.jpg)
Founding Team
Cory Leighton
Cory is a Managing Partner and Founding Member of Leighton Baker Search Partners. With over 15+ years experience in executive search, his main focus is partnering with Global clients to hire top talent across commodity trading, sales/origination, structuring, fundamental and quantitative analytics and principal investing. He has a successful track record hiring commodities professionals for Global trade houses, energy merchants, hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, investment banks, oil majors and utilities. Cory previously ran Commodities Recruiting in the Americas for a boutique search firm for ten years (2009 – 2019), where he oversaw offices in Houston, New York and Connecticut. Cory began his career focused on executive search in the investment banking sector, originating and executing searches in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions across North America. Cory holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hamilton College.
Benjamin Baker
Ben is a Managing Partner and Founding Member of Leighton Baker Search Partners. He has 10 years of experience within executive search and a track record of partnering with clients on strategic assignments across North and South America. His relationships include commodity trading firms, multi-asset and commodity focused hedge funds as well as distribution / consumer corporate clients. Previously, Ben was a Consultant within the Global Energy and Commodities Practice at a boutique search firm. He was responsible for managing client assignments with a focus on increasing clients exposure to commodities markets, improving on existing trading capabilities and mapping competitor organizational structures and commercial activities. Before entering Executive Search, Ben worked in real estate finance and investments. Ben Holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Lehigh University.