tml Partners’ global professional services practice has successfully partnered with leading global law firm, Reed Smith, on multiple transatlantic searches across the US and UK, supporting the strategic build-out of a new senior leadership function.
The Client – A Global Law Firm, Mid-Transformation
Reed Smith is a global law firm with 35 offices across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
With global revenues of $1.6 billion, the firm has experienced year-on-year record-breaking financial performance, reflecting a strategy on high-growth sectors, exceptional client service, and deep expertise across its corporate, private equity, litigation, financial services, insurance recovery, labor & employment practices. The firm’s results come alongside rapid expansion with new offices in Atlanta, Denver, Riyadh, and Boston, marking four openings in just 14 months.
The Brief
tml Partners engaged with Gillian Ward, Reed Smith’s Global Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, to support the appointment of an evolved leadership team to complement the firm’s global MBD team. Positioned at the centre of a transformation for driving business development excellence through commercial transformation, Gillian was appointed to build a more connected and strategically aligned function, uniting Clients, Practices & Industries, Regions, Strategic Pursuits, and Data & Intelligence to drive measurable commercial impact.
The team successfully appointed six mandates across the US and Europe:
- Head of BD, London Region
- Senior Director, Global Head of BD for Practices & Industries
- Senior Director, Global Head of Client Programs
- Director, Global Head of Strategic Proposals & Pursuits
- Senior Director, Strategic Intelligence (Innovation Office)
- Assistant Director of BD, Global Head of Litigation & Disputes
“tml Partners have been an outstanding partner throughout our transformation program. Their professionalism, responsiveness, and collaborative approach set them apart. Beyond delivering high-calibre candidates, they acted as trusted advisors – helping shape role design, organizational thinking, and hiring strategy.
I always felt we were working as one team, and I would have no hesitation recommending them to other organizations undertaking complex senior leadership hiring.”
Gillian Ward Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, Reed Smith
Our Process for a Global Team Build
Bringing together a unified project team from our global professional services practice, we deployed our specialist expertise in transatlantic appointments across law, wider professional and financial services, and complex B2B markets to execute a seamless search process.
- One team across two continents: Our Global Professional Services specialists across Europe and the US worked as a single team throughout, ensuring each appointment in each market was shaped by the same understanding of the brief and the same standard of delivery.
- Sharper intelligence on the talent market: tml provided Reed Smith with a clear, transparent assessment of the talent available in each market: who could credibly deliver in these roles, where they would add the most value, and how the wider team should be structured around them. We advised on the role definition itself, rather than simply filling a mandate.
- Discreet search and employer brand representation: These were discreet searches engaging passive, high-calibre professionals who were not actively looking. Acting as a seamless extension of Reed Smith’s employer brand, we represented the firm’s values and employee value proposition in every interaction. Each mandate was pitched as part of a broader, compelling strategic story, ensuring candidates fully bought into the firm’s overarching mission rather than viewing the role as an isolated job opportunity.
- True partnership and alignment: Working in close partnership with Reed Smith’s HR and MBD leadership teams, tml took a fully integrated approach to each mandate. Supported by tml Partners’ dedicated marketing and brand team, our team created all candidate-facing materials, and comprehensive briefing packs. Throughout the process, we managed a rigorous search and selection assessment methodology, providing detailed longlist and shortlist reports alongside regular check-ins to ensure complete alignment from initial search through to offer acceptance.
The Outcome – Six Appointments. Five Offices. Two Continents.
tml Partners have successfully completed six strategic appointments across five offices and two continents, creating the leadership layer underpinning the firm’s new global Client & Business Development function.
- Christina Buensuceso – Senior Director, Global Client Programs – Atlanta, US
- Sally Schilling – Director, Strategic Proposals & Pursuits – Chicago, US
- Stanislav Rosenberg – Senior Director, Strategic Intelligence (Innovation Office) – Princeton, US
- John Babtie – Senior Director, Practices & Industries – London, UK
- Jess Karas – Assistant Director, Global Head of BD for Litigation & Disputes – Boston, US
- Pippa Hogan – Senior BD Manager – London, UK
Between them, these appointments support Reed Smith’s key client relationships. They align work with the firm’s practice and industry strategy, lead highest-value pursuits, and drive business development day to day across their respective regions. Each was hired as an individual leader, but together they form the operating backbone of the firm’s new structure.
