“The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage.”
- Sun Tzu
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
- Charles Darwin
“Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit.”
- Vince Lombardi
“In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfil your potential... it's no different in the financial realm.”
- Suze Orman
“Everyone experiences tough times, it is a measure of your determination and dedication how you deal with them and how you can come through them.”
- Lakshmi Mittal
“The only question to ask yourself is, how much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve success?”
- Larry Flynt
“A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.”
- Ralph Lauren
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
- Vince Lombardi
“What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.”
- Sun Tzu
“Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present.”
- Rudy Giuliani
“Executives owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs.”
- Peter Drucker
“You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically increase your income, power, influence and success.”
- Jay Abraham
“Doing a job badly and then getting someone in to sort it out can be much more expensive than getting someone in to do the job properly in the first place.”
- Sarah Beeny
“Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will be judged by only one thing. the result.”
- Vince Lombardi
“When you confront a problem you begin to solve it.”
- Rudy Giuliani
“It's through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we've always mapped our path. There's always an opportunity to make a difference.”
- Michael Dell
“Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level.”
- Peter Drucker
“Don't let anyone say you can't do it.”
- John Ilhan
“You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.”
- Abraham Maslow
“Success is not for the timid. It is for those who seek guidance, make decisions, and take decisive action.”
- Jose Silva
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
- Albert Einstein
“The most important adage and the only adage is, the customer comes first, whatever the business, the customer comes first.”
- Kerry Stokes
“The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
- Walt Disney
“Strong, deeply rooted desire is the starting point of all achievement.”
- Napoleon Hill
“Failure is a word I don't accept.”
- John H Johnson
“When I'm under the gun and I've got pressure on me, I don't panic. I look for the right solution, and then I go for it.”
- Magic Johnson
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
- John F Kennedy
“If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.”
- Winston Churchill
“It is rare to find a business partner who is selfless. If you are lucky it happens once in a lifetime.”
- Michael Eisner
“In the short term the market is a voting machine but in the long term it is a weighing machine.”
- Warren Buffett
Opus Leadership
Opus Executive Partners are led by an experienced management team of accomplished search professionals. Our Partners are highly respected in their respective fields and throughout their careers have developed a wealth of market knowledge, as well as an extensive network of industry leaders and executives across the oil, gas and mining industries. We are proud to introduce our leadership team to you.
Brian has over 20 years domestic, European and International Search experience exclusively within the Energy and Natural Resources industries and the service, financial, advisory and investment communities supporting these sectors.
As a co-founder of Maxwell Drummond International he was responsible for working with and advising oil and gas companies (exploration, production and oil services), and mining companies (exploration, development and production), both large and small cap, as well as private, pre-IPO organisations, the service sector supporting these companies and key investors into the natural resources sector.
Brian founded Opus in 2007 to fill a strategic advisory niche in Oil, Gas and Mining, and is passionately committed to its expansion internationally.
Brian was born and educated on the West Coast of Scotland and is a proud family man. His other interests include performance cars, horology and technology. He has been a member of the SPE for over ten years and an avid supporter of best practice. He is a belated sportsman - most recently a keen, albeit late developer, snowboarder - the only way he thinks he is able to keep up with his daughters!
Mark was educated at Cambridge University, where he achieved an MA in Law and was also a double sporting 'blue'. He then joined the Australian Society of Accountants and attended Harvard Business School in the USA where he gained an MBA with Distinction.
Mark has been involved in the Natural Resources industries from the start of his career, with Shell Australia, before working with McKinsey & Co internationally, including studies for the South African Chamber of Mines; Dublin Gas; PetroVen in Venezuela; and other studies across Europe and Scandinavia. In 1977, he began his career in top-level Executive Search, spending 12 years with Egon Zehnder International, the last 8 of these as UK Managing Partner. He then founded Corporate Community Consultants, ahead of its time, while remaining in Search. In 1999, he founded BoardSearch, which merged with Opus Executive Partners in 2007. With over 30 years experience in Executive and Non-Executive Search, Mark has successfully concluded many Board appointments across most industries, now specialising in Chair, Non-Executive Director and Advisory positions, particularly in Opus' specialist areas of Oil, Gas, and Mining, and the advisory sectors that support their growth and development.
Mark has been an MCC cricket member for 45 years and is a lifelong sportsman (skiing, squash and tennis). He enjoys family pursuits, gardening, river/canal boating, opera and international current affairs.
Oxana was born and raised in Ukraine where she studied history and political science at Chernivtsi State University. In the early 90s she moved to Australia and gained a BA Honours degree in History and Political Science from Monash University. She then completed an MBA at Mount Eliza Business School in Melbourne, specializing in International Human Resources Management.
