About us

Alex Lazaridis founded Laz Partners in 2018, following a successful decade working in Macro Research Sales where he covered buy-side macro & multi-asset desks across London, Paris, MENA, and the US. After building a strong track record in the macro space, Alex transitioned into executive search to offer his clients top-quality talent advisory services, underpinned by a wealth of industry expertise. His decision to move into executive search was driven by many of his clients expressing that they were unhappy with the search firms that were already operating in the industry, given the lack of in-depth technical knowledge and understanding of markets, as well as a sub-par candidate and client experience.

Since inception, Alex and the team at Laz Partners have completed over 170 search assignments across 3 continents. Alex also regularly advises clients on team re-structures, hiring strategy, and succession planning.

Alex holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College, USA. Outside of work Alex enjoys reading, anything fitness-related, sailing, cycling and travelling.

Sven Dwars joined Laz Partners in 2022 and is responsible for Credit across the UK, Continental Europe and Dubai.  His primary focus from a talent perspective is on placing Credit Portfolio Managers and Credit Analysts across our Asset Management, Hedge Fund and Banking clients.

Sven has successfully placed multiple Credit Analysts and Portfolio Managers into a range of firms across different geographies.

Prior to joining Laz Partners, Sven has been an active investor in real estate projects in South Africa since 2016, developing and building affordable housing in Cape Town Area with local partners.

Sven started his corporate career in The Netherlands in 2011, where he worked in Commercial & Merchant banking at ABN Amro and as an Account Executive at P&G.

Sven moved to London in 2020 and holds a LLM in Financial law from the University of Amsterdam.  Besides working at Laz Partners, Sven enjoys kitesurfing, paragliding, downhill mountain biking, Muay Thai, and reading.

Jamil Yamout joined Laz Partners in 2025 as Senior Associate on our Macro desk, focusing on placing macro portfolio management, trading, and research talent into our buy-side and sell-side client base.

Before joining Laz Partners, Jamil worked in recruitment, where he specialised in placing mid-to executive-level Accounting and Audit professionals across banks, investment banks, and insurance companies. Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade in telecom engineering project management, working with multinational telecom vendors across the Gulf region.

Jamil holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering and has independently studied machine learning and data science to stay ahead of emerging technologies.

Outside of work, Jamil enjoys spending quality time with his family, travelling, and watching Formula 1, UFC, and true crime series. A former competitive athlete, he played basketball at a professional level and competed in swimming.

Belén Gomez joined Laz Partners in 2023 as an Associate and is responsible for growing our presence in the Equities space through working closely with Equity Portfolio Managers, Analysts, across long-only and long-short strategies. Her geographical focus is on the UK, as well as Continental Europe and the MENA region, with a client base comprising hedge funds, asset managers and asset owners.  Since joining Laz Partners, Belén has placed analysts in Dubai and Europe, into a range of firms.

Belén graduated in 2021 from the University of St Andrews with a degree in Arabic and Spanish. As part of her studies she spent time living in both Qatar and Spain. In 2022 she then completed a Master’s degree from the University of Edinburgh in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.

Outside of work, Belén enjoys travelling, surfing, athletics and cooking. 

Zoe Birri joined Laz Partners in 2023 as Head of Operations. Zoe’s role at Laz Partners involves overseeing operational activities and focusing on strategic planning, ensuring the achievement of performance goals and long-term operational objectives.  Other areas of focus include active involvement in the firm’s growth strategy, ensuring a best-in-class employee & client experience, overseeing the firm’s marketing strategy, and monitoring key metrics for day-to-day operations.

Zoe’s extensive background includes her experience at Royal Dutch Shell, where she worked in the Middle East as part of the communications team, with a focus on marketing, investor relations, social investment, budget management and external affairs. 

She is also the creator and founder of one of the UK’s most successful children’s etiquette and social skills schools, with multiple locations across the South East. 

Zoe is a mum to three children and enjoys baking and going on bike rides with her family.

Praveen Pandey joined Laz Partners in 2024 as CRM and Data Analyst.  Praveen brings extensive expertise in data quality assurance, integrity, and security.

Praveen helps Laz Partners ensure data accuracy and consistency, while also optimising our technological infrastructure and AI capabilities. Praveen holds a postgraduate degree in computer science. 

Outside of work, he enjoys playing cricket, football, and traveling with his wife and son.