Who we are
Transforming diversity in leadership
Who we are
James Carss
James is the founder and Chief Executive of Castle Peak Group and the lead consultant on every assignment.
He is the main contact point for all customers and the person interacting and interviewing with every candidate on every assignment we are engaged on.
Background
He has a professional background within executive search for over 20 years, is Certified in both Understanding Diversity and Inclusion, and Assessment, Interviewing & Onboarding from the University of Western Australia. He is known and regarded for his values, integrity, and knowledge.
Originally from the North East, James studied in Bedfordshire before commencing his career as a graduate trainee in London with the Michael Page Group. An international opportunity led him to relocate to Hong Kong in 2005 where he spent 12 years working in the sector. 8 of those years were with NASDAQ U.S. listed firm Hudson where he progressed to being an Executive Director leading the business across Greater China, overseeing offices in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing.
Following 2 years working as a Director within a UK Executive Search firm in Canada, James was approached by the owners of the NRG business in Newcastle for an opportunity to relocate back to his native North East. He became a member of the NRG Executive Board heading up the Executive Search practice. The business was sold in December 2019 to the Galago Group, James was then promoted to the Managing Director position in which he remained for 4 years.
A gap in the market
Castle Peak Group was founded by James in January 2024 as he felt passionately that there was a gap in the market within the North East for a true Executive Search offering that was driven and built upon Diversity and Inclusion. These are not token or box ticking gestures but values that James feels are close to his heart, being part of a mixed race family with mixed race bilingual children and not least also growing up himself with a hidden disability; both of these factors have contributed to his desire and passion for Castle Peak Group to be different and, along with providing first class Executive Search services, also be a champion for underrepresented groups at Board level.
Experience
James also has an understanding of being a Non-Executive Director, having been a Trustee with the Smart Multi Academy School Trust and is a current serving NED on the Board of Active Northumberland. In his spare time, along with a busy family life, James is an acclaimed teacher of Tai Chi Chuan and Chinese Martial Arts, he has taught seminars and workshops all over the world.
Who we are
Angela Siu
Angela is the Head of Research for Castle Peak Group and holds responsibility for identifying talent nationally, with a specific focus on Executive and Board talent from marginalised backgrounds.
Background
Originally from Hong Kong and fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, Angela obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Toronto.
Experience
Upon returning to Hong Kong, she embarked on a career as a Consultant and worked for 2 leading global executive search firms and specialised in senior appointments in Procurement and Supply Chain across both the South of China and HK.
Angela joined the FTSE listed Business Services organisation Regus in 2010 and spent 5 years as the internal Human Resources and Recruitment Manager for the Asia Pacific Region working with the Vice President and Senior HR team in formulating and implementing HR processes focusing on on-boarding, induction, performance management and training, HRIS and reporting, compensation and benefits, employee relations issues in addition to ad-hoc HR projects across all geographies.
After relocating to the UK in late 2016, Angela took a short career break to focus on raising her family and adapting to a new country and culture. In 2019 she joined the Sage Pathways Returner Programme which provided her the opportunity to gain UK work experience as a Technical Payroll Advisor before retraining in Information Technology to spend 3 years as an RPA Developer.
Castle Peak Group
Angela joined the Castle Peak team in January 2024 and brings her wealth of both HR and IT knowledge to the organisation. Having found challenges in obtaining employment in the UK 6 years ago, she is passionate about improving both Diversity and Inclusion within recruitment and Executive Search and the potential and value of improving Board Compensation for all the clients we work with.
Who we are
Matt Ashby-Cooper
Matt Ashby-Cooper is passionate about all things Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). After twenty years in HR and L&D, at least ten of those with DEI front and centre of his remit, he started Ashby-Cooper Leadership (ACL) in the summer of 2022.
His focus with ACL is helping organisations to create inclusive spaces and leadership practices that best allow employees to thrive.