In her earlier career Oxana worked as an employment consultant in Australia and was running projects helping new migrants and people from disadvantaged communities find employment or join suitable training courses. In 2001 she moved to London and entered the field of executive search. Prior to joining Opus she worked for two world renowned executive search firms, as a Senior Researcher and then Senior Consultant level, focusing on senior appointments within the Energy and Natural Resources sectors.
At Opus she deals with board-level and senior management-level executive roles on a worldwide basis with specific emphasis for the emerging markets in the CIS, where she can apply her wide ranging linguistic skills, as well as her knowledge of cultural issues in cross-border senior appointments. She has a successful track record in placing Board Directors and other senior executive appointments for resources companies.
Oxana is fluent in English, Ukrainian and Russian. Her interests include music, literature, travel, theatre, art, yoga and table tennis, a sport in which she was a former professional table tennis player, having represented Ukraine at national level in numerous international tournaments.
Lord Truscott of St James’s is an independent Member of the House of Lords, and a director and consultant with a number of publicly listed and private companies, mainly in the energy and mining sectors. Lord Truscott was appointed as a Member of the House of Lords in 2004. Between 2006 and 2007, he was the UK’s Energy Minister and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the DTI Government Spokesperson in the House of Lords. He represented Hertfordshire in the European Parliament between 1994 and 1999, and was the Government’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Spokesman and Vice-President of the Parliament’s Security Committee. He has been a member of the Lords European Union Select Committee, Sub-Committee C (Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development). An expert on Russia, he has written a biography of President Putin amongst other books and many articles on the former Soviet Union. He was Visiting Research Fellow with the Institute for Public Policy Research, and has written reports on European Defence (IPPR), on political risk management in the energy and defence sectors (RUSI), and European Energy Security (RUSI). He has a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University , is a Fellow of the Industry and Parliament Trust and is currently an Associate Fellow with Royal United Services Institute for defence and security studies.
Examples of Opus ‘Partners’ current and previous clients
“In terms of depth of contacts, relationship building and focus on delivery, there are many blue chip organizations that have benefitted from Opus, time and time again.”
“Opus show great interpersonal skills and a solid high level network in the Resources industry. They are effective in dealing with clients, and understand the dynamics of these clients businesses. We appreciated their enthusiasm and they were a pleasure to deal with.”
“Opus possess an excellent understanding of the skills, qualities and experience required at senior levels in the oil and gas industry. This knowledge, coupled with an exceptional global candidate reach, enable them to meet clients' needs swiftly and reliably. They can always be relied upon to provide quality candidates and creative appointment solutions in a trustworthy and reliable manner.”
“Have worked with Opus for many years during which time they have consistently produced first class results. With a deep understanding of sector and business issues, they bring forth creative solutions and work tirelessly on behalf of their clients. It is always a real pleasure doing business with Opus Executive Partners, and I have pleasure in recommending them without reservation.”
“Opus came to us from a first-class recommendation from a well-known high-ranking executive at a large finance house, and in our preliminary discussions leading up to engaging Opus, they were extremely sensitive to our needs as an organisation. They were helpful beyond the call of duty to us to achieve our objectives, and went out of their way to help us outside the remit. They are professional and well connected. I will be using Opus exclusively for our HR in the future.”
“Based on the five plus years I have known the partners in Opus, they are consummate professionals of high integrity. They thoroughly understand the increasingly complex business environment and the powerful market pressures facing companies today in the oil gas sector.”
“Opus have a deep knowledge of the energy and resources sector and a strong network within it; they have helped assemble a strong team of directors at our company.”
“In my experience, the Partners in Opus are honest, straightforward, and show strong commitment to both the companies for whom they undertake searches, and the executives they place. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone involved in Executive Search.”
“With Opus on your team the concept of "6 degrees of separation" comes close to being a reality. Opus' deep and wide network delivers results when it comes to finding the right individual for a challenging role."
“Opus are extremely knowledgeable and professional in the type of service they provided to me when I was a Regional Manager in a Oil Services Company. This service was as recruitment advisor for executive/technical professionals and managerial staff within the upstream oil and gas industry. They go to extraordinary lengths to find the right person and are able to draw upon a very detailed knowledge of the key players in both the UK and various international oil and gas industries.”
“Opus has provided me high calibre senior and board level candidates for selection. I was able to recruit high quality people who are not only at the top of their game but suit the work ethic and culture of my respective organisations."
“Great understanding of the oil and gas industry supported by an extensive and diverse network of contacts. Innovative in their approach to suit your needs, they will find the right candidate and are creative in closing the deal. Pleasure to work with.”
“The partners I dealt with at Opus are relaxed and knowledgeable individuals, with a quick grasp of the key issues for recruitment. Using them as my recruitment representative, I find that reassuring, as it saves a lot of unnecessary action. I would certainly recommend them to other senior specialists seeking new challenges."
“We used Opus to search for Executives and Directors as well as general research. They provided a bespoke, thorough and responsive service, displaying a good understanding of our sector. They completed all assignments successfully.”
