Caldwell Appoints COO; Announces New Regional Managing Partner Structure
July 17, 2026 – Toronto-based Caldwell has named John Blank as chief operating officer. The firm has also established a new regional managing partner structure designed to support the firm’s continued growth, strengthen operational effectiveness, and enhance coordination across its global platform. In his new role, Mr. Blank will oversee Caldwell’s business and people operations, including regional leadership, talent and people operations, operating effectiveness, and the firm’s professional leverage model. Working closely with president and CEO Chris Beck, the regional managing partners, and the firm’s practice leaders, he will focus on strengthening execution, communication, accountability, and collaboration across the organization.
As part of this leadership structure, Peter Reed has been named regional managing partner, United States; Drew Railton has been named regional managing partner, Canada; Alex Alcott has been named regional managing partner, Europe; and Rob Wilder has been named regional managing partner, Middle East & North Africa (MENA).
“John is a highly respected leader who has already played an important role in strengthening collaboration, partner recruitment, onboarding, and leadership engagement across the firm,” said Mr. Beck. “As Caldwell continues to grow globally, this appointment reflects our commitment to building a more connected, accountable, and scalable organization. John combines strong operational leadership with a deep understanding of our business, culture, and clients, and I look forward to working closely with him and our regional leadership team as we continue to strengthen the way we operate across regions, practices, and offices.”
“This structure allows our practice leaders to remain focused on serving clients, growing their markets, developing strategic relationships, and driving revenue growth, while John and our regional leadership team focus on strengthening how we operate and execute as a firm,” Mr. Beck continued. “The regional managing partner structure establishes clear leadership accountability across Caldwell’s global operations.”
Reporting to Mr. Blank and working closely with the firm’s practice leaders, the regional managing partners will help drive execution of strategic priorities, support partner performance and development, strengthen office culture, and ensure greater alignment across office and geographies.
Mr. Blank joined Caldwell in 2014 and currently leads the firm’s life sciences & healthcare practice. With more than 20 years of executive search experience, he specializes in recruiting board directors, CEOs, and senior executives for private equity-backed healthcare, healthcare technology, managed care, and provider services organizations. Over the course of his career, Mr. Blank has advised private equity firms, boards, and executive leadership teams on leadership recruitment and succession across all stages of the investment lifecycle, including executive team buildouts, board recruitment, management assessment, and succession planning.
“This is an exciting moment for Caldwell,” said Mr. Blank. “We have built a strong platform, exceptional client relationships, and a highly collaborative culture. My focus will be on helping the firm operate with greater alignment, consistency, and efficiency as we continue to grow globally. I look forward to partnering with our regional managing partners, practice leaders, and colleagues across the firm to strengthen execution and support continued success for our clients and our people.”
Addition in Madrid
Caldwell has also named Gabino Stuyck as a partner in the firm’s consumer practice. Based in Madrid, Mr. Stuyck’s appointment expands Caldwell’s presence in Europe and strengthens the firm’s capabilities across consumer, private equity, technology, sports, and digital transformation leadership assignments globally. “We are very pleased to welcome Gabino to Caldwell and our European team,” said Mr. Beck. “His international client relationships and experience across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and North America strongly complement the markets where Caldwell already serves clients and has established partner presence. His deep private equity relationships and track record advising organizations through transformational growth further strengthen our ability to help clients build exceptional leadership teams across industries and geographies.”
Related: Caldwell Appoints Co-Leader of Technology Practice
“Gabino brings an exceptional international perspective and a highly relationship-driven approach to executive search that aligns strongly with how we serve our clients,” said Kelly Blair, managing partner of Caldwell’s consumer practice. “His deep expertise advising broad consumer-facing and private equity organizations on critical C-suite and board appointments, combined with his experience across multiple global markets, will be tremendously valuable to clients navigating growth, transformation, and increasingly complex leadership decisions. Just as importantly, Gabino’s entrepreneurial mindset and collaborative style make him an outstanding addition to our culture and our global consumer practice.”
Mr. Stuyck advises private equity firms, portfolio companies, and global organizations on senior executive and board appointments across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and North America. With more than 17 years of executive search experience and more than 200 completed mandates worldwide, he is recognized for building high-impact leadership teams in investor-backed, high-growth, and transformational environments.
Caldwell Expands in London and Madrid
Caldwell has expanded with the addition of Alex Langridge as a partner in the firm’s financial services practice. Based in London, Mr. Langridge advises clients across financial services and fintech on senior executive and board appointments, succession planning, organizational design, and transformational leadership hiring. “Alex’s appointment reflects our continued investment in expanding Caldwell’s financial services and fintech capabilities globally,” said Chris Beck, CEO. “The convergence of financial services, technology, and digital transformation is reshaping leadership needs across the industry, and Alex brings the experience, market connectivity, and perspective that spans the board to the start-up to help clients navigate that evolution. His addition further strengthens our position in London and across key international markets, and we’re delighted to welcome him to the team.”
His work spans a broad range of sectors including consumer, retail, technology, digital, financial services, healthcare, sports, and industrials. Mr. Stuyck has extensive experience leading searches for CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, COOs, chief digital officers, and board directors for multinational corporations, family-owned enterprises, sovereign-backed organizations, and private equity portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Caldwell, Mr. Stuyck was an equity partner at N2Growth, where he specialized in private equity and portfolio leadership assignments across multiple industries. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at leading international executive search firms and began his professional career with Citigroup in Dubai.
Caldwell Partners is a retained executive search and leadership advisory firm headquartered in Toronto that recruits board, CEO, and other senior executive leaders for clients across multiple industries in North America and Europe. The firm is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Related: Caldwell Expands Financial Services and Real Estate Practices
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
