Meet the team

Michelle Carson is Chairwoman and Founder of Holmes Noble, a global executive search and leadership advisory firm. She has more than thirty years’ experience advising boards and senior leadership teams across listed organisations, private equity portfolio companies, private enterprises and purpose-led organisations. Her work focuses on leadership capability, decision integrity and the design of leadership systems that support long-term organisational value. She brings a particular specialism in cognitive strengths and neuroinclusive leadership, helping boards identify high-value thinking, reduce leadership risk and strengthen performance in complex environments.

With a distinguished career spanning over 22 years, Amy stands as a seasoned leader and influencer in the realm of executive search and talent advisory. Holding the position of Chief Executive Officer at a prominent global executive search and talent advisory firm, Amy has been instrumental in shaping the company’s growth trajectory and solidifying its reputation as a trusted partner for C-Suite and N-1 executive placements as well as supporting clients with broader talent solutions.

Amy’s expertise extends across diverse industries, including Energy, Transport, Infrastructure, Defence, Aerospace, Logistics & Supply Chain, and Private Equity. This comprehensive industry exposure has not only honed Amy’s acumen but has also positioned her as a versatile leader capable of navigating the complexities of different markets with finesse.

Boasting a truly global perspective, Amy has garnered valuable experience working for both large corporate search firms and boutique agencies. This journey commenced in the domain of Corporate Finance search for a US-listed search firm, setting the stage for a career marked by continuous achievement and growth.

In addition to spearheading the overall growth of Holmes Noble, Amy leads the Non-Executive Board Practice, demonstrating a commitment to holistic talent solutions that extend beyond traditional executive placements. This dual leadership role showcases Amy’s ability to seamlessly integrate strategic leadership with specialised expertise, ensuring a comprehensive approach to talent acquisition and board governance.

Amy’s global network and profound insights into the dynamics of leadership and talent in various sectors make her an invaluable asset in the executive search landscape. Their track record of successful placements at the highest echelons of organisations speaks volumes about their ability to identify and attract top-tier executive talent.

A visionary leader with a wealth of experience and a commitment to excellence, Amy continues to shape the future of Holmes Nobles executive search and talent advisory services on a global scale.

Samantha is an experienced business advisor and strategic leader with over 25 years of expertise in executive search across the UK, EU, and USA. With a focus on excellence,Samantha works closely with high-performing executive search firms that deliver top-tier research, attraction, and selection services, ensuring their clients secure the very best leadership talent. Currently, Samantha supports recruitment industry leaders, helping them to innovate, scale, and achieve their strategic growth goals and value creation.

As a Non-Executive Director and trusted advisor, Samantha guides business owners in implementing robust management information (MI) systems and reporting structures, ensuring that the right foundations are in place for sustainable growth and long-term success.

Outside of work, Samantha is married and a proud parent to two adult sons. A happy dog owner, they enjoy spending quality time with their family and their furry companion, balancing a fulfilling personal life with their professional success.

Katie Ann brings over 25 years of executive search experience and talent management expertise across a diverse range of industries, including Transportation, Aerospace & Defence, Infrastructure, and Energy. Throughout her career, she has thrived in various career environments, from executive search boutiques to corporate in-house roles to owning her own recruitment business.

Notably, Katie Ann spent a decade as Bombardier’s Global Executive Search Leader. During this tenure, she headhunted and managed global executive level appointments, spearheaded the design and implementation of executive assessment frameworks, provided comprehensive leadership assessment and coaching, and led talent management and large-scale recruitment and restructuring programs.

Her track record includes successfully managing large-scale global recruitment initiatives and offering her international perspective to clients in Transport, Automotive, Rail, Aerospace & Defence, Shipbuilding/Marine, Energy, and Infrastructure sectors. Katie Ann’s cross-industry market insight and intelligence enable her to deliver innovative strategies and solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs.

Katie Ann’s approach centres on delivering exceptional candidate programs that yield long-term impact for her clients. Her creative strategies have enabled businesses to elevate their potential both within the UK and on the global stage. With her extensive experience and accomplishments, including her roles as the global executive search talent leader for Bombardier and director of her consultancy, she is well-equipped to guide customers through transformative initiatives and support them in achieving their business objectives.

