Scott Ellam
Managing Director
Founder and Managing Director of Spencer Riley, Scott leads international executive search and board-level hiring, while supporting long-term growth through the wider XCE group.
Scott Ellam is the founder of Spencer Riley, established in 2014. Since then, he has led the firm’s growth into an international executive search business working across multiple core sectors.
Spencer Riley supports clients with board, director, and senior leadership appointments, including succession planning and leadership decisions during periods of growth, acquisition, and change.
Scott works closely with the senior team to shape how the business operates and how consultants are supported, ensuring clear expectations, strong structure, and the autonomy needed to build trusted client and candidate relationships.
In 2025, Scott launched XCE, the Connecting Excellence Group. Spencer Riley is the operating recruitment business, and XCE is the group built around it, using a Bitcoin-backed balance sheet to support long-term growth and value creation.
As CEO and Founder of XCE, Scott is responsible for the group’s leadership and long-term direction, building a platform designed to compound value over time.
Scott's Perspective
Having spent more than a decade working as a consultant, I understand the demands of the role. My focus today is on ensuring Spencer Riley gives consultants the structure and clarity needed to perform consistently.
That means setting expectations, supporting development, and giving people the autonomy to build strong relationships with clients and candidates. I believe consistent results come from trust, discipline, and long-term thinking rather than short-term volume.
By focusing on how consultants are supported, we build stronger client partnerships across the markets we work in.
Graeme Thomason
Recruitment Manager, Nuvia Group
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Bespoke Services
As well as the core sectors to which we recruit Spencer Riley has a proven track record for helping businesses in a wide variety sectors and getting the results required.
Our meticulous and pro-active approach means we are ideally placed to take on assignments in markets that sit outside of our core business areas. We are also well placed to help with a host of Private Equity Services, Outplacement Services as well with Mergers & Acquisitions
For more information and to discuss your unique situation then please get in touch.
Contact us today
Spencer Riley’s team of highly dedicated, specialist consultants’ pride themselves on gaining a full understanding of our client’s business,
