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About Us

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At Rutherford, we focus on compliance, financial crime, legal, cyber security, risk, strategy and business operations searches for roles within the financial services and legal sector, with London and New York being our focus. We use our carefully curated relationships, networks and market knowledge to find the best fit for the clients in hand.

We work with a wide range of clients, from advisors, corporate & commercial banks, brokers, exchanges, MTFs and financial tech, through to global investment managers, hedge funds, private equity firms and investment banks.

The last decade has seen an explosion in the demands placed upon financial services organisations and individuals by the domestic and international regulators. Firms are increasingly looking for their Compliance, Audit and Risk functions to evolve to meet these. Dramatic changes in politics, policy, international regulation and technology have made it more crucial than ever that firms invest in their Governance and Controls. It is our job to ensure that our Clients have the right people in these business-critical roles so that their firms can enjoy a safe and prosperous future.

Every day we are building relationships with future governance leaders and identifying the problem solvers, strategic thinkers and innovators.

The history of Rutherford

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2010

Rutherford is founded by Jonathan Skerrett in a kitchen in South West London, with a focus on compliance recruitment.

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2011

Rutherford employs its first staff member, and leaves the kitchen to move into a small room in a coworking space.

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2018

2018 is an exciting year for Rutherford, as the firm finds its new home in London, near Borough Market, and places its first Compliance Officer in New York.

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94%

of permanent placements made in the last two years are still in position

89

is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Candidates

91

is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Clients

57%

of our placements so far in 2023 are from a diverse background

Search to Succeed

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About Us

Every day we are building relationships with the future Governance Leaders and identifying the problem solvers, strategic thinkers and innovators.

Learn more
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Our Values

We value honesty and integrity as well as long-lasting partnerships with our clients and candidates.

See our values
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Our Team

We are a dynamic bunch, with expert consultants and a back office team dedicated to the highest levels of service delivery.

Meet our team

Rutherford is a highly specialist executive search firm founded in 2011.

We source high calibre legal and compliance professionals for the legal and financial services sectors in London and New York. We also focus on digital and technology change & transformation executive roles within professional services.

We draw on carefully curated networks, relationships and market knowledge to understand what represents a cultural fit.

Our Clients

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Testimonials

Rutherford was unreal. Recruitment does not have a great rep in my opinion with a number of folks within the sector making everyone look bad for many reasons.

Rutherford was different they worked as if it was their last placement ever. Produced more than any other agency I have ever worked with. Credit to them.

Head of Information Security, Software Company

​Rutherford sends strong candidates, they have a good conversion rate, represent us well, follows instruction and are generally really pleasant to deal with.

Experienced Hire Recruitment, Quantitative Trading Firm

Rutherford was v easy to work with, adapted to my schedule and messaging preferences and helped to prep me for the interview.

Technology, Quantative Trading Firm

I have worked with Rutherford on a number of compliance and legal searches over the years.


They have consistently helped recruit top quality individuals into the firms I have worked for. Their knowledge of the market is fantastic and, importantly, they spend time getting to know the vacancy and the firm to ensure that they put forward the right candidates.


Highly recommend their compliance recruitment firm.

COO, TT International

​There aren't enough words to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to Rutherford for their assistance in helping me land an amazing role at a phenomenal private equity firm.


Rutherford's Compliance recruitment consultants were friendly, proactive, encouraging, and extremely helpful in guiding me through the recruitment process. I never once chased them and was consistently on the receiving end of calls, getting regular updates on the progress made. They kept an open and honest line of communication and spent a considerable amount of time prepping me at each stage of the process.


Their technical knowledge coupled with their down-to-earth personality makes Rutherford undoubtedly an amazing choice of a compliance recruitment firm if you're considering a career move in the legal or compliance sectors.

Compliance Associate, Leading European Private Equity Firm

​During the time I have known Rutherford, their compliance recruitment team have shown a combination of efficiency, consistency and a frankness which is rarely found amongst their competitors. I have been consistently impressed by my compliance headhunter's attitude whenever we have interacted. He was very encouraging and patient, just a genuinely nice person too. Would highly recommend him and Rutherford, and will be eternally grateful to them for helping me secure a role at my dream firm.

Compliance Director, Generation Investment Management

Rutherford's compliance recruitment team knows the market extremely well. They know all the players in the space and can speak to each's professional history and personality. They are very open and honest when communicating roles as well as any feedback a firm has after reviewing your resume or an interview. They always make a case for their clients and are extremely thoughtful in the roles they put you up for. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to move to London! I would recommend them to any colleague or friends in the Compliance space.

Vice President - Compliance, SoftBank Investment Advisers

​Working with Rutherford was an absolute pleasure, helping me secure my new position. They were very responsive and gave a lot of support throughout each stage of the recruitment process.


I would definitely recommend their compliance recruiters to those seeking a professional move!

Compliance Professional, Lansdowne Partners

I approached Rutherford in September 2020 looking for a new role and they couldn't have been more attentive. They kept me updated, ensured clear communication through the process - from introduction to offer - and ensured I moved to the best opportunity. The team is highly attentive and hard working.

Control Room Analyst, Citadel

​We have worked with Rutherford Search on a number of occasions to find candidates for regulatory/compliance positions and I’ve always found their London compliance recruitment team to be professional and helpful. They’ve done a great job of helping us find the best possible candidates and we have always been very pleased with the service offered.


Their compliance recruiters is proactive and reliable, invested in understanding and meeting our needs as a client and, most importantly, they are able to find and suggest great candidates which meet our specific briefs. The quality of service and candidates that we have received has always been high and this is indicative of Rutherford’s well-deserved reputation in the market.

Global Head of Compliance & Regulatory, FTSE 250 Asset Manager

​Rutherford recently placed me into my future role. At all stages of the recruitment process, they has been extremely positive, has provided excellent guidance with regards to interview preparation, and ensured I was kept up to date with news from the company throughout the selection process, providing timely feedback after the end of each stage. They have been an absolute joy to work with, and if you are looking for a new Compliance role, I can’t recommend them enough!

Financial Crime Manager

Having worked in the interim MLRO/Financial Crime market for more than 10 years, I have worked with a number of recruiters and sourcing agencies. However, amongst them I found Rutherford to be more professional than most I have encountered.

I have no hesitation in recommending associates to contact them if they are looking to recruit, as I am at times when in an interim role, or if they are looking for AML or other financial crime roles in the financial services sector.

Interim MLRO, DNB

​Having made two excellent Compliance hires for our firm in London, Rutherford will be my go-to recruitment partner in the future. They fully understood our briefs and the culture they were recruiting for, which made the process efficient and transparent. My candidates were also happy with their interactions with the team, which were professional yet friendly. It was a pleasure working with them, and they would be the first firm I would recommend to others embarking on a recruitment process.

Chief Legal Officer, Eton Park International LLP

​Rutherford was instrumental in assisting Liquidnet Europe Limited in our search for a Head of Regulatory Compliance and Legal Affairs. They presented a selection of candidates with a range of experience. Each CV was a match to our requirements and to our cultural fit. This was no small feat considering the hybrid legal and compliance profile we were seeking. In the end, each area of our spec was met and the incumbent in the role is settling in nicely.

Subsequent to this search, Rutherford has also placed a contract surveillance person - again, superb match of skills to spec. The Rutherford team is personable, responsive and I highly recommend their services.

Head of HR - Global Talent Engagement, Liquidnet Europe Limited

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