Boyden Appoints New CEO

February 2, 2023 – Boyden has named Chad Hesters as its president and CEO, effective immediately. He succeeds Trina Gordon, who retires after 12 years as CEO, three years as chair, and more than 30 years as a managing partner at the firm. “Our global search for a leader to succeed our highly successful retiring CEO, Trina Gordon, has led us to another global executive, Chad Hesters,” said Craig Stevens, chair. “He has worked in over 20 countries and brings a comprehensive track record leading a complex leadership advisory business. His hallmark is a keen understanding of strategy while remaining close to clients and their evolving needs.”

“I would like to pay tribute to Trina Gordon for her inspirational, values-driven leadership,” said Mr. Stevens. “As the first female CEO of a global executive search firm, Trina blazed the way for women leaders in our industry. While other professional services firms have taken a top-down corporate approach to strategy, Trina has remained committed to a governing structure of a true partnership, keeping the consultants who serve our clients at the center of our approach to the market. Trina established Boyden’s leadership consulting Centre of Excellence, deepened our sector expertise and delivered innovations to all three lines of business,” he said. “The board of directors thanks her for her exceptional performance and unwavering dedication to the partnership.”

Mr. Hesters most recently served as a managing partner at Korn Ferry, where he held geographic and business line leadership roles in addition to being a senior client partner in the global industrial practice. He has over 15 years of experience in executive search and organizational consulting, leveraging his global perspectives and expertise to deliver leadership consulting solutions for clients.

Prior to executive search, Mr. Hesters held corporate finance roles at Hunt Oil and Shell following his early career as an intelligence officer with the U.S. Navy. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

“I am honored to be appointed president and CEO of Boyden,” said Mr. Hesters. “I have long admired Trina Gordon for her leadership and her custodianship of one of the oldest, global heritage brands in our industry. Boyden has a unique, collaborative culture that puts clients at the heart of their business. This collegial community is distinctive and aligns well with my style of engagement in the market. Through a shared vision and strong values, I look forward to enabling excellence for clients and nurturing the firm’s current and aspiring partners.”

Boyden, headquartered in Purchase, NY, is a leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 70 offices in over 45 countries. It continues to expand and add talent across several global regions.

Leadership Appointments Rising at Recruiting Firms

Top leadership appointments, of men and women, have been gaining traction at executive search firms over the past year. Here’s a look at several examples taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Oak Brook, IL-based search firm WittKieffer has named Christina Boiler as its chief operating officer. “Christina is well known for inspiring organizations to achieve excellence and meaningful change,” said Andrew Chastain, president and CEO of WittKieffer. “She brings a unique, diverse skill-set developed through previous senior leadership roles while possessing an eager willingness to explore new opportunities and embrace strategies that will ultimately help us to serve our clients better. Her expertise will be invaluable to WittKieffer. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her join our firm’s leadership team.” Ms. Boiler has more than 15 years of leadership experience across operations, strategy, business development, and finance in market-leading consulting organizations. She was previously a partner and led the North American global mobility business for the global consulting firm Mercer.

ChampionScott Partners, which specializes in senior-level appointments for technology and technology-enabled companies, has appointed Doug Kaplan as managing director and president. “We’re thrilled Doug is joining ChampionScott Partners,” said Geoff Champion, CEO. “Having had the pleasure of supporting his success as a candidate and client, we’re confident that he’ll add great value to our team. Doug joins a team of professionals who’ve led businesses as CEOs, served on boards and as senior executives led transformative growth initiatives globally. Our valued added IP and advisory expertise in support of our clients has never been stronger.” Mr. Kaplan has worked with ChampionScott Partners for 20 years as a client and candidate. He joins CSP as a top leader for SaaS / PaaS / IaaS solutions in the Industry 4.0 / IoT industries, compliance, professional training and certification and creative and digital staffing segments. 

Global search firm H.I. Executive Consulting (HIEC) has named Stacey Mainiero as its CEO, based in New York. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Stacey to HIEC during an exciting period for the firm,” said chairman Michael Bornhaeusser. We are a fast-growing organization focused on delivering transformational leaders for our digital focused clients and Stacey’s skills and experience will prove invaluable as HIEC enters the next phase of its growth acceleration journey with expansion into new markets and territories. I wish Stacey every success in her new role.”

Russell Reynolds Associates appointed Constantine Alexandrakis, currently head of the firm’s Americas region, as its new CEO succeeding Clarke Murphy, who will remain with the firm, transitioning back to full-time client work. “Constantine is a demonstrated leader who has an inspiring vision,” said Mr. Murphy. “With his global orientation, collaborative leadership, inclusive mindset, and passion for the business, I am confident that he will lead this organization forward with tremendous success. I am proud to be a part of the firm’s legacy and am looking forward to continuing to work with Constantine as he positions us for the future.” Mr. Alexandrakis served on the firm’s executive committee between 2015 and 2018 and in 2018 was appointed head of the Americas – including the U.S., Canada, and Latin America – overseeing the firm’s growth and expansion in the region.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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