Ridgeway Partners Adds Former Norman Broadbent CEO as Partner

September 15, 2015 – Executive search firm Ridgeway Partners LLC has appointed Sue O’Brien as a partner. Ms. O’Brien most recently served as chief executive officer of Norman Broadbent PLC. Having begun her career in retail at Sainsbury’s, she became managing director of a leisure business and later moved into executive search. In 2003, she was appointed managing director of Garner International before leading the acquisition and subsequent turnaround of Norman Broadbent in 2009.

Ms. O’Brien is a board member of Walpole British Luxury, a non-executive director of MK-LF partners, a founder member of The Women’s Business Council, and chair of a fundraising group for The Tissue Bank Cancer Research charity. She also serves as a Trustee for KidsOut. In January 2014, she was awarded an OBE for services to charity and promoting equality in the workplace. She is a member of the International Women’s Federation and this month also takes up a new role on the board of the Chartered Management Institute.

At Ridgeway Partners, Ms. O’Brien will work on further developing the company’s retail, HRD and board practices. Her arrival follows a busy year for Ridgeway. Among many senior board level mandates across a number of sectors, the company advised on the recent chief executive officer placement at supermarket chain Wm Morrison.

“I am delighted to be joining Ridgeway Partners,” said Ms. O’Brien. “The company has an enviable track record of board level mandates and, in particular, is the only business of its size to deliver the requirements of the enhanced code for headhunters appointing female executives in the FTSE 350. I look forward to helping Ridgeway enhance its impressive client base and drive further growth across the business in areas I am passionate about.”

Philip Marsden, chairman of Ridgeway Partners, added: ‘We are thrilled to welcome Sue as a partner at Ridgeway. She has a formidable reputation and a razor-sharp knowledge of the executive search industry. Her insights and support will be invaluable to us and our clients as Ridgeway continues to break new ground and build on our success.’

Ridgeway Partners is a global advisory firm specializing in executive search, board appointments and succession planning for a select group of multi-sector, domestic and international companies.

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