Skip to content
Sunday 16 August 2026London --:--Frankfurt --:--Zurich --:--
NewslettersSearchEN · DE
MorningWire

European business, markets and politics

FTSE 100
10,750.11
-0.21%
DAX
26,440.31
+0.53%
CAC 40
8,636.80
-0.16%
STOXX 50
6,539.59
-0.09%
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Technology
  • Politics
  • Opinion
More
GermanyFranceBankingAIEnergyFintechPropertyCapital Markets
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Technology
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • DE
Thursday 21 May 2026 2:07 pm  |  Updated:  Thursday 21 May 2026 2:08 pm

Executive Leadership and Search Specialist Carlyle Acquires Majority Stake in David Sole-run School for CEOs

By: Business Wire

Add as a preferred source on Google

Executive Search firm Carlyle has acquired a majority stake in School for CEOs, the executive development company founded by David Sole OBE and Patrick Macdonald FRSE in 2011. School for CEOs specialises in CEO and Board development, leadership succession, coaching, executive assessment, and the development of inclusive leadership frameworks.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521860833/en/

Left to right are David Sole (School for CEOs) and Fiona James-Martin (Carlyle)

Founded in 2002 by Duggie Carlyle, Carlyle specialises in Board, CEO, CFO, and leadership headhunting, in addition to practices covering financial services, family business, private equity and venture capital, and strategic interim appointments.

Carlyle and School for CEOs’ combined client base includes Aberdeen, Wood Mackenzie, Scottish Rugby, Quorum Cyber, Edrington, Aviva, Baillie Gifford, SSE, Greene King, and Gallagher.

Fiona James-Martin, Managing Partner, Carlyle, said: “Having worked closely with Boards and leaders for over 20 years, Carlyle has witnessed a growing client sentiment around not only identifying and securing the best leaders, advisors, and Board members, but also to work more closely with them to develop leadership capability.”

Fiona James-Martin added: “School for CEOs has created an enviable reputation in this space and has a unique suite of offerings, including groundbreaking inclusive leadership development and optimisation – with many high profile business leaders benefitting from their programmes and coaching.”

David Sole, Managing Partner, School for CEOs, said: “Since establishing the business fifteen years ago, we have created and delivered programmes and coaching for a wide range of clients across the UK and beyond. When we considered our future growth and development, Carlyle’s pedigree and brand stood out as an obvious acquirer and partner. Both organisations feel there is a strong cultural alignment, and opportunities to accelerate the growth of both businesses on the basis of our complementary service offerings and client-centric focus.”

“Looking forward”, added David Sole, “we share the same vision in terms of the strategic intent to build deeper relationships with clients.”

Duggie Carlyle said: “The market and demands of Board and leadership teams are evolving quickly. We are excited to be adding such a proven and respected team to our wider offering and see this as a natural evolution. This investment from Carlyle was very much made in response to consultation from our key long-term clients, around what they needed from a key leadership partner.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.carlyleassociates.co.uk/

Carlyle executives and David Sole discuss School for CEOs acquisition, featuring logos of Aberdeen, Aviva, and Scottish Ru...

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521860833/en/

Contact

Media contact:
Nick Freer
[email protected]

Left to right are David Sole (School for CEOs) and Fiona James-Martin (Carlyle)
Company Logo

Left to right are David Sole (School for CEOs) and Fiona James-Martin (Carlyle)

Company Logo

Read more

Naser Taher Named Among Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 CEOs 2026

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • Businesswire

Categories

  • Merger/Acquisition
  • Photo/Multimedia

Trending Articles

  • Back bookshops in bid to rebuild high streets, Burnham urged

  • Aldi boss wades into supermarket ‘price-gouging’ row

  • Reform pledges £50bn savings in ‘generational’ benefits shake-up

  • Soaring energy bills set to fuel inflation spike

  • What Burnham’s Sporting Events Bill means for brands and media owners

More from Morning Wire

  • Naser Taher Named Among Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 CEOs 2026

    Business Wire
  • Azalea Vision Appoints Co-Founder Andrés Vasquez Quintero as Chief Executive Officer to Lead Next Phase of Clinical Development

    Business Wire
  • Battery Ventures Promotes Brandon Gleklen to Partner

    Business Wire
  • EY and London managing partner fined over £1.3m for audit failure

    Big Four
    EY London headquarters building exterior on a sunny day, showcasing modern architecture in the citys business district
  • MEX Exchange, Part of MultiBank Group Strengthens Leadership Team with Key Appointment

    Business Wire
  • Prologis pursuit of Segro descends into silver-haired scrap

    Property
    David Sleath, Chief Executive Officer, delivering a speech at a business conference with a focused expression.
  • Let the machines do the grunt work, so that we can do the great work

    Opinion
    Advanced AI robots collaborating in a tech workspace, showcasing cutting-edge technology innovations in robotics
  • Moody’s Corporation Elects Keith Demmings to Board of Directors

    Business Wire
MorningWire

Independent European business, markets and political news for decision-makers.

Morning Briefing

Europe

  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • UK & Ireland

Business

  • Markets
  • Banking
  • Technology
  • Energy
  • Property
  • Fintech

Editorial

  • Opinion
  • Editorial Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Company

  • About Morning Wire
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 Morning Wire Ltd · Published by Morning Wire Media, Bahnhofstrasse 65, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Privacy · Terms · Cookies · Facebook