About Us

We provide our Clients with a competitive advantage necessary to hire and develop talented leaders borne out of an enviable network, industry knowledge, a first class reputation which we are passionate about and above all, relationships that have developed over decades.

Who are Thomas Gray?

We are an alternative to some of the larger executive search companies who operate across many different sectors and the more agency led firms.

Our business ethic, leadership, knowledge and reputation have been our major foundations of success, coupled with our high level relationships nationally.  As a privately owned organisation, we are agile and more recently have adapted to give our team the flexibility to continue to work effectively for those we represent in what has been a challenging time but we have also been able to re-set and prioritise a range of clients on whose behalf we are passionate about delivering.

We are always looking to hire committed and driven individuals with similar high standards and values to those of our own team.  We believe in transparency, honesty and trust on all sides, working in a diligent yet fast and thorough manner for our clients.

View our values

Our History

Our founder, Thomas Gray set up the firm in 1966 following a successful career with an International recruitment organisation. Tom was a pioneer of search within our operating areas and his beliefs, standards and vision has been instilled within the business that continues to flourish under the leadership of Ian Gray, our MD.

View our clients

Why Thomas Gray?

Our core values around professionalism, performance and trust, again, set us apart from our competitors and we work in a collaborative, progressive way which supports and helps both clients and candidates alike.

  • Over 50 years of market intelligence
  • Established and valued relationships with industry leaders
  • Confidentiality and transparency throughout the process

Meet the team

We have a team of handpicked specialist Consultants who pride themselves on providing life changing opportunities for candidates and always delivering for our clients.

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What we provide

We offer a variety of services for clients and a range of opportunities for our candidates.

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Tom Nicholson

“I have worked successfully with Ian for two decades during my time with Linden Homes and in my role of COO at Crest Nicholson.  Thomas Gray have been pivotal in bringing forward outstanding Directors and Senior Managers to enable us to deliver against our people and business strategy.”

Tom Nicholson
Chief Operating Officer, Crest Nicholson

David Carden

“Our success in securing land over the last few years has been driven by exceptional teams across the Group many of whom have been introduced by Thomas Gray, our no 1 recruitment partner who bring invaluable advice and help us by attracting and influencing exceptional people.

Thomas Gray operate in a proactive, skilled way and fully understand our values and culture coupled with a deep contact base and knowledge of the industry that sets them apart from the competition.”

David Carden
Group Land Director, Bloor Homes

Andy Hill

“We have worked closely with Thomas Gray for a number of years and have developed and maintained a great partnership with Ian and the team. I appreciate the dedication they provide in maintaining high standards and having key insights into the residential market. Through the years, Ian has provided us with a number of key members of our management team and continues to support us as our business grows.”

Andy Hill
Chief Operating Officer, Hill Partnerships

John Fitzgerald

“We have enjoyed working with the Thomas Gray team for many years, filling senior level operational and sales requirements, and have always been impressed with their in-depth knowledge of the market.

The candidates brought forward have been of the highest caliber and have always fitted our search requirements demonstrating the understanding of our business requirements, especially as we transitioned into the BTR sector. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Ian and his team as we grow our business.”

John Fitzgerald
Managing Director, Telford Homes

John Tonkiss

“We are always delighted with the team’s professionalism, proactive approach, depth of market knowledge and understanding of our business needs. They have a solid track record of identifying outstanding candidates which has led to many successful appointments at senior level across our organisation.”

John Tonkiss
Chief Operating Officer, McCarthy & Stone

Geoff Potton

“I have known and enjoyed working with both Ian and his team for over twenty years. Having positioned me as Group MD of Miller Homes, Ian helped me rebuild the business by sourcing both Regional and Divisional Board talent across all disciplines throughout the country. At Antler Homes, a smaller niche player, Ian was once again my go to consultant to source the necessary talent required to rebuild the business. In summary I can say with certainty that Thomas Gray deserve the reputation for being the most connected and trusted name in housing sector recruitment.”

Geoff Potton
Chief Executive, Sigma Homes

Stewart Baseley

“When working as CEO at Charles Church and Fairclough Homes, I found that Thomas Gray consistently delivered a professional service that demonstrated their in-depth industry knowledge and extensive well-developed contacts.”

Stewart Baseley
Executive Chairman, HBF

Tim Banks

“Over the past year we have engaged with Thomas Gray to fill 7 roles across various disciplines including Commercial, Land, Technical and Construction. They quickly understood Octagon’s particular needs and the specific skills we were looking for. Only high quality and relevant potential employees were presented to us which enabled this important process to be completed in a timely and efficient way, thank you.”

Tim Banks
Chief Executive, Octagon Developments

Chris Endsor

“Ian and the team at Thomas Gray always take the time to fully understand the brief and take a keen interest in our business plans, then work diligently and professionally to deliver in agreed time scales. Recent assignments have been at both Executive Board level and other key functional Directors.”

Chris Endsor
Chief Executive, Miller Homes

Adam O’Brien

“I recommend Thomas Gray without hesitation. Throughout the growth of Metis, Ian and his colleagues have sourced for us exactly the right people for our various roles. What sets Thomas Gray apart, aside from their comprehensive connections across the industry, is a diligence of research and, crucially, an understanding of not just the skillsets required, but the personalities that will suit the business’s culture. This in depth understanding is key and has served us extremely well over the years.”

Adam O’Brien 
Managing Director, Metis Homes

Rob Rafferty

“Thomas Gray Search and Selection have concluded a number of successful senior executive searches and middle management appointments for our various business units and regional operations. They have an extensive reach across the construction and residential sector but more importantly they quickly assessed and secured a complete understanding of our business needs and existing structure to ensure a match to our culture and specific requirements. Their client and candidate management is professional and efficient, communication throughout is excellent and they always deliver within agreed timescales. I could not recommend Thomas Gray enough, a market leader.”

Rob Rafferty
Chairman, Elan Homes

Stuart Gibbons

“I have known Ian Gray and Thomas Gray Search & Selection for almost twenty years and they have helped fill a number of senior positions over that time.
Their detailed knowledge of the housebuilding sector is excellent, as is their desire to understand the business and role to be filled; enabling a focussed, intelligent and very time efficient recruitment process”

Stuart Gibbons
Managing Director, London & Southern

Thomas Gray Limited (Registered in England & Wales No. 07839720) of Tarrant House,
Christchurch Road, Virginia Water, Surrey, GU25 4BE.

Surrey Office

Tarrant House, Christchurch Road, Virginia Water, Surrey, GU25 4BE

01344 845 040

Midlands Office

125 Queen Street, Sheffield, S1 2DU

01144 372 534

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