With over two decades of experience in executive search, Aidan’s career spans various senior roles, both within global search firms as a multi-site P&L responsible Director, and as a business owner running his own executive search practice.

As Head of Client Partnerships, Aidan leverages his extensive cross-sector knowledge and global search experience to foster strong and enduring relationships with our clients. He has become a trusted partner to our clients for global C-Suite and N-1 executive placements.

Aidan’s role is to ensure that our customers meet their strategic objectives on each assignment and receive the highest standards of service and insight. He has a track record of building diverse and inclusive teams and takes great pride in helping businesses deliver ambitious growth plans. 

Aidan cultivates a deep understanding of client needs and delivers tailored executive search solutions that drive organisational success. His expertise encompasses the full spectrum of executive search and talent advisory services, ensuring that clients benefit from his comprehensive knowledge and strategic insights.

In the 13 years running his own successful executive search business, Aidan honed his skills in process management and talent acquisition, before joining the Holmes Noble team in 2022. This entrepreneurial experience provided him with a unique perspective on the intricacies of running a business, further enriching his ability to serve clients with agility, precision and understanding.

Beyond his professional achievements, Aidan is a former Scotland Students and Scotland A international rugby player, a testament to his dedication, teamwork, and competitive spirit. He continues to channel this drive as a competitive league cricketer, maintaining his passion for sports and excellence in all endeavours.

As the Head of Operations at Holmes Noble, Mike empowers our clients with actionable insights, fostering flexibility and transparency. He drives delivery, process improvement, technology integration, and other key business processes, ensuring we are enabled to support our clients’ needs.

With six years of experience in executive search as a researcher and as a research leader, Mike excels in delivering and managing high-quality research. At Holmes Noble, he has successfully completed international and UK-based mandates across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific, working with a diverse range of clients from venture capital and private equity portfolio businesses to SMEs and FTSE-listed companies.

Mike’s background in sales and operations, combined with his experience in agile project management, allows him to streamline processes and implement cutting-edge technologies. His previous roles in consultancy and sales management have equipped him with the skills to provide operational insights and drive performance across our organisation.

Mike’s expertise and commitment to excellence drives our mission to offer the best possible insights, helping clients transform their businesses and achieve their goals.

Caroline is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years’ experience in the assessment and development of leaders. She is a registered psychometric test user through the British Psychological Society and is qualified in a range of robust assessment instruments.

Caroline designs assessment processes tailored to each role and manages a team of highly skilled associate psychologists to produce detailed reports of shortlisted candidates. They use psychometric assessments not as an end in themselves, but as a starting point for an in-depth discussion with a candidate about all aspects of their work. As a matter of ethical principle, all candidates are offered feedback on their assessment.

As well as managing Holmes Noble’s assessment practice, Caroline also has her own business psychology consultancy focused on mid-sized businesses and works with a private equity advisory firm.

Holly is a seasoned professional with extensive experience as a Personal Assistant in the recruitment sector. Over the course of many years in recruitment, Holly has honed exceptional work management and interpersonal skills, thriving in fast-paced commercial settings.

Holly brings her wealth of organisational expertise to streamline operations and enhance efficiency within the business. In her role, Holly is responsible not only for coordinating schedules and managing workflows but also for overseeing the smooth running of the back office.

With meticulous attention to detail, Holly ensures that administrative tasks, document management, and office procedures are handled efficiently. By maintaining a well-organised and structured back office, Holly contributes significantly to the overall effectiveness and productivity of the Holmes Noble team.

Holly’s background in recruitment has equipped her with a keen understanding of the intricacies of talent management and client relations. Her contributions elevate the team’s performance and support Holmes Noble in delivering outstanding service to its clientele.

Abigale is an Operations and Marketing Associate at Holmes Noble. She began her career with the company as an administrative apprentice, where she quickly demonstrated her strong organisational skills and attention to detail.

