Lucas Group Names IT Practice Leader
May 20, 2016 – Executive search firm Lucas Group has appointed Laura Kesler as managing partner for its information technology offices in San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
As managing partner, Ms. Kesler will manage a team of five tenured recruiters between San Diego and Las Vegas with team growth projected to reach 10 in the immediate future.
Previously, Ms. Kesler was a managing director at Netview, a national technology solutions and IT recruiting provider that supports clients of all sizes in the areas of talent acquisition, executive search, technology services, infrastructure and delivery. She has also held various roles with redIT (acquired by KIO Networks), Eastridge Workforce Solutions, Stefanini, and Princeton Information.
“Laura brings an extensive career history in technology recruiting and consulting as well as a track record for building teams and driving success,” said Steven Robinson, general manager of Lucas Group’s information technology division. “We are thrilled to have her join Lucas Group and are eager to see her impact in our rapidly growing IT practice.”
“Our IT team has a very strong client portfolio, and we want to continue to grow that level of service beyond our current base,” said Mr. Robinson. “We are confident in Laura’s ability to elevate our team to achieve unprecedented success.”
According to survey results from Robert Half’s ‘IT Hiring Forecast Trend Report,’ recruiting in the sector remains a challenge: 59 percent of CIOs said it is ‘somewhat’ or ‘very challenging’ to find skilled IT professionals. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they are taking action to address recruiting challenges for IT staff. Some steps they are taking include increasing networking activities (48 percent); using recruiters or staffing firms (37 percent); offering referral bonuses (36 percent); and hiring consultants to augment current staff (36 percent).
In addition to IT, Lucas Group specializes in six other practice groups: accounting & finance, human resources, legal, sales & marketing, manufacturing and military transition. It has more than 300 affiliate recruiters located in offices throughout the U.S.
In recent months, the firm also strengthened its legal search practice in New York City with the addition of Amdie Mengistu as its new leader. He manages a team of executive recruiters and continues to expand out the practice. Mr. Mengistu transitioned into legal recruiting in 2012 and rose to managing director with boutique legal search firm Empire Search Partners.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
