Team
Dale Shorey, Founder & Headhunter
Dale founded Waterman Stern in 2017, prior to this he was a Partner at Mondrian Alpha where he ran Credit & Real Estate
Dale has been consulting on front-office hires for over 20 years
Experienced running senior hires across Investment & Asset Raising
Focus: Private Credit, CLOs, Special Situations, Structured Credit, Real Estate, NPLs, Distressed Debt, Capital Markets
T: +44 (0)203 950 5618
Sarah Bittar, Head of Operations & Finance
Sarah joined Waterman Stern in 2018 to lead Research & Operations
Sarah has over 16 years’ experience in sales management, leadership and training
Experienced in designing and building sophisticated research documentation and running search mandates
Focus: Investor Relations, leveraged finance, CLOs, Direct Lending - Running Analyst & Associate hiring
T: +44 (0)203 950 7872
Owen Leighton, Principal Headhunter (EUR & US)
Owen joined Waterman Stern as an Associate Headhunter in 2019
Promoted to Principal in 2022, Owen is responsible for EUR & US market hires
Experienced running Investment Private Credit hires at Associate to MD level
Focus: Direct Lending, CLO Managers, Special Situations
T: +44 (0)203 950 4134
Eli Ainapore, Associate Headhunter
Eli joined Waterman Stern in the role of an Associate Headhunter in 2021
Eli takes a leading role in running junior to mid-level CLO, Direct Lending, Distressed, Special Sits and Real Estate hires
Experienced in managing candidate resourcing & research, performing in-depth analysis and candidate screening
Focus: Private Credit, CLOs, Special Situations, Structured Credit, Distressed Debt, Capital Markets, Debt Advisory
T: +44 (0)203 973 0229
Lucy Gomm, Research Associate
Lucy joined Waterman Stern in the role of a Research Associate in 2025.
Lucy joined Waterman Stern as a Graduate after completing her studies and receiving a bachelors in Neuroscience from the University of Exeter. Lucy also spent time as a laboratory assistant and assisted a team with research into Identifying Synthetic Lethal Interactions in Neurofibromatosis mutant cells using Pooled Variable Dose Analysis.
Focus: Leveraged Finance, M&A, Private Credit
T: +44 (0)203 950 7872