The Sheffield Legacy

Founded in 1961 by Malcolm Sheffield, we began as Aotearoa New Zealand’s first organisational psychology and executive recruitment practice. Today, Sheffield is a trusted adviser to a wide range of organisations across the private, public, local government and not-for-profit sectors. 

For over six decades, we have helped shape leadership across Aotearoa, placing many of the country’s top executives and directors, supporting organisations to get the best out of their talent. Our consultants bring deep expertise, sound judgment and proven methodologies to every engagement. 

With offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, we provide a seamless national service to clients and candidates. Our integrated services in executive search and selection, assessment and board advisory uniquely position us to help organisations attract and retain exceptional leadership capability. 

We combine experience and insight to ensure you get the best talent and the best out of your talent. 

The Greek psi symbol in our brand reflects our enduring commitment to understanding human behaviour. This legacy continues to shape both the theoretical and applied development of our business. 

We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our service reflects these values and fosters long-lasting partnerships built on trust and impact.
 


Emeritus Partners 

We honour and acknowledge the lasting contributions of our Emeritus Partners,
whose leadership and dedication have shaped our firm’s legacy: 

Norman Godden 

Tony Forsyth 

Simon Hart 

John Martins 

John Sinton  

† Deceased 
 

Local knowledge with a global reach

 
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Featured Staff
Tash Wilson
Senior Research Consultant
Nicola Young
Digital and Marketing Communications Coordinator
Kelly Smith
Personal Assistant
Nicholas Buck
Associate Director
Justine Winter
Associate

Sheffield is proud to support our community

We offer sponsorships and pro-bono contributions to New Zealand enterprises that are making a positive impact.

 

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YNZ requested proposals from 3 consultancies. Above all, Sheffield stood out as the consultancy with the right experience and a strong market reputation to match. Sheffield invested the time necessary to learn about YNZ, our culture and our requirements. Ian Taylor, from Sheffield, is widely respected and undertook to be fully immersed in leading our project (which he delivered on). My recommendation would be, get Ian Taylor on the team!

Greg Knowles, Chair, Yachting NZ

We have used Sheffield previously and they have done a wonderful job for us. Kate quickly grasped what we were looking for and gave us confidence she understood our business and needs. Kate gave sound, practical advice around the placement and timing for advertising, as well as excellent support and updates throughout the process. We were really happy with the outcome and Sheffield South Island did a fantastic job.

Jo Yusaf, Manager, People, Brand and Administration, Corcoran French

I knew of Sheffield’s reputation in the Education sector and had heard great things. Everything worked well throughout this assignment and the communications were top notch. The reach you were able to achieve to candidates was exceptional and we never would have been able to get to those candidates, this was a huge advantage.

Cathy Ewing, Chair, Outdoor Education of New Zealand

We partnered with Sheffield based on the quality of their presentation and advice provided within their proposal. We were impressed with the regular communication from Nicholas Buck and the guidance received throughout the process. We enjoyed working with an efficient and friendly team who were highly professional and communicated well throughout.

Dr Susan Calvert, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Sciences Secretariat

After going to market we selected Sheffield from previous experience and with the scale of this role, Louise’s market knowledge helped us make the decision. Managing different timezones, the festive season and that the interview team were based in Denmark elongated the process, however this was well managed by Louise. Regular updates from Louise and her understanding of what they were looking for impacted the great quality of candidates brought to the table. It was a seamless process with an excellent result.

Ritchie Legge, GM Human Resources, PGG Wrightson Seeds/DLF

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Find out more about Sheffield and how we can help you or your organisation.