Paul Chrispin

Managing Partner, Head of Energy & Commodities

Paul is the Founder and Managing Partner of Principal Search. Based in London, he is responsible for managing longstanding core client relationships, executing senior mandates and overseeing the business globally.

During his 20 year career as a search professional, Paul has developed successful partnerships with many international clients and completed high profile projects with investment banks, physical trade houses, oil majors, utilities and commodity hedge funds. Projects have varied from the strategic hiring of Global and regional heads of trading businesses, through to establishing and staffing start up trading operations, to expanding mature businesses into new markets and to upgrading existing teams. He has been responsible for some of the biggest moves in the market and Paul has unparalled experience in this sector.

Prior to his time in executive search, Paul gained the first-hand experience of the commodity markets required to be a successful consultant by working as a physical commodities Trader for 5 years, covering the base metals markets globally and trading FX. He had previously qualified as a Solicitor with Clyde and Co, a leading commodities and shipping litigation firm, where he gained his initial exposure to the commodities world.

Paul holds a Joint Honours degree LLB in Law and Business Studies from the University of Birmingham, completed his Post Graduate Legal Studies at University of Law Chester and speaks fluent French.

Chris Neidow

Managing Partner, Head of Americas, Energy & Commodities

Chris Neidow is the Managing Partner, Head of Americas, for Principal Search. Based in New York, Chris is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the franchise across the Americas. Most recently Head of J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Energy Sales franchise, he calls upon his significant market knowledge and industry contacts in the commodity markets to advise and execute searches for Principal Search’s core clients.

Chris brings twenty-three years of experience building businesses, servicing clients, and managing risks while working in some of the world’s leading financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and Bankers Trust. Over the last seventeen years of his career, Chris built and led successful commodity franchises in the Americas and Asia.

Chris will leverage his expertise in commodity derivatives, physical commodities, and commodity structured finance across energy, metals, agriculture, softs, and renewables for Principal’s clients. In particular, he structured and executed multi-decade natural gas supply deals and refinery intermediations under which his team handled the crude supply and product offtake. His roles placed him in the heart of the commodity landscape and allowed him to develop relationships within trade houses, majors, producers, midstream, refiners, utilities, transportation companies, growers, industrials, hedge funds, and private equity.

Prior to his focus in commodities, Chris spent time in interest rate derivatives, defined benefit swaps, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. He holds a B.A. in International Business from Franklin and Marshall College and a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Alex Eggleton

Director of Asia, Energy & Commodities

Alex is currently Director of Principal Partners, Asia, based in Singapore where he has been located for the past X years. He is responsible for business development and delivery primarily of Asia-derived mandates for physical and financial commodity trading and related support group functions across Energy, Metals, Bulk Commodities and Agricultural products. Alex has been responsible for many of the high profile hiring in the region in the commodities sector. Prior to this he spent three years with a boutique Executive Search firm in Hong Kong and London, focused on mandates for Sales and Trading positions within FICC. He started his career in Middle Office for Equities with Merrill Lynch International in London.

Alex holds a Master’s degree in European Union Politics, Business & Law from the University of Surrey; and a Bachelors in German and Hispanic Studies from the University of Nottingham.