Bespoke Partners Assists Clearlake Capital and Siris-backed Constant Contact in CEO Search
April 22, 2021 – Executive search firms have been stepping up their efforts to assist private equity-backed firms and their portfolios across the nation find top-level talent, including chief executives, chief people officers, CFOs and other C-suite roles. All are seen as key players as organizations grapple with the continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Just recently, San Diego, CA-headquartered executive search firm Bespoke Partners placed Frank Vella as CEO of cloud-based digital marketing provider Constant Contact. The appointment comes after a $400 million growth equity investment by Clearlake and Siris funding Constant Contact’s spin-out from Endurance International Group Holdings Inc. announced in February.
Mr. Vella is an accomplished leader who brings more than 20 years of transformative technology leadership and has effectively scaled software platforms across industries. Most recently, he served as CEO of Information Builders, a private equity-backed SaaS data and analytics platform acquired by TIBCO Software Inc. Mr. Vella has also built operations at various tech firms across the globe, including industry leaders Microsoft, GE Capital, HP Enterprise and Xerox.
“I am excited to lead Constant Contact into this next chapter as a standalone company and growth platform,” said Mr. Vella. “Constant Contact pioneered digital marketing solutions for SMBs and has invested heavily to develop dynamic tools to support data-driven business decisions. With the carve-out, Constant Contact is at an exciting inflection point, and I will be working closely with the team to honor its legacy and further accelerate innovation and organic and inorganic growth.”
Serving the PE Sector
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, to recruit software talent and assess and evaluate teams at every stage of the investment lifecycle, from growth equity to buyout.
Related: Talent Chiefs Emerge Among Fastest-Growing Roles in Private Equity
The search firm has completed over 600 searches since its inception in 2011. Its expertise includes all C-level searches, as well as board of directors and internal private equity operating partner searches. The firm’s leadership advisory expertise includes organizational due diligence as well as executive assessment and coaching. Bespoke Partners also has offices in Austin and New York City.
Recent Placement
Bespoke Partners recently placed Impact Strategy Group founder Kristin Nimsger as operating partner at Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm with over $73 billion in assets under management. Ms. Nimsger is a proven executive leader known for driving transformation and growth. She is founder and CEO of Impact Strategy Group. During her career, Ms. Nimsger has led (as CEO and/or president) four SaaS software businesses driving outsized results for shareholders, management teams and customers. She has had direct responsibility for strategy, technology development roadmap and execution, product marketing, go-to-market, client success, operations and G&A functions.
Ms. Nimsger is said to have demonstrated nimble and effective management in multiple operating environments: small private company, F500 public holding company and private equity models, with two successful CEO turns in the Vista Equity Partners portfolio and one business sold to Providence Equity Partners.
Thoma Bravo is a private equity firm with a 40-plus year history, including over $73 billion in assets under management as of last fall, and a focus on investing in software and technology companies.
Related: Larger Funds Bring Increased Competition for Private Equity Talent
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