Background
Matt and James first met in 2015 when they both worked for Proco Global. Matt was the Head of HR based out of London and was part of the panel that appointed James and relocated him from Hong Kong to Vancouver. They developed a good bond and working relationship over the years, mostly where Matt would advise and help coach James in his endeavours. We were delighted to appoint Matt to our Castle Peak Group advisory board when we formed the business and as an advisor, he supports everything we do from a DEI perspective.
Experience
In his own words:
‘A working-class kid of mixed heritage, growing up on a council estate in Nottingham in the 80’s, I was fortunate enough to be taken under the wings of queer elders when I came out as gay. I was given access to queer literature, movies, culture, and most importantly contacts, that helped me find work and ultimately a career that I would otherwise have been denied. Those acts of allyship have left me super passionate about inclusivity to this day. That passion sees me talking to clients and their teams about the roles they play in creating inclusive spaces, and how those spaces benefit everyone, no matter their background.’
Matt has been fortunate enough to have lived on three different continents and worked in fifteen different countries, delivering training and DEI initiatives to people from all walks of life.
Support
Today with ACL, he supports organisations with a number of different tailored interventions, from DEI Temperature checks and engagement surveys to DEI strategy reviews, and design and delivery of DEI learning programmes for everyone from C-Suite to new hires.
Despite his experience, he still calls himself a DEI practitioner rather than an expert – it’s a discipline he practices daily, guiding others on the journey of DEI. He may well be further along on the path, but like all of us, he too is still learning.
Who we are
Julie Blackie
Julie is the Chair and advisor to Castle Peak.
Background
Julie is an accomplished business woman who started life as an apprentice hairdresser. After working in office jobs, she trained as a shorthand typist and then made it to university to become a youth and community worker.
Experience
Somewhere along the way Julie got the opportunity to turn her love of theatre and writing scripts into a job and enjoyed the heady world of television for a few years. Then, quite by accident, she founded an e commerce fashion business with her daughter Alice that became very successful. Pink Boutique quickly grew into a well recognised and award-winning business. Having limited experience in retail Julie had to learn the complexities of website development, marketing, warehousing and working with suppliers to buy and manage £7m of stock at any one time.
As well as employing and managing a team of 75 staff the business also had to keep abreast of legislation on distance selling and consumer rights. The company won many awards including being in the Times Fast Track 100 list for 3 years running for high growth. The company grew from a £90 initial investment to an annual turnover of £25m and dispatches over 1,000 parcels a day to 47 countries. In 2019 Julie’s daughter exited to start another business, Rowen Homes, and Julie took sole ownership and responsibility for Pink Boutique. It was difficult during the pandemic, but she successfully brought the company through lockdown and onto a stable recovery. After 12 years, she decided to exit in June 23 and Alice and her husband Andrew took over.
Skills
Julie’s passion is in developing ideas, bringing them to fruition and meticulously managing them. She learnt project management skills from years of working on a wide variety of public sector regeneration projects where it was incredibly important to achieve meaningful outcomes and manage government funds responsibly. These skills gave Julie a good grounding to succeed in her career and importantly share her knowledge, perspective and passions with Castle Peak.
Who we are
Stephen Kiberu
Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant | APAC & Global Expertise
Background and experience
Stephen Kiberu is a highly experienced talent acquisition professional with over two decades of expertise in recruiting across APAC and global markets. Having led recruitment efforts for control functions in some of the world’s leading financial services institutions, Stephen has a proven track record in aligning talent strategies with business objectives, optimising recruitment processes, and enhancing operational efficiency across dispersed teams. His focus on data-driven recruitment and workforce planning has enabled organizations to meet critical hiring needs while improving overall performance.
Stephen is recognised for his ability to reduce time-to-hire, increase diversity in senior leadership appointments, and deliver large-scale talent programs. With experience spanning in-house talent acquisition, RPO, executive search, and agency environments, he brings a comprehensive understanding of strategic sourcing and stakeholder management. Raised in the North East of England, Stephen attended Yarm School before pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Master of Science degree from the University of Leeds and is passionate about travel, cuisine, sports, and music.
