Rebecca Williamson is a Partner at Omera Partners specialising in executive search across transport and water infrastructure in Australia, New Zealand, and globally. With more than 23 years of executive search experience, Rebecca has built a distinguished career appointing Chief Executives, Managing Directors, and senior operational leaders across the full infrastructure value chain, from advisory and engineering through to asset operations. She brings a significant global network spanning the United Kingdom, the UAE, Asia, and North America, and is recognised for her commitment to broadening the diversity of leadership in sectors that have historically been male-dominated.
What are the biggest challenges your clients face in finding senior talent?
“In highly technical or specialist sectors, there is a real tendency to hire familiar backgrounds even when Boards or CEOs intend to think more broadly. The gap I help close is giving clients the confidence to consider lateral candidates who can genuinely transform an organisation. That includes actively advocating for exceptional female leaders in transport and water infrastructure, where diverse thinking at the top is still far less common than it should be.”
Which industries or functions do you specialise in?
“I have spent over two decades appointing Chief Executives, Managing Directors, and senior operational leaders across transport and water infrastructure, across the full value chain from advisory through to operations. A significant portion of my searches are global, spanning the United Kingdom, the UAE, Asia, and North America.”
What types of appointments are you most proud of?
“One of my proudest appointments was a Chief Executive for a regional water services organisation, appointed from a transport asset operator with no prior utilities experience. The Board had the courage to back exceptional leadership over sector familiarity, and it has paid off in community, culture, and client outcomes.”
The appointment was unconventional by any measure. The incoming Chief Executive came from a transport background in which operational scale, asset complexity, and regulatory accountability were all well established, but the utilities sector was entirely new territory. Rebecca worked closely with the Board to reframe the brief around leadership capability rather than sector credentials,which opened the field to candidates who would otherwise have been screened out.
As Rebecca reflects: “The best appointments often come from the conversations clients are not sure they are ready to have. That one changed how the organisation thinks about what a great leader looks like.”
How do you build trust with both clients and candidates?
“Trust is built by going beyond the brief. Drawing on 23 years of global search experience, I always try to provide market intelligence, challenge assumptions, and offer genuine counsel on remuneration and retention strategies. My clients work with me because we have formed a partnership built on depth and honesty, not just a transaction.”
“Greatness is found when curiosity overrides convention, when a client is willing to look beyond the familiar and back someone truly exceptional. Those are the moments that define a career, for the candidate, the organisation, and for me.”
What keeps you energised outside of work?
“I am endlessly curious. This drives my passion for travel and immersing myself in new cultures and experiences. It is also what led me to complete a Psychology degree, develop a passion for neuroscience, and set a goal to learn Japanese.”
