The Downing Network is a lean firm by design.
Every search is led by the person you engage. You deal directly with us from the first conversation through to appointment.
We like working this way. It keeps us close to the client, the candidates and the detail of every search.
Our roots go back to Downing Teal, one of the longest-standing names in Australian search. John Downing founded The Downing Network in 2023 to bring the experience back to a principal-led model.
We try to be straightforward in how we work.
If we think a brief needs adjusting, we will say so early. If we see a candidate differently, we will explain why. And if we don’t know something, we will take the time to find out.
We are also comfortable being a relatively quiet firm.
We would rather build our reputation through the work we do, the people we place and the clients who choose to work with us again.
Between us, we have spent decades finding people for businesses where good leadership and management make a real difference.
Here is who we are.
Ivan Vujicic
Managing DirectorIvan has spent close to twenty years in executive search, starting at Downing Teal in October 2008, about a month after Lehman Brothers collapsed. His timing has improved since. A market in retreat is a fast teacher, though. He returned to the network in 2026 after senior roles with international search firms, most recently as a Principal with one of the global majors.
His deepest work is in mining and resources, across copper, rare earths, mineral sands, iron ore, lithium and gold, underground and open pit, from operational leadership through to enterprise appointments, enjoying nearly a decade of close relationship with a Tier 1 ASX listed organisation. In defence, he spent eight years building an Australian subsidiary for a European shipbuilder, from the executive team down through functional and technical leadership. He has also appointed operations and joint venture leadership on major Australian infrastructure projects, and commercial, operations and technical leaders for industrial services and shutdown businesses.
His counselling and psychology qualification shapes how he assesses people. Less weight on interview polish, more on how someone actually thinks and operates under pressure.
Searches don't always run to script. Markets are thin, briefs shift, good candidates say no. Ivan believes the value of a search partner often becomes clearest when the search gets difficult. His approach is simple: stay close to the problem, keep looking and give clients an honest view of what the market is telling us.
John Downing
Founding DirectorJohn founded The Downing Network in 2023, decades into a search career built in Australian resources, construction and infrastructure. His clients and candidates would be horrified to learn that John is a qualified accountant! Fortunately, he got bored recording money and decided to make it by recruiting for engineering related businesses. He’s been at it since 1971. His name has been part of the industry for a long time, having founded Downing Teal, which remains one of the longest-standing names in resources search, and the affiliate network that grew from it still carries his fingerprints across Asia Pacific and Latin America.
His longest infrastructure relationship ran close to a decade with a major Australian contractor and its listed parent, appointing the chief executive, human resources leadership, state leaders, and business development and strategy roles, along with the managing director of the Asia business. Alongside it, five decades of mining and resources work, from project-level appointments through to C-suite.
What sets John apart is time. Many of his relationships began with project engineers he met early in their careers and stayed close to as they became general managers and managing directors. He's watched a generation of leaders develop from the ground up, which gives his read on candidates a depth that can't be shortcut. Some networks are built from databases. Others are built over decades.
Clients keep coming back for the same two things. Honest views, and judgement about people that's been right often enough, for long enough, to trust.
Michael Freis
General ManagerMichael leads our construction and infrastructure work from Melbourne, after more than twenty years across Australia's construction, infrastructure, engineering and property markets.
Before search, he sat on the client side of the table, including buy-side work with John Holland. He built and led national talent functions inside tier one contractors, working alongside executive leadership on major infrastructure and building programs. He's assessed leaders as the person who had to live with the appointment, and it changed how he does this job.
That experience shows up in his shortlists. Less weight on presentation, more on delivery history, and a practised eye for the difference between someone who was near a successful project and someone who drove it. Contractors and owners tend to trust him quickly because he speaks their language and doesn't waste their time.
He has placed senior leaders and managers across contractors, developers and infrastructure operators through Australia's east coast markets.
His approach is practical, considered and grounded in a strong understanding of the industry.
Between us, that's close to a century of watching people build things. Have a conversation with one of us.