. His work also spans leadership structure, succession, organisational design and strategic advisory. Alongside Jefferson Locke’s core search work, Tom advises business owners considering acquisition, investment or exit, helping clients make better decisions around leadership, growth and strategic change.

Rachel Cooper

Chief Financial Officer

Rachel Cooper is an experienced Chief Financial Officer with over 15 years of cross-sector financial leadership, spanning professional services, digital marketing, consulting, and commercial industries. She currently serves as CFO at Jefferson Locke, where she oversees financial strategy and performance across the firm’s global operations in advisory, strategic search and M&A. She plays a pivotal role in aligning finance with the wider strategic goals of the business — focusing on commercial growth, operational efficiency, and scaling capability across international markets.

Ivy Farrell

Executive Partner

Ivy Farrell is a seasoned global talent partner and specialist headhunter with over 20 years of experience spanning recruitment, licensing, media, and talent strategy across the UK, EMEA, and the US. She currently serves as Executive Partner at Jefferson Locke, where she leads senior-level search assignments across marketing, technology, FMCG and Healthcare industries. Known for her intuitive matchmaking skills, Ivy has developed a reputation for placing top-tier B2B, ABM, and B2C talent with precision and discretion

Andy Oliver

Head of Growth & Exit Advisory

Head of Growth & Exit Advisory, partnering with agency founders building towards M&A exit. On a fractional basis, Andy helps owners get match fit for acquisition by addressing commercial, operational and leadership foundations that drive valuation and protect earn-out. This spans revenue quality, retainer mix, margin improvement, client concentration, and leadership team depth, alongside pre-exit planning needed to go to market at the right moment and value.

Natasha Kenny

Executive Partner

Natasha Kenny is a seasoned Human Resources and recruitment executive with more than two decades of experience across the advertising, marketing and creative sectors. As Executive Partner at Jefferson Locke, she combines senior-level recruitment and talent expertise with broader People & Culture advisory, helping clients identify and appoint key leaders while also shaping the structures, cultures and people strategies needed to support growth. Her experience spans executive hiring, talent strategy, organisational development, culture and performance, giving her a practical understanding of both the people businesses need and the environments in which they perform best.

Dr Fiona Wilson

Chief Programme Architect

Fiona is a specialist in how emotions impact on performance and behaviour. She has completed her PhD in emotionally informed learning which explores how our environment, prior experiences and the people we engage with all impact on our behaviour, relationship with the world and ultimately our identity. Fiona is a specialist in emotions, organisational culture, team dynamics, creativity and flow.

Ian Kenny

Chief Strategy Advisor

Ian Kenny is a Senior Advisor at Jefferson Locke, bringing more than 25 years of experience across digital transformation, technology strategy and commercial innovation. He works with founders, CEOs and leadership teams to help businesses adapt to changing markets, technology and operating models, bringing a practical perspective to growth, transformation and strategic decision-making. Ian’s experience strengthens Jefferson Locke’s wider advisory capability, particularly where technology, digital change and commercial strategy intersect with leadership and organisational performance.

Nicola Fish

Head of Brand Intelligence

Nicola Fish is a senior brand and strategy leader with over two decades of experience shaping how businesses define, express and evolve their brands. Having spent her career within independent, ideas-driven agencies, she brings a rare combination of commercial acumen, creative curiosity and human empathy to every engagement. Her approach is rooted in deep listening uncovering the truths that sit beneath the brief and translating them into strategic and creative foundations that move brands and people alike. She thrives at the intersection of strategy, creativity and culture, guiding leadership teams through moments of transformation with clarity, confidence and care.

Joshua Mackenzie

Head of Research & Insights

Josh began his career working within marketing before eventually making the move over to executive search and management consulting. During his time within brand marketing and communications he gained vast experience across a broad spectrum of industries with a particular focus on market research and brand analysis. After completing a recent stint in the UK working as a specialist head hunter for Jefferson Locke, he has returned to the US and now heads up our Research and Insights division with a particular focus on Organisational Design and M&A.

How We Work

Built on trust, experience and long-term relationships

Jefferson Locke works as a strategic partner to founders, CEOs and boards, combining clear thinking, honest advice and practical support to create long-term value.

We stay close to the leadership team, challenge where needed and focus on the decisions, people and opportunities that will genuinely move the business forward.

Our Principles

One Team: Shared ambition, clear accountability and joined-up thinking.
Truth Over Comfort: Direct, evidence-led advice, even when the answer is difficult.
Quality Over Volume: Fewer relationships, deeper involvement and better outcomes.
Global Perspective: International experience, networks and market understanding.
Confidentiality First: Discretion and trust are fundamental to how we work.

Advisory

We work alongside founders, CEOs and boards to bring clarity to growth, leadership and organisational challenges. From strategy and succession planning to commercial structure, proposition, governance and transformation, we help turn ambition into a practical plan for the next stage of the business.

Strategic Search

We build the senior leadership capability businesses need to deliver their strategy. Our search work focuses on C-suite, board and senior functional appointments, combining market insight, rigorous assessment and a clear understanding of the role each leader needs to play in the wider business.

M&A

We connect businesses looking to acquire, sell or explore strategic opportunities with the right counterparties. Whether the goal is growth, market expansion, capability acquisition, partnership or exit, we use our network and market knowledge to create relevant conversations and help move them forward.