Oriel Partners was co-founded in 2018 by Auria Heanley and Olivia Coughtrie. They come from different backgrounds and specialisms, so when they joined forces they brought 40+ years of combined experience in PA, EA, business and admin support recruitment with them, and a shared sense of how they wanted to do things.
They had worked together before. They knew they trusted each other's judgement. And they had a clear picture of what they wanted to create.
Auria and Olivia built Oriel Partners on three core values: Kind, Honest and Fun. It’s more than a statement on a wall. It’s their ethical working standard for how they treat clients, candidates, and the people who work with them. Neither of them is interested in the version of recruitment that gives the industry its not-always-stellar reputation:
"Setting up a business from scratch has been an amazing experience, challenging but so rewarding. We have loved being able to make a difference and have such an impact on what we do. It’s also so wonderful to create a culture we’re proud of, where employees can work in a supportive and entrepreneurial environment.
“Sales can have a reputation for being a cut-throat and aggressive environment centred around cold-calling, but that could not be more different to how we work. We work in partnership with our clients (often exclusively) and build relationships with our candidates that last for the entirety of their career. So much of our new business comes through word of mouth, and we are so proud of the network we have created."
Auria Heanley
For Auria, the decision to co-found Oriel Partners in 2018 was driven by a desire to create a different kind of recruitment culture. Having worked across various corporate and boutique agency structures for nearly two decades, she and Olivia wanted to build a business founded on three core values: Kind, Honest, and Fun. They moved away from the aggressive, sales-heavy reputation of the industry to focus on genuine, long-term relationships. This people-first philosophy is why so much of Oriel Partner’s business today comes through personal referrals and word-of-mouth.
Auria is passionate about making a difference in the lives of the people she represents, viewing recruitment as a partnership rather than a transaction. She takes pride in building a supportive and entrepreneurial environment where the team can thrive without the pressure of cut-throat targets.
When she isn’t in the St James office, Auria splits her time with the East Sussex countryside. A dedicated equestrian, she can often be found competing on her horse, Rupert, or enjoying an evening at the theatre. This balance of rural life and London expertise gives her a grounded, level-headed perspective that her long-standing clients have come to rely on for over 20 years.
Her approach is simple: treat people well, be honest about the market, and ensure every placement is built on a foundation of thorough interviewing and mutual respect.
Olivia Coughtrie
Olivia began her recruitment career soon after graduating in 2008 and spent almost seven years at a boutique West End secretarial agency, rising to Associate Director and running the permanent team. Her focus was senior-level briefs across all industry sectors.
At Oriel Partners she concentrates on finance, executive search and consulting, with a specialism in C-suite EA roles. She likes to go for the direct and honest approach, works with many clients on a confidential basis, and won’t put a candidate forward unless she’s genuinely confident in them. She also founded the Oriel Partners PA Podcast, which ran to two series and included the CEO of Tesco as a guest.
Olivia grew up in Dorset, where she attended Sherborne School for Girls, and holds a BA in Business and Management. These days she lives in Berkshire with her three children. She enjoys spending time at the gym and gets back to Dorset whenever she can.
Oriel Partners - Built on relationships
What Auria and Olivia have created together at Oriel Partners is something neither of them would have built alone. It’s a labour of love and something they’re both hugely passionate about and proud of.
Their clients range from global multinationals to small owner-managed firms, across every sector, in both a business and personal capacity. The brief is always different. What doesn’t change is the way they approach it: the same personal care, the same high standards, the same interest in getting it genuinely right for both sides, and the same drive to get the right person in the right place as swiftly as possible.
Much of their business comes through referral and word of mouth. A lot of their best roles never reach the open market at all. After four decades of careful relationship-building across the full breadth of the UK recruitment market, that’s not a surprise - it’s why you want them on your side.
If you would like to work with them, get in touch.
