PILOTpartners TEAM

James is the founding partner of PILOTpartners with more than 35 years’ experience in executive recruitment. With a particular focus on international and interim management opportunities, including 8 years with Coopers & Lybrand, 15 years with Hewitson-Walker Group and 6 years with AshtonPenney, James is one of the most respected names in international interim & executive resourcing. He specialises in turnaround and restructuring appointments as well as CFO appointments across all commercial and industrial sectors.
T: 0780 859 0176
E: j.wheeler@pilotpartners.eu

Michael began his career in New York with Fuji Bank; for 10 years he was involved in providing debt facilities to multinationals and funding M&A activities. Then with Banque Paribas he partnered with US private equity firms structuring and financing numerous acquisitions, MBO’s, MBI’s and buy & builds. He then joined a portfolio company, a £250m public specialty retailer as CFO. Michael has produced two feature length films and served as FD in several private media companies. Michael directs PILOT’s private equity practice supporting new transactions and existing portfolios in UK, Europe, the Middle East and the USA. Michael speaks fluent German with an American accent.
T: 0783 423 5458
E: m.gebauer@pilotpartners.eu

John Gerry manages the PILOTpartners Chairman & Non Executive Director Practice (‘CANE’). John has 15 years’ experience resourcing board level executives as managing director of EIM and Whitehead Mann’s Interim Partnership and latterly the CEO practice at AshtonPenney where he worked closely with the founding members of PILOTpartners, James Wheeler and Michael Gebauer.  Before embarking on his executive resourcing career in the mid 1990’s John was managing director at Wickes Retail, Mecca Holidays & Hotels and Londis Ltd following senior management positions at Fisons and Imperial Group. Aside from his executive positions, John has chaired charities and held non-executive roles in a number of SME’s.
T: 0777 485 0508
E: j.gerry@pilotpartners.eu

Andrew is non executive Chairman of a number of private equity backed businesses in the retail sector; he is also on the board of Fortnum & Mason. After qualifying as a chartered accountant with Coopers & Lybrand (where he first met James Wheeler) his career centred on board positions at Burton Group, Sears plc, Storehouse plc and most recently as CEO of Co-Operative Retail Services and Gordon Brothers International.