August Leadership Names Partner in Paris
May 12, 2026 – August Leadership has appointed Art Avdeev as partner in Paris. He brings over 25 years of experience managing executive search and leadership development projects for clients across EMEA and beyond.
Mr. Avdeev works with corporate and private equity clients on assignments in banking, insurance, consumer finance, and mobile banking, as well as FMCG, retail, agriculture, and durables across Western and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Mr. Avdeev also leads C-Suite searches in mobility, media and entertainment, sports, and non-for-profit, and has built strong relationships with numerous family offices, helping them enhance governance and expand their portfolios. Before joining August Leadership, he spent 25 years at Egon Zehnder in roles that included focusing on clients in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and the U.K., as well as overseeing the firm’s regional practice in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Avdeev worked as an investment banker at Société Générale and as a constitutional law program expert with the Council of Europe. Besides English and French, he speaks Russian and Italian fluently.
Founded in 2020, New York City-based August Leadership’s clients range from global multinationals to mid-size fast-growth organizations to pioneering start-ups. Its team includes those who have been in search for their entire careers. Others joined after holding leading roles in start-ups or large corporations. A number are considered among the more influential search executives in the world.
Related: August Leadership Expands Search Team
Asad Haider is founder and CEO of August Leadership. He is a trusted advisor with deep global experience and knowledge of emerging markets, high growth companies, and high-potential diversity candidates. Mr. Haider has worked across the globe and within a wide range of industries. His career highlights include his various turnaround projects with Procter & Gamble as well as helping PepsiCo achieve record market share in international markets. His search career began as an entrepreneur, building one of Asia’s largest region-wide.
Past Addition
August Leadership also recently expanded with the addition of Marc Bartel as a partner in Paris. “We’re pleased to welcome Marc Bartel to August Leadership as partner, Paris,” the firm said in a LinkedIn post. “Marc brings more than 20 years of experience advising boards, CEOs, and senior leadership teams across Europe, with a track record of 350+ leadership searches and deep expertise in governance, succession, and board effectiveness. His work focuses on CEO succession, board composition, and critical leadership decisions — areas that increasingly shape organizational performance and long-term value.”
Mr. Bartel is a senior executive search partner specializing in board, CEO, and C-suite appointments, with particular expertise in legal, risk, and compliance leadership roles. He leads searches for boards of directors, executive committees, non-executive directors, board chairs, and senior leadership teams, advising organizations on CEO succession, governance, and critical leadership transitions.
Previously, Mr. Bartel led the EMEA legal, risk & compliance and board & CEO practice at Korn Ferry in Paris, and earlier held the same practice leadership roles at Heidrick & Struggles, where he also served as managing partner for France. For more than two decades, Mr. Bartel has advised organizations and leading global law firms on executive search, leadership assessment, and governance mandates. He has assessed over 120 law firm partners, conducted numerous board evaluations, and led more than 350 senior legal counsel and general counsel recruitment assignments.
Related: August Leadership Expands in Singapore
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
