Paul Tulip
Partner & Founder
Paul brings over 25 years of global Search and Recruitment experience across a broad variety of sectors. He commenced his career in Yorkshire before moving to London, where he partnered with some of the UK’s leading Retail and Consumer brands to help them grow and scale. During this time, Paul delivered senior appointments such as Sales Directors for global food and beverage groups, Heads of Retail Operations for national supermarket chains, and Marketing Leaders for major high-street brands.
In Paul’s younger years, he represented and captained Yorkshire at cricket, and it was this sport that first brought him to Australia in his gap year before completing his University Degree in Business and Sport. After a successful executive recruitment career in the UK, Paul emigrated to Melbourne to join a leading Executive Search business, where he established and grew their retail and consumer practice. He focused on leadership appointments in Retail Operations, Merchandise & Marketing, Supply Chain & Logistics, and General Management.
In 2014, Paul established his own business, Yorkshire Bridge. Over the past decade, Yorkshire Bridge has been recognised as a highly reputable organisation, working with Boards and CEOs of Australia’s leading Retail, Consumer, FMCG, and Industrial brands to identify and secure highly talented leaders with a mandate to drive performance and profitability. Over the past 5 years, Paul has broadened his customer base to include a number of Industrial businesses. Paul is immensely proud of the longstanding relationships he has built, based on partnering with people he believes in. With a wide variety of successful searches completed throughout his career, there aren’t many job functions Paul hasn’t touched. A genuine sourcing expert, he takes the time to gain a deep understanding of a company’s culture and vision, which he then proudly takes to market as a true brand ambassador.
Paul loves to spend time with his kids and is a hands-on dad who coaches multiple sporting teams. In his spare time away from the family, you will find him on the golf course or worshipping his lawn.
Mathew Newman
Partner
After an early career in Sales & Marketing with a family-owned business in the textiles industry, Mathew moved to London in 1997 where he was introduced to the recruitment industry – where he found his calling. After 3 years in London, he returned to Australia to establish the Melbourne office of a global recruitment firm where he specialised in finance and accounting appointments. He spent a number of years in the industry before joining a leading Australian executive search business where he spent 16 years as an Equity Partner, focusing on C-level and Board appointments in the Industrial Practice. He is best known for working with high-growth, mid-market businesses that are looking to achieve a liquidity event within the medium term.
Mathew joined Yorkshire Bridge as a Partner in 2024. He brings 27 years of experience in C-Suite and senior leadership appointments having built a strong reputation and extensive networks across the Industrial, Manufacturing, Services, Technology, and Wholesale Distribution sectors. He works closely with Boards and CEOs of privately owned, Private Equity backed, Australian subsidiaries and mid-cap ASX-listed companies, providing strategic leadership solutions. A trusted advisor to the Australian business community, Mathew’s deep networks and long-standing relationships enable him to connect organisations with top executive talent.
Outside of work, Mathew is an investor and sits on a number of Advisory Boards. He is a dedicated father to his 12-year old twins, Alice and Freddie who keep him on his toes. An avid tennis player, he also enjoys spending time in the water, or simply unwinding by the coast.
Lehia Johnston
Head of Research
Lehia leads the research team from Yorkshire Bridge’s Melbourne office, where she provides leadership and direction on research projects whilst managing and developing our Research Associates and constantly refining research methodology and tools. Lehia has a passion for technology, improving systems and processes and the utilisation of digital tools and AI.
She brings over 15 years’ executive search and talent acquisition experience across diverse sectors including Retail; Consumer; FMCG; Industrial, Private Equity, and other sectors. She has a demonstrated capability in delivering executive level research, with a proven track record of presenting strong shortlists for challenging and hard-to-fill roles.
Lehia graduated from university in Melbourne with a Bachelor of Communications and spent a number of years in Media before joining the executive search and recruitment industry. Lehia enjoys ensuring the strength of the Yorkshire Bridge name in the local and international markets. She is very passionate about connecting with great people across all industries, wherever they may reside.
When not driving outcomes for Yorkshire Bridge’s clients, Lehia is a busy mother to her 3 children and whenever she has a spare minute she will be found with her head in a book!
