August Leadership Recruits CEO for Forum One
June 26, 2023 – Executive recruitment firm August Leadership has helped to place Elisabeth Bradley as the new chief executive officer of digital consultancy Forum One in Arlington, VA. Ms. Bradley has been with the company in a leadership role since 2017 and has been, since 2021, the chief strategy officer responsible for advising senior client stakeholders on digital strategy and communications. She has also led corporate strategic planning for the Forum One executive team. Partner Nicole Kamaleson and lead consultant Sundus Akif spearheaded the assignment for the search firm.
Ms. Bradley, who becomes CEO effective Aug. 1, will succeed Chris Wolz, who announced his retirement in February. He has been with the organization for 26 years.
“Elisabeth is a proven leader with the skills, business vision, and the ability to bring people together,” said Mr. Wolz, who serves as Forum One’s new board chair. “Her passion for the work of our clients and vision for helping them expand their impact is exactly what Forum One needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded innovation and growth.”
“Elisabeth is a trusted colleague who knows the Forum One team and clients very well,” said co-founder and board member Jim Cashel. “She has demonstrated her ability to tackle tough organizational challenges, build consensus, and be a thoughtful, ambitious team leader. We are confident that she will step into this new role with an insightful perspective on how and where we need to grow and improve.”
A Committed Leader
Ms. Bradley is expected to work closely with the Forum One board to build the company’s long-term vision, grow Forum One’s services in new technologies and approaches, and ultimately raise the impact of its mission-driven clients. She will also look to continue to strengthen Forum One’s collaborative culture, backed by employee ownership and an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Prior to Forum One, Ms. Bradley spent more than a decade leading change within social impact organizations, including key roles with the League of Conservation Voters, the Nature Conservancy, and Clean Energy Associates.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this team into the next chapter of Forum One,” said Ms. Bradley. “At Forum One and throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to support organizations that want to help people live better, healthier lives. I look forward to building an evolutionary organization that can adapt to changing customer needs and market trends more quickly, with the primary goal of advancing the impact of the amazing organizations we support.”
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Founded in 1996, Forum One amplifies the impact of mission-driven organizations through transformational digital solutions. Working to apply digital technologies and strategies to address societal problems, Forum One has completed thousands of projects advancing health, education, the environment, and more. The organization works with non-profits, associations, foundations, think tanks, cultural institutions, and government agencies worldwide. Forum One has fostered long-term relationships with major mission-driven organizations and government agencies such as the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the American Red Cross, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Respected Recruiters
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.
Ms. Kamaleson, who joined August Leadership two years ago, focuses on mission-driven or for-purpose organizations. She has advised on C-suite talent transitions, diversity, equity, and inclusion, board/governance, human capital, and organizational development. Ms. Kamaleson has expertise in sustainability, ESG, social finance, philanthropy, impact investing, international NGOs, think tanks/research, human rights, and the environment. Her work has spanned the globe in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. She has led senior executive searches at the board, CEO, C-suite, vice president, and regional and country director levels internationally.
Sundus Akif has been with August Leadership for five years. As a team lead, she is responsible for managing eight researchers and consultants working across the consumer and retail, social impact and non-profit, board and CEO, financial services, and technology practices globally. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan in 2018.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media