Claire grew up in Oxford and went to School at Headington School and St Edwards School where she excelled on the Women’s rowing team and Art and Design. She then went on to study Art and Print Design in London for 3 years. Following this she did a short secretarial course in Oxford before securing her first job in an established Law firm in the City.
In 1997 Claire moved to London permanently and worked at Cartier for a number of years before she was approached by a start up media recruitment agency in the West End to join their team as a Consultant on the Permanent desk. Claire found she had a natural ability at matching people to jobs and was instrumental in forming valuable and lasting relationships with the then Lucie Clayton College (now Quest) and the Oxford Media and Business School, giving career talks to students and organising the successful work experience programmes. Claire was made a Shareholder and became a key member of the team where she worked alongside Emily Bain.
After a number of years Claire moved to a boutique agency in Sloane Square, specialising in a more corporate and high end client base. This broadened Claire’s experience and allowed her to develop as a Senior Consultant.
In 2009 Claire moved to the Cotswolds with her family and set up Bain and Gray as a way to consolidate her Client base and knowledge, and to better balance work and family life. Since then she has built a reputable and leading Secretarial Recruitment Agency with Emily based on their shared experience and reputation in the market over many years. They have together attracted a talented team of consultants and continue to grow.