Through dedication and hard work, Abigale transitioned into a permanent role within the operations team. Her responsibilities include supporting the day-to-day functions of the company, ensuring smooth operations, and assisting with developing the business as a whole.

Abigale is known for her efficiency, adaptability, and commitment to delivering high-quality support to her colleagues and the organisation.

He partners with defence technology companies, aerospace suppliers, advanced industrial businesses, founders and investors to identify the senior leadership required to scale, deliver and strengthen capability in complex, high-assurance markets.

Ross’s work sits where growth ambition meets execution risk: organisations moving into, or expanding across, Ministry of Defence, prime contractor, national-security and critical supply chain environments. He supports leadership appointments across general management, operations, supply chain, commercial growth and technical leadership.

With seven years’ experience across the UK and US, Ross has delivered executive and specialist search mandates across defence, aerospace, cyber security, AI, autonomy, robotics, secure technology and critical manufacturing. His focus is on leaders who can combine operational rigour, commercial judgement, programme discipline and technical credibility in demanding environments.

As an active British Army Reservist, Ross brings first-hand understanding of military culture, security constraints, operational pressure and leadership under demanding conditions. This gives clients added insight into the capabilities required to succeed across defence and national security markets.

Ross holds a BSc in Psychology from Oxford Brookes University and is a competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete, having represented the British Army at the IBJJF European and World Master Championships.

Marcus has over seven years’ experience delivering senior interim and permanent recruitment solutions across the UK private healthcare sector, with additional experience supporting the energy, engineering and infrastructure markets.

Throughout his career, he has successfully recruited across a broad range of functions including Operations, HR, Finance, IT, Programme & Project Management, and Change & Transformation. His assignments have spanned middle management through to executive board-level appointments.

Marcus has partnered with a diverse client base, including start-ups, SMEs, private equity-backed organisations, national and international corporates, and not-for-profit organisations. Working within a quality and relationship-led recruitment environment, he developed a consultative approach, acting as an extension of his clients’ teams to deliver thorough, tailored recruitment processes. He is particularly passionate about creating an exceptional candidate experience and building long-term, trusted relationships.

As Principal Researcher at Holmes Noble, Marcus works closely with the Partners to deliver high-quality, end-to-end research across retained executive search assignments. He translates client briefs into clear, targeted search strategies, including market mapping, competitor identification and structured sourcing plans, ensuring every search is underpinned by robust research and insight. Marcus identifies, engages and assesses senior-level talent with professionalism and discretion, while producing high-quality candidate reports, market intelligence and research outputs that enable informed decision-making for both clients and colleagues. His analytical approach and commitment to excellence help clients identify and secure exceptional leadership talent.

EMCC Global Executive Coaching Master Practitioner and EMCC Global Team Coaching Senior Practitioner.

As the founder of MRA Executive Coaching, formed in 2011, I bring together a talented and highly impactful team of Executive and Leadership Coaches each with their own specialism. We enjoy the privilege of working across a broad and global client base, and driving systemic and transformational change for our clients through our comprehensive offer; our clearly defined Purpose and Vision; and our Values.

We are ‘trusted partners’. We are ‘proudly at the forefront’. We ‘champion interdependence’. We are ‘courageously candid’. We ‘believe in possibility’. We are ‘committed to collectively thriving’. And we are always ‘deeply connected’.

I specialise in leading powerful Executive 1:1 and Executive Team Coaching programmes, guiding individuals out of their comfort zone using incisive questions, inquiry and observation and holding them in the zone of uncomfortable debate where true learning occurs. I am known for challenging assumptions and perceptions, championing new behaviours, and enabling clients to be braver than they thought possible. All of this coming from an increased commitment to leading their organisations with a greater level of self-awareness and belief. My ability to go beyond what has been seen or said before, combined with my high energy and expertise, ensures that I drive my clients hard throughout their journey with us. And I am direct and clear in what I see.

My passion to challenge the Coaching Profession and to build a business that is a force for good, with outstanding social and environmental impact, is why we are so proud of our B Corp certification. And our mission to transform the face of the Coaching Profession through both our 10-year DEI Programme and our Social Impact Fund, showcases we are a business with a deep sense of purpose.