International Recruitment Agency
About Very Important Personnel
Since 2014, we have specialised in recruiting and assessing personnel for principals, private families, residences, yachts and Family Offices.
We operate in a highly confidential environment where professional expertise must be combined with impeccable references, sound judgement, cultural awareness, discretion and respect for the principal’s privacy.
Recruitment remains at the core of our practice. Our educational programmes, professional communities and work with established private teams provide us with a practical understanding of the standards expected within sophisticated private households and Family Office structures.
We manage assignments directly with principals or through their authorised representatives, including Family Offices, chiefs of staff and private office executives, while integrating discreetly into existing governance and reporting structures.
Development of Our Practice
From a specialist recruitment agency to a trusted talent partner for sophisticated private households and Family Offices.
The agency was founded in 2014 as a recruitment practice serving private households and families. As clients’ requirements became increasingly complex, our work expanded to include senior appointments and specialist personnel for principal-led estates, multiple residences, yachts and Family Offices, alongside the assessment and development of established teams.
This development was a natural extension of our recruitment expertise. Appointing the right residence manager, chief of staff, executive or personal assistant, Family Office professional or crew member requires more than matching experience to a job description. It requires a precise understanding of the operating environment: reporting lines, delegated authority, cultural and protocol expectations, travel requirements, security considerations and interaction across the principal’s wider team.
Today, the agency manages both individual appointments and complete team formation for complex private infrastructures across Dubai, the UAE and international locations, including multiple properties, international schedules and distributed management structures.
Geography
The agency recruits professionals for family offices, private banking and wealth management, as well as senior yacht and household staff across the UAE, the wider Middle East, the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and other international locations.
Founder and Managing Director
Julia Zaitseva is the founder of Very Important Personnel, an international agency specialising in recruitment for private households, residences, yachts, family offices and wealth management structures.
The agency was built without family capital, an established brand or an inherited client base. Yulia entered the highly confidential private staffing sector independently and developed an international business founded on an impeccable reputation, proven results and personal client referrals.
Over twelve years, the agency has worked with individuals featured on the Forbes list, public figures and affluent families from the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, the United States and other regions. In this environment, access to families, assets and confidential information is earned through a proven reputation and trusted referrals.
To improve professional training standards, Julia founded a private household staff training school in partnership with Miele and Dyson.
The next stage of development was a partnership between Very Important Personnel and Catamaran Family Office, an international multi-family office, creating an integrated ecosystem for supporting families, their assets and private infrastructure. Where required, this model enables clients to move from a one-off recruitment assignment to long-term support for principals and their families.
“Our purpose is to build a reliable infrastructure around each family—protecting their interests, time and privacy while ensuring continuity of decision-making.”
Our Approach to Appointments
We assess not only professional experience but also a candidate’s ability to perform consistently within a specific private environment.
Our search considers the scope of the role, limits of authority, reporting structure, management style, composition of the existing team and the parties’ long-term expectations.
Depending on the position, the assessment may include professional interviews, reference checks and an analysis of relevant experience and practical competencies. The agency provides clients with material information that may affect their decision and does not create unrealistic expectations regarding candidates, timescales or market conditions.
The final decision always remains with the client or their authorised representative. Our responsibility is to conduct a rigorous search and provide a professionally reasoned assessment.
Our Team
Every assignment is led by a dedicated consultant who retains a complete understanding of the brief throughout the search.
Depending on the nature of the appointment, the project may involve candidate search and assessment specialists, experts in the relevant professional field and consultants with appropriate international experience.
The agency may work directly with the principal or with the head of a family office, personal assistant, HR director, residence manager or another authorised representative.
Our aim is not to increase the volume of communication but to ensure its accuracy by documenting agreements, reporting material information promptly and following the communication procedures established by the client.
Training and Development
Training complements the agency’s recruitment expertise but does not replace the professional assessment of candidates.
Our training practice is based on experience in private service, structured interviews with accomplished professionals and collaboration with specialist trainers. Programmes are continuously developed in response to feedback from employers, participants and established household teams.
This practice enables the agency to understand professional roles more precisely, distinguish stated competencies from demonstrated ability and identify which skills may be developed following an appointment.
Professional Network
Our searches draw on multiple sources rather than relying solely on candidate applications.
The agency uses its proprietary candidate network, trusted referrals, direct search and professional communities. This provides access to professionals who are not actively seeking a new position and are not visible on the open market.
Continuous professional dialogue enables us to monitor changes in candidate motivations, the scope of private-sector roles and employer expectations.
International Appointments
We manage assignments involving international family schedules, relocation and work across multiple properties.
Our candidate assessments consider language proficiency, cultural adaptability, mobility, experience across different jurisdictions and readiness to meet the required travel arrangements.
Working with Catamaran Family Office
Catamaran Family Office is a separate division within the professional ecosystem, with its own clearly defined area of responsibility.
Very Important Personnel is responsible for the recruitment, assessment and development of staff. Catamaran Family Office provides support within the scope of a separately agreed mandate.
The teams, contractual relationships and access to information remain separate. Involvement of Catamaran Family Office is not a mandatory part of a recruitment assignment, and information may be shared only with the client’s consent.
Our Principles
Confidentiality
Information about the client, family, properties and team structure is disclosed only to the extent necessary for the relevant stage of the assignment.
Professional Independence
We do not recommend candidates merely to fill a vacancy. Any material limitations identified during the assessment process are communicated to the client.
Respect for Existing Structures
The agency respects established lines of authority, communication procedures and the boundaries of its own mandate.
Responsibility for the Quality of the Process
We are responsible for the precision of the search, the quality and rationale of our assessment, and adherence to the agreed working arrangements.
Reputation and Referrals
In private service, trust rarely requires publicity.
A significant proportion of our work comes from repeat assignments and referrals from clients, their representatives and the heads of private organisations. We regard every referral as a transfer of trust and never use a client’s name or disclose details of an assignment without their express consent.
Trusted by Forbes-Listed Clients
We solve complex, individual challenges for which there are no standard solutions.
