Drew Wilkinson
Director
Drew is a co-founder of Portland Partnership and a senior recruitment specialist in the accountancy and legal practice markets. With 15 years’ experience across London, Hong Kong, Edinburgh, and Newcastle, he brings a deep, strategic understanding of the market, and a strong track record of supporting senior and partner-level hires.
Experience That Informs Every Move
Drew brings over a decade of experience across recruitment and financial services, having worked internationally and at senior levels within both disciplines. His career has been shaped by building long-standing relationships, advising on complex hiring decisions, and operating with a high degree of discretion across competitive markets.
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Having worked both within financial institutions and global search firms, Drew takes a considered, relationship-led approach to recruitment. He focuses on understanding the full picture: people, businesses and timing, ensuring that every move is aligned, not just available.
Who Drew works with
Within professional practice, Drew predominantly partners with senior-level individuals from Director through to Equity Partner.
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His early North East focus centred on Corporate Finance, before expanding into Audit and Tax, and now Legal and Accountancy practice more broadly through Portland. He particularly enjoys working with ambitious regional firms, where strategic hires directly shape growth, succession planning and firm trajectory.
A few key milestones
May 2025
April 2023
February 2017
February 2015
October 2011
June 2009
Janurary 2008
In May 2025, Drew co-founded Portland. The firm brings together decades of relationship-led recruitment experience, combining legal and accountancy practice specialisms under one focused, discreet and partnership-driven model.
In 2023, Drew joined a North East agency to build out its professional practice desk across the North East. Initially focusing on Corporate Finance, Audit and Tax within regional accountancy firms, his remit expanded to Head of Professional Services, leading teams across legal and accountancy practice and professional services into industry.
Following a move back to the UK in early 2017, Drew settled in Edinburgh and became Managing Consultant for Financial Services at Search Consultancy. Working across Scotland’s financial services market, he partnered with institutions including Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Standard Life and Clydesdale Bank, delivering senior-level appointments across banking and financial services.
In February 2015, Drew joined Taylor Root in Asia as Associate Director, working under the Head of Asia to diversify the legal banking offering into Risk, Compliance and Advisory. This period further strengthened his cross-discipline credibility within professional services and financial institutions.
In late 2011, Drew was approached to help build the Asia banking and advisory practice for Pure Search. This marked the beginning of a deep sector specialism within advisory and professional services.
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Working extensively with PwC, KPMG and Deloitte, Drew supported the build-out of advisory, audit and financial crime teams, while maintaining close relationships with global investment banks including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Barclays, UBS and Standard Chartered.
In 2009, Drew relocated to Hong Kong to join ING Private Bank as a Senior Relationship Manager. After building a strong network across the region, he returned to recruitment with ConnectedGroup, covering investment banking operations across Hong Kong and Singapore.
Drew entered recruitment in January 2008 with PSD Group in London, specialising in finance appointments. Prior to this, he built his foundations in sales and client relationship management within financial services experience that would later shape his consultative, commercially aware approach to recruitment.
How Drew works
Drew’s recruitment style is fundamentally relationship-led.
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Having worked both inside financial institutions and within global search firms, he believes the strongest outcomes are achieved when recruiters have direct, trusted access to decision-makers and candidates alike. Career moves are never just job descriptions and hires are never simply CVs.
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He invests heavily in understanding motivations, ambitions and firm culture before any introduction is made. In a market often described as a “goldfish bowl,” discretion and judgement are paramount. Drew prioritises viable introductions over volume, long-term relationships over short-term wins.
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A significant proportion of his work involves long-standing, inactive candidates, individuals he has known for years, enabling clients to access talent with minimal competition and candidates to move with clarity and timing.
Outside of work
Outside of recruitment, Drew’s life centres around family and close friendships. He is active and enjoys time outdoors, particularly hiking having explored trails across various parts of the world.
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A self-confessed foodie, he is often happiest where good company and good food meet. A lifelong rugby supporter, he rarely misses an England or Lions fixture and is enjoying the new era of Newcastle rugby.
Naturally curious and people-focused, Drew often jokes that he is “recruiting 24/7.” At its core, he sees recruitment as problem-solving understanding people deeply enough to align ambition with opportunity.
See what others think
"It is always a pleasure working with drew due to his proactive, focused and honest approach and as a result, I can recommend Drew without hesitation as one of the best search recruitment consultants I have ever worked with."
Carl Swansbury, Corporate Finance Partner
Phone
+44 7304 048537
dyearnshire"portland-partnership.co.uk
