Bridge Partners Recruits CFO for the San Francisco Symphony
November 12, 2019 – Chief financial officers continue to be in high demand. Finding them is keeping many of the nation’s top recruitment operations busier than ever. In recent months, search firms of all varieties have placed CFOs at various companies.
Recently, executive recruitment firm Bridge Partners placed Liz Pesch as the new chief financial officer of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS).
“Beyond her extensive strategic planning and financial experience, Liz also brings an enormous enthusiasm for and commitment to the non-profit community and the world of music,” said Mark C. Hanson, CEO of the San Francisco Symphony. “I am delighted to welcome Liz to the San Francisco Symphony team and look forward to working with her on strengthening the organization’s capacity and impact as a leader in the arts.”
Ms. Pesch most recently served as executive vice president and CFO of the Opportunity Fund. She brings over 20 years of experience in the finance and accounting field, working with private companies and in the non-profit sector. Her roles have included leadership positions as CFO at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and senior vice president at Union Bank, following 11 years with Charles Schwab.
As CFO of the San Francisco Symphony, Ms. Pesch will be a member of the executive management team. Working closely with the CEO and board of governors, she will assist in the setting of institutional policies, practice and direction. Her responsibilities as CFO include the strategic and tactical management of the areas of accounting, budgeting and forecasting, the balance sheet, audits, investments, cash management and payroll, supporting the instrument acquisition process, corporate compliance, pension plan management, risk management and information technology services. She will also oversee all financial reporting activities and internal financial controls relative to the San Francisco Symphony’s $85 million operating budget as well as the organization’s endowment fund.
The San Francisco Symphony is considered by many to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the U.S. The orchestra is a leading presence among American orchestras at home and around the world, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recordings and standard-setting education programs.
Veteran Recruiters
Bridge Partners is a certified minority supplier and a minority business enterprise. Based in New York, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Boston, the firm has completed higher education/academia senior leadership searches for roles such as head of human resources, head of finance, head of audit and deans. Its clients include Wikimedia Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Gallaudet University, Habitat for Humanity, YMCA, Denver Foundation, YWCA, GE, Starbucks, Estee Lauder, McKesson, Freddie Mac and Kaiser Permanente.
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Tory Clarke and Larry Griffin are co-founders of Bridge Partners. Ms. Clarke supports senior global search assignments for private sector, public sector and international non-profit/social venture clients, across all functions. A 20-year veteran of the executive search industry, she has recruited diverse executives, including CEO/presidents and their leadership teams, at both head office and regional locations around the globe.
Mr. Griffin partners with clients on leadership assignments within the private, federal/public and non-profit sectors. He has been in executive search for nearly 30 years and has recruited diverse leaders across multiple functions from CEO/executive directors/presidents, to functional heads including chief financial officer, chief marketing officer, chief information officer, chief strategy officer and their teams.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
