Chris Donkin is a Managing Director at ZRG in London and a core member of the global Industrial practice, to which he brings more than 20 years of executive search experience. Prior to joining ZRG, Chris built a distinguished career with firms ranging from global network Korn Ferry to specialist board boutique The Inzito Partnership, working with international clients on over 500 board and senior executive searches worldwide.

Chris advises organizations operating at the intersection of established industrial markets and emerging technologies on how to identify, attract, and develop leaders equipped with the attributes to succeed  in increasingly complex and rapidly changing business environments. He specializes in industrial engineering and manufacturing, with deep sector expertise in automotive and mobility, aerospace and defence, industrial technology, and engineering services. He is particularly recognized for his experience working across the global automotive sector and was acknowledged by the Financial Times as ‘one of the industry's leading headhunters.’

Chris is passionate about high performance leadership, and in 2022 founded the Next Generation Leadership Institute as a forum for discussion and debate on the evolution of leadership and the skills and attributes that will increasingly be needed by the leaders of tomorrow. He also has a particular interest in the exchange of leadership principles and development practices between the military and commercial worlds and has worked with defence and business leaders to explore learnings and enhance transferability between the two.

Chris holds a degree in English Literature from the University of Leeds and is currently studying for an MA in military history. He is a regular speaker on leadership at industry conferences and executive education programs, including the CLEPA Global Management Programme at Imperial College London Business School and the Financial Times ‘FT Live’ series of executive events.