PRESS RELEASES

Odgers Berndtson Expands U.S. Technology Practice

NEW YORK, November 15, 2016 — As new technologies are commercialized and integrated into our lives at an astonishing rate, organizations are looking for a new type of leader who can quickly adapt to rapidly changing business conditions and transform their organizations for the future. To help clients tackle this talent challenge, global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson is expanding its technology practice in the U.S. with the addition of two new executive search specialists, Kathryn Ullrich and Rod Keller.

“A new breed of corporate leader is emerging as disruptive technologies transform industries literally overnight,”said Steve Potter, Managing Partner at Odgers Berndtson in the U.S. The firm recently conducted a survey of global executives with Forrester Research that revealed 84 percent of companies do not have the necessary skills and talent to execute a digital transformation. “Our newest partners will support our technology practice to meet our clients’ high demand for proven leaders who have the ability to innovate and build truly competitive organizations,” said Mr. Potter.

Based in Silicon Valley, Kathryn Ullrich focuses on senior executive searches for major corporations and venture-capital-backed companies in software, systems and services, and has specific expertise in disruptive technologies including autonomous vehicles, cloud, cyber security, data analytics, Internet, IoT, and SaaS. Author of Getting to the Top: Strategies for Career Success, Kathryn has nearly 20 years of executive search consulting experience. Founder of a nonprofit for women in technology, she actively works with technology clients on increasing diversity in their leadership ranks. Last year, 50 percent of the executive roles Kathryn filled were diverse candidates – unprecedented in the technology industry.

“With research showing that companies with higher percentages of women in management get increasingly higher returns, companies are seeking top caliber women and other minority executives to add diversity to their leadership teams,”said Ms. Ullrich.  “Ultimately, organizations are on the hunt for leaders who can create a culture of innovation and significantly increase business performance.”

Rod Keller has experienced firsthand the challenges organizations are now facing. An accomplished C-level executive, he has  more than 30 years of leadership experience in multinational corporations – including Siemens, Dell, Cisco and Toshiba. Rod participated in the growth of the personal computing industry and was most recently the President of Segway Inc. until leading its sale in 2015.

Based in Austin, Texas, Rod now helps companies improve overall performance through organizational and cultural transformation. He recruits talented professionals for private equity and venture capital firms in addition to recruiting senior level executives and directors for their portfolio companies.

“A company’s failure to innovate and ‘protect their flank’ is an invitation to other companies to enter their market, prove success and leverage a more efficient operating model to take market share in the more lucrative commercial markets,”said Mr. Keller. “Without strong leadership, usually by the time a company realizes this, it is too late and they either merge or sell, or go out of business.”

Keller and Ullrich join Odgers Berndtson partners Jay Hussey (Boston), Sally Drexler (Los Angeles) and Ora Smith (Washington) in the firm’s leading technology practice. One of the most successful and fastest growing global executive search firms in the world, Odgers Berndtson U.S. has added 17 new sector specialists to its roster in the last two years, with revenues doubling in size.

About Odgers Berndtson U.S.

Odgers Berndtson is a leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm, with more than 210 partners managing client engagement from offices in 51 cities across 29 countries. For more information, please see www.odgersberndtson.com.

Contact Us:
Steve Potter
CEO, U.S.
steve.potter@odgersberndtson.com