Boyden Names Global Head of Leadership Consulting

November 20, 2020 – Boyden recently appointed João Guedes Vaz as global head of leadership consulting. “Leadership consulting is a strategic priority at Boyden and I am delighted that João has accepted such an important role,” said Trina Gordon, president and CEO of Boyden. “His drive, commitment and talent will enable us to harness the exceptional understanding we have of our clients’ business and leadership needs across globally competitive markets.”

Mr. Vaz, previously partner and head of leadership consulting at Boyden Portugal, “takes on this global role with a vision to increase knowledge of Boyden for leadership services, driving business transformation for clients worldwide,” the search firm said. “We are global leadership specialists,” said Mr. Vaz. “Boyden’s leadership consultants work with clients at a deeper level to enable them to leverage new concepts of leadership in today’s multi-cultural, multi-generational business environment. My global role provides vision and structure for partners worldwide to blend their leadership expertise with client insight and professional rigor in strengthening performance at board, C-suite and senior levels.”

Boyden’s leadership consulting enables teams and individuals to achieve personal and organizational goals through proprietary approaches and intellectual property such as the Boyden Leadership Framework. The firm uses analytical methods to minimize risk in senior-level hiring and provide greater insight into leadership performance.

“We are conducting a significant amount of leadership consulting for on-boarding and leadership development,” Mr. Vaz said. “Onboarding lessens performance risk and aligns expectations between, say, a new CEO and the board. This is particularly important at a time when ‘disruptive leadership’ is seen as a critical element in future-proofing a business, and therefore likely to create dynamic tension in the leadership team.”

Mr. Vaz is a leadership and business transformation specialist. He builds on a track record of delivering strategic programs at global consulting firms Deloitte, where he was human capital consulting leader for Portugal and Angola, and KPMG, where he led Africa people and change advisory services. He also served a leadership services senior manager at a search firm. Mr. Vaz has been an executive director of one of the largest engineering and construction groups in Portugal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the Universidade do Minho in Portugal, is a certified executive coach by Escola Europeia de Coaching (an ICF accredited school) and completed the Leading Digital Business Transformation program at IMD Switzerland. Mr. Vaz is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Expansion Plans

Boyden, headquartered in Purchase, NY, is a leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 65 offices in over 40 countries. It continues to expand and add talent across several global regions.

Here are some related news items from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Boyden opened a new office in Edmonton, Alberta, led by new partner Lindsay Osmond. “Serving our many clients in Northern Alberta has always been a priority to us at Boyden,” said Robert Travis, managing partner, Boyden United States and Canada. “We are thrilled that Lindsay will lead the office, bringing her exceptional drive and business leadership to clients and colleagues throughout Canada and worldwide.”

Boyden is expanding into Greece and Cyprus, hiring Anny S. Chatzikonstantinou to lead the firm’s new location. “We know these are challenging times for people in Greece and Cyprus and Boyden does not shy away from countries experiencing adversity,” said Trina Gordon, president and CEO of Boyden. “Greece has attracted significant foreign investment in recent years. The full array of Boyden’s global capabilities is at Anny’s disposal to help her clients maintain momentum in a complex environment.”

Boyden appointed Dina Akimova as managing partner and leader of the firm’s fully integrated brand, Boyden Russia. A distinguished expert in C-level executive search, Ms. Akimova first worked with Boyden in 2016, and returns to lead the business with a team of seven, including a number of former Boyden colleagues. Fluent in Russian, English and Italian, she offers broad industry experience, with particular expertise in industry and financial services. Ms. Akimova began her search career in 2005 and also gained prior recruiting experience with Ward Howell.

Boyden added Liesl Forve, who will serve as a partner and attend to clients throughout California. Boyden has seen strong growth in the U.S., particularly on the West Coast. The firm has doubled the number of partners there in the last six months. Joining Boyden’s global industrial, social impact and human resources practices, Ms. Forve has a strong track record in enabling clients to acquire C-suite and senior-level executives. She covers finance, human resources, marketing, sales and operations leaders.

Boyden has added executive search and leadership advisory firm Stones International to the organization expanding the firm’s presence in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The new 17-member team includes 12 partners and principals with expertise that aligns with Boyden’s global practices in financial services, consumer and retail, industrial, technology, professional services and healthcare and life sciences, further ramping up the firm’s regional leadership position in these sectors. The new team will be led by managing partners Giuseppe Milito and Neil Morrison.

Boyden recently added Fanny Gimenez and Koen Vandenberghe as managing partners in Belgium and Luxembour as well as Paul Maertens as a partner to further build the firm’s market leadership in Europe. Ms. Gimenez, a member of Boyden’s industrial practice and private equity and venture capital practice, brings to the firm over 20 years’ management and consulting experience. Mr. Vandenberghe, a member of Boyden’s consumer and retail practice and professional services practice, is an advisor who has conducted numerous senior management engagements in finance, operations, sales and marketing, and technology. Mr. Maertens, a member of Boyden’s CEO and board services practice and technology practice, leverages his 30 years in corporate and public affairs, public policy and corporate governance to provide clients counsel on leadership, political, regulatory and audit committee requirements.