Peter Vyvyan-Robinson
Multilingual British executive search consultant with 12 years experience in commodities. Peter started his career in André & Cie, Lausanne, in the soft commodity department. After seven years, of which two in Rotterdam, he moved to Geneva where he held two other positions, trading various products from South America and Southeast Asia. Believing strongly in the human approach, Peter opened for Rechsteiner Partners SA, a Swiss Executive Search company, its Geneva office. Here he serviced many commodity houses as well as multinationals seeking international and specialized talent. In June 2012 he founded together with James Dunsterville VR-People, where as Managing Partner his focus is on headhunting mid- to top management in the commodities sphere.
James Dunsterville
James working career started in 1967 with Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM), UK as a management trainee for the agricultural merchant division. Moved in 1970 to Continental Grain as a grains trader and through to 1982 worked in UK, Italy, US and Switzerland. Moved in 1982 to Baytur (part of Cukurova Group, Turkey) as manager Ag. Division. From 1984 James formed AgriNews in Geneva to provide cash grain and oilseed market data to the industry and still does! During the 2000’s he also created and managed through to 2012 The Global Grain Conferences which were sold to Euromoney. James is co-founder and Chairman of AgFlow, a web-based cash grains, oilseeds and veg oils data platform, with his main activity as Editor in Chief.
Swiss Authorization
Provisions concerning Private Placement Services under the Federal Act on Employment Services and the Hiring of Services (AVG) read the regulation
Pursuant to Art. 2 paragraph 3 of the provisions concerning Private Placement Services under the Federal Act on Employment Services and the Hiring of Services (AVG), employment agencies need to obtain a SECO licence in order to arrange commercial employment placements in Switzerland. Pursuant to Art. 3 paragraph 1(a) of the AVG, one of the conditions to secure such a license is that the placement agency must be registered in the Swiss Commercial Registry and must have a physical office location in Switzerland.
This means that foreign agencies without offices in Switzerland are prohibited from directly arranging commercial placements in Switzerland. Not complying with these regulations can mean that both the client and the agency can be liable for penalties enforced by the SECO authorities.









