Bespoke Partners Adds AI Expert to Board
April 18, 2025 – San Diego, CA-headquartered Bespoke Partners has added Elizabeth Spaulding to its board of directors, bringing her extensive track record in applied AI and digital innovation to guide Bespoke. “Elizabeth brings us incredible experience in the creative application of AI, data-driven processes, and digitization to elevate companies and deliver outsized results,” said Eric Walczykowski, CEO of Bespoke. “Central to our mission is evolving Bespoke into a tech-enabled service provider that breaks from the status quo and reinvents executive search. With Elizabeth’s support, that goal is now in reach.”
Throughout her career, Ms. Spaulding has spearheaded AI-driven innovation and market disruption via digitization in a range of industries, including healthcare, online retail, fashion, luxury goods and interior design. She serves on the boards of and advises multiple disruptive innovation companies. Ms. Spaulding is the founder of Reverie3D, a first of its kind interior design software and service that is on a mission to make luxury homes turnkey ready through its seamless integration with real estate agents and developers. She previously served as CEO of AI-enhanced fashion retailing innovator Stitch Fix (SFIX) and was a senior partner and board member at Bain, where she created and led the Bain Digital Practice, now known as Vector.
“I am thrilled to work with the impressive team at Bespoke as it reinvents executive search for the modern era,” said Ms. Spaulding. “Like many industries before it, executive search is still practiced by the vast majority of firms like it was decades ago. By implementing data-driven search processes, AI-enhanced recruiting and a groundbreaking operational model, Bespoke is completely reshaping the state-of-the-art in executive search.”
Ms. Spaulding joins Bespoke’s board as the firm has reached a major milestone in tech-enabling its services: launch of the Bespoke Executive Index, the industry’s first AI-driven talent mapping platform. “Bespoke already devised a pioneering organizational structure and recruited a top tier team to grow the business,” Elizabeth said. “The Executive Index is the final piece of the puzzle, representing the groundbreaking application of AI in recruiting. Bespoke is becoming the first truly tech-enabled executive search firm.”
“Today we are reinventing executive search,” said Mr. Walczykowski. “The Bespoke Executive Index is the authoritative source of data on the accomplishments and experience of the full software and SaaS executive market. If you are conducting a search without the Executive Index, you are accessing only a fraction of the talent market you should be. This tech-enabled services foundation is another way that Bespoke is built different and why a search with Bespoke is like nothing else in the industry.”
Related: Bespoke Partners Appoints Chief People Officer
Unlike self-reported executive profiles on LinkedIn and other platforms, the Executive Index leverages AI and hundreds of data sources to map executives and verify their backgrounds for accuracy. The Executive Index took three years of research, planning and development and more than a year of testing and validation by the Bespoke executive recruiting and research team.
Faster Searches
“The Executive Index is particularly suited for identifying executives with experience in achieving the investment thesis and exits for private equity sponsors,” Bespoke Partners said. “The results are significantly faster searches with demonstrably better results, dramatically lowering human capital risk.”
Bespoke Partners Grows Product and Technology Practice
Bespoke Partners has expanded with the addition of Jay Nguyen as a partner in the product and technology practice. He is be based in Chicago. “Jay’s exceptional track record and passion for aligning technology executive recruiting with business objectives make him a perfect addition to our team,” said Ryan Bonner, partner and leader of Bespoke Partners’ product and technology practice. “His expertise in product and technology roles will enhance our ability to deliver unmatched value to our clients.” Mr. Nguyen has more than 15 years of executive search expertise and a track record of excellence placing 300+ leaders across the cloud and SaaS industries, particularly in engineering and product roles. His expertise spans venture-backed startups, private equity, and Fortune 1000 companies, with a focus on delivering results in an average of 75 days to close.
Bespoke Partners is an executive search and leadership advisory firm dedicated to partnering with top private equity firms, including Francisco Partners, Clearlake Capital, WCAS, Insight Partners, GI Partners, General Atlantic, CVC Capital Partners, and TA Associates, among many others, to recruit software talent and assess and evaluate teams at every stage of the investment lifecycle, from growth equity to buyout. Bespoke Partners is headquartered in San Diego, and operates other regional offices in Austin, TX, and Philadelphia.
The search firm has completed over 1,000 searches since its inception a decade ago. Its expertise includes all C-level searches across multiple functional domains, including financial officers, HR and people, marketing and technology, as well as board of directors and internal private equity operating partner searches. The firm’s expanding leadership advisory platform includes organizational due diligence as well as executive assessment and coaching. Successful searches include CEOs, CFOs, CROs, CMOs, CPOs, CTOs, CIOs, CHROs, board members, operating partners, vice presidents and many more. Bespoke-placed executives have orchestrated exits and more than 425 acquisitions by their companies, generating more than $145 billion in value.
Related: Bespoke Partners Launches Strategic Resourcing Group to Serve PE Outfits
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