Candidate & Client Feedback
Christina Buensuceso, Senior Director, Global Client Programs commented:
“Working with Charlie Green and the tml team was an exceptional experience from start to finish. What stood out most was how genuinely invested they were in understanding who I am – not just my résumé, but my motivations, strengths, and what I value in a workplace. The entire process felt thoughtful rather than transactional. Throughout the search, Charlie checked in regularly and made sure I felt prepared at every stage, including detailed conversations before key interviews. Those touchpoints made a real difference; I always felt supported, informed, and confident walking into each conversation. What can often feel like a rushed or impersonal process instead felt very human. He and his colleagues approached every interaction with care, transparency, and a genuine desire to ensure the role was the right fit for both me and the organization.”
John Babtie, Senior Director, Global Head of BD for Practices & Industries said:
“Lottie was excellent to work with on a recent, very successful search. She was incredibly responsive and effectively navigated running a US candidate search from the UK. Her stakeholder management of us as clients and the candidates was expertly crafted. Very impressed, and got the result we wanted in an efficient timescale.”
Sally Schilling, Director, Global Head of Strategic Proposals & Pursuits commented:
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Lottie Brownlow and tml Partners during my placement into a new executive legal position, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. From start to finish, the process was seamless and thoroughly professional. Lottie demonstrated deep knowledge of the legal industry, and her communication throughout every stage was clear, timely, and responsive. What truly sets Lottie apart is her commitment to balancing the interests of both the hiring firm and the candidate.”
Jess Karas, Assistant Director, Global Head of BD for Litigation & Disputes commented:
“Lottie placed me in my current role, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in the process. After ten years at my previous firm, I was making a big career transition, and her responsiveness, guidance, and insight put me at ease throughout the entire process. I highly recommend working with her.”
Stanislav Rosenberg, Senior Director, Strategic Intelligence:
“Lottie and the tml team have been terrific partners during the search that led to my joining a large law firm. Lottie was thoughtful, responsive, and transparent throughout, and she took the time to understand both the role and what would make it the right fit for both me and the firm. Lottie was proactive and engaging throughout, would wholeheartedly recommend her and the tml team.”
tml Partners – Find the Difference Only a Specialist Can See
We specialise by sector, function, and geography rather than operating with generalist teams. We bring deep specialism across the full breadth of commercial, business development, marketing, and communications disciplines, supporting functions that are evolving rapidly and continuing to be elevated in strategic importance for global organisations.
Our deep sector expertise across professional services, notably within global law, accountancy, management consultancy, and real estate advisory markets, is complemented by tml Partners’ broader coverage across multiple industries, including financial services, technology, and consumer markets. This unique cross-sector reach offers our clients the opportunity to engage true diversity of thought when building high-performing leadership teams.
With established global connectivity and proven expertise in managing complex transatlantic searches, our dedicated North America desk ensures international assignments run as one seamless, coordinated process rather than separate regional efforts.
We operate through a true partnership approach, adept at managing sensitive assignments and comfortable navigating evolving mandates and shifting client priorities as a search progresses.
If you’re planning your next business development, marketing, or commercial hire across Europe, North America or APAC, please do get in touch.
Our Professional Services Team
How do you build a business development leadership team for a law firm?
Start with the function, not the job titles. For Reed Smith, tml Partners first gathered market intelligence on talent availability and role design, then ran searches for six roles across the US and Europe. We worked with the firm’s HR and marketing and business development leaders throughout. The result was six appointments across five offices and two continents, covering clients, practices and industries, strategic pursuits and strategic intelligence.
How do you recruit business development and marketing leaders who are not looking for a job?
We approach them directly and discreetly. For Reed Smith, tml Partners identified high performers already working in professional services, then represented the firm’s employer brand in conversations with them. Our marketing team produced candidate materials and briefing packs, so each person understood the role before they spoke to the client. Most senior hires in this field are in post, so passive search is usually the only way to reach them.
How long does a global business development leadership search take?
It depends on the number of roles and the seniority. The typical time to shortlist is often 4-6 weeks, but is subject to the client’s needs. Reed Smith’s six searches ran together, which let us share market insight across roles. Our clients receive longlist and shortlist reports and regular check-ins, so progress is visible at each stage.
Can one recruiter handle searches in the US and Europe at the same time?
Yes, if the team is set up for it. tml Partners ran Reed Smith’s searches across both regions with consultants covering London and North America, in one coordinated process. The appointments were based in Atlanta, Chicago, Princeton, Boston and London. A single team keeps role design, assessment and messaging consistent across offices, which matters when the roles must work together.
What types of roles does tml Partners fill in professional services firms?
We recruit senior marketing, business development and client leadership roles in law, accountancy, management consultancy and real estate advisory. For Reed Smith these included a Head of BD, Global Head of Client Programs, Global Head of Strategic Proposals and Pursuits, and a Senior Director of Strategic Intelligence. We also place Chief Marketing and Business Development Officers and build whole teams.
