Gary Johnson is the founding Partner of Houghton Phillips, a member firm of the Gow & Partners World Team based in London.  HP specialises in Financial Services, with a focus on executive appointments across Risk, Compliance, Governance and Finance. His international search experience has spanned 20 years covering various sectors in Financial Services, Professional Practice and Commerce & Industry. Within Financial Services his expertise ranges from Retail and Investment Banking to Insurance, Venture Capital and Hedge Funds. Gary has executed searches in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South Africa and Bermuda.

He began his career in executive search with Douglas Llambias Associates where he became a Board Director, responsible for the Firm’s combined European Commerce & Industry and Financial Services capability. During this time he helped establish and launch new offices in South Africa, working in Johannesburg, Durban and Capetown. He also spent 4 years with a leading London executive search firm, Harrison Willis (later bought by TMP) from 1989 to 1993, running Commerce & Industry and Financial Services.  In 2000, he joined Odgers Ray & Berndtson as a partner of the Financial Services Practice, responsible for the development of search and selection. In 2002, he founded Houghton Phillips in London.

Before entering the executive search business in 1986, Gary trained as an accountant with Saffrey Champness, briefly moving to a boutique firm of chartered accountants specialising in the music and entertainment industry. He graduated with Honours in Hotel and Catering before taking up articles in accountancy.