James graduated from King’s College London with a degree in Mathematics with Management. His recruitment career began at SThree in the early 2000s, where he rose to Head of Investment Banking Sales recruitment.

After launching Buchanan in 2013, he has overseen growth from a small London operation into a global network. Known for people-first leadership, James focuses on building long-term relationships and maintaining a strong internal culture based on teamwork and shared values.

James is a husband and father of two daughters. He enjoys tennis, rugby, cooking, and dining out.

After graduating from Manchester University with a degree in Economics, Thomas joined Buchanan in August 2018 as part of the team that launched the London Law division. Eighteen months later, he led the launch of the US Law division, growing it into a multi-million dollar operation and the company’s core business – becoming a Company Director in the process.

In February 2024, Thomas relocated to open the Miami office. As Global Sales Director, he oversees performance across EMEA, London, and the United States.

Thomas lives in Brickell, Miami with his wife and enjoys discovering new restaurants, playing padel, and spending time with family (and two dogs and cat) in the UK.

James joined Buchanan in 2014, when there were just four people in the office. He quickly became a Senior Associate within ten months, before building his own team and being promoted to Associate Director in 2016. After initially running Buchanan Search, he moved to the Buchanan Law division, where he helped quadruple the size of the team across the UK and launched the firm’s Middle Eastern and European offerings.

As Executive Director, James now oversees the UK office and helps manage a global workforce serving clients across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America.

James is a husband and proud father of two girls. Outside of work, he enjoys football, golf, running, and long walks with his Labrador.

Tom Holmes is Executive Director – United States at Buchanan, leading the firm’s expansion across the US legal market.

Having joined Buchanan as its first graduate hire, Tom has spent over a decade building and scaling high-performing recruitment businesses. He founded Buchanan Law, now the company’s flagship and most profitable division, and played a key role in launching Buchanan’s US legal platform.

Based in Miami, Tom is responsible for US strategy, client partnerships, team growth, and commercial performance. He works closely with senior law firm leadership and Talent Acquisition teams to build scalable, long-term recruitment platforms across the United States.

Tom sits on the Buchanan Group Board and contributes to global strategy across the UK, EMEA, and the US.

Pip is a Marketing Director with extensive experience in high-impact, commercially aligned marketing. Her proven track record covers marketing strategy, brand development, digital innovation, and stakeholder engagement, having previously led global marketing functions at Empresaria PLC, VMA Group, Robert Walters Group, and other leading firms.

With a background spanning recruitment, professional services, SaaS, and luxury consumer brands, Pip combines deep expertise in global brand building with a passion for growth and compelling storytelling. She is focused on strengthening market positioning and delivering measurable ROI across the Buchanan network.

Pip is a mother of four who enjoys reading, relaxing in nature, riding, running, cycling, hosting Friday night dance parties with her children, and finding time to write that first novel.

Grace graduated from Warwick University with a degree in Physics before starting work at KPMG, where she gained her ACA qualification through the ICAEW. Her career has been defined by laying strong financial foundations for ambitious businesses. This includes building a finance division from the ground up at a fast-paced tech scale-up, enabling successful expansion into multiple international territories.

As Financial Controller at Buchanan, Grace combines technical expertise with strategic insight. By developing a robust financial framework, she has helped to establish a firm base for our continued growth.

Grace is an avid reader, a quiz show enthusiast, and enjoys discovering new restaurants.