Amrop Expands to the Dominican Republic
February 23, 2024 – Amrop, a global leadership advisory and executive search partnership, has opened a new office Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with the addition of Kai Schoenhals. Amrop’s new Dominican Republic team offers executive search and board services, focusing on the tourism, financial services, industrial, telecommunications and construction sectors. “We are delighted to welcome Kai and his ambitious team to our global organization,” said Annika Farin, chair of Amrop. “We look forward to building on our strong client relationships in the Caribbean region and to further expanding our presence in this vibrant market. With the Dominican Republic’s strategic position as a regional player, its strong connections to international markets and business communities, we are excited about the possibilities ahead.”
“The opening of our new Dominican Republic office comes at precisely the right time for ‘what’s next’ in the country,” said Mr. Schoenhals. “As one of the most dynamic economies in the region, the Dominican Republic requires an incredible amount of talent to move forward on its strategy to become a developed nation. We are excited to assist our local and regional clients on their strategies and leadership needs, by connecting them with great local talent and attracting world-class professionals to this extraordinary country – and supported by our global network of Amrop partners.”
The Dominican Republic represents the largest economy in the Caribbean region, strongly connected to the broader LATAM region as well as the U.S. During the last three decades, the Dominican economy, formerly dependent on the export of agricultural commodities (mainly sugar, cocoa and coffee), has transitioned to a diversified mix of services, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and trade. The service sector accounts for almost 60 percent of GDP; manufacturing, for 22 percent; tourism, telecommunications and finance are the main components of the service sector
The new office reinforces Amrop’s dominant presence in the region, with teams in Costa Rica, Panama and Dominican Republic, and coverage of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Founded in 1977, Amrop advises organizations in executive search, board, and leadership services. The organization has 67 offices in 54 countries.
Recent Growth
Amrop recently named Cecilia Callmer as new co-leader of the global life sciences & healthcare practice. Based in Malmö, Sweden, she now co-leads the practice together with Sabine von Anhalt (Germany), who continues to serve in this function since 2018. “The Amrop Board is delighted to appoint Cecilia to this global leadership role,” said Ms. Farin. “Our life sciences & healthcare team is a strong example of Amrop’s ability to bring together focused sector experts, true global reach and experience across the full leadership life cycle – from recruitment to assessment to development.”
Amrop Re-Elects Chair
Amrop has re-elected Hamburg-based Annika Farin as chair to direct the global group for a second term of three years. Since her initial election in 2020, Ms. Farin, a founding partner of Amrop in Germany, has led Amrop’s global partnership through the pandemic while building a strong strategic alliance with U.S.-based JM Search, and growing the group significantly. “We still see executive search and leadership advisory as an art,” Ms. Farin said. “It’s supported yet challenged by so many current trends, among them social media and AI. Our founding partners created Amrop to offer bespoke services to our clients nearly 50 years ago, which today we are more committed to than ever.”
Amrop recently opened a new office in Madrid, Spain. “Over the past three years Spain has been leading growth in the Euro zone, driven by structural changes, investments, and a dynamic employment market,” said Annika Farin, chair of the global Amrop Partnership SC. “We see many opportunities in this positive economic climate, and it is therefore the right moment for Amrop to enter the market. Amrop Spain will benefit from our strong global capabilities in senior talent acquisition and assessment. We look forward to collaborating with our new team.”
Led by Oscar Garcia-Velasco, an experienced entrepreneur who has previously led regional and global organizations in the technology and private equity industries, the Amrop Spain team is positioned to provide client-focused executive search and leadership advisory services. He is joined by partners Isabel Reija, a C-level executive and entrepreneur who is a reference in the local and regional energy sector, and Carmen Tuñas, an executive search partner with more than 20 years’ experience working across different industries such as banking, retail, logistics and private equity, among others. The team is rounded with Federico Cuneo, an entrepreneur and search professional with more than two decades of experience within Amrop, having been part of the Amrop’s global board for nine years and a past chairman of the Amrop Partnership. He joins Amrop Spain as chair and senior global partner.
Related: Amrop Appoints Co-Head of Government in Australia
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
