Executive Search Review

Past Articles From The Archives

European Executive Search Market: Dynamic & Increasingly Unpredictable

The way work is delivered continues to change; so does the negotiating relationship between organizations and candidates, particularly executives, according to a new report from Global Executive Search’s Portugal partner Pedro Branco. Organizations are being asked to find the best solutions to secure the best talent to achieve their objectives, the study said. Europe —

Spotlight: Executive Recruiting In Europe: Uncertainty and Resilience

Raffaele Jacovelli is managing director at digital-focused executive search firm Hightech Partners. The firm leverages forward-looking methods such as big data analysis and artificial intelligence into the executive search process to help companies embrace new ways of working. Hightech Partners has offices in Brussels and Geneva, Switzerland with local partners across the major regions of

Spotlight: How One Search Firm is Adjusting to the European Market

As managing director and CEO of the group Rialto Recruitment NV, Patrick Van Lijsebetten is responsible for three brands: Proman (interim), Rialto Recruitment (executive search), and Ombrelo (recruitment and selection). After a career of more than 20 years as an engineer in the B2B industry, he founded Atlantae Executive Search in 2001, a specialized headhunting

ZRG Partners Opens Office in Munich

ZRG Partners recently opened a new office in Munich and named Ralph von Pallandt as managing director to spearhead a new location. He also furthers the firm’s reach into Germany and Europe. “With his great success as a CHRO across multiple countries for General Motors and SVP for Allianz in Europe and the U.S., Ralph

Meeting the Challenge of Deglobalization

Beyond the health crisis it created, COVID-19 in many ways changed the world. In business and our work lives, the pandemic sparked and accelerated shifts that had already been stirring, driving them to the forefront, from the rise of technology and remote work to a greater emphasis on work-life balance. Concern about supply chains, meanwhile,

Amrop Opens New Office in Vienna

Global recruiting organization Amrop has added Gabriele Gradnitzer and Sandra Schrögenauer to represent the Amrop brand and business in Austria. The executive search and leadership veterans will operate the new company under the global Amrop brand, with offices located at Karlsplatz in Vienna’s 1st district. They are joined by a team of six consultants and

Heightened Demand for Cybersecurity Leaders Keeps Executive Recruiters Busy

Increasingly, organizations of all sizes are awakening to the perils posed by cyberattacks. For years, many groups tried to ignore the problem, dismissing cybersecurity as a concern only for the biggest, most high-profile entities, be they government or corporate. These days, more groups are coming to understand how ruinous such intrusions could be and cyberattacks

Spotlight: A Look Inside the Competitive Market for Cyber Experts

A pioneer in the development of the cybersecurity recruiting industry, Matt Comyns co-founded Artico Search with Mercedes Chatfield-Taylor to lead the team helping companies protect against cyberwarfare. He built the original cybersecurity search practices at two global firms – Russell Reynolds Associates and Caldwell – filling more than 300 executive level searches in a hyper-competitive

Spotlight: A Look Through the Eyes of an Executive Recruiter at the Cybersecurity Sector

As a partner at SPMB, Radley Meyers works with a variety of leading technology and tech-enabled-services companies, placing senior-level executives at venture capital-funded, private equity-backed, and publicly traded companies. A key area that he brings extensive knowledge and expertise to is SPMB’s security and data-related search work. Mr. Meyers leads both functional searches (CISO, CDO,

Expanding the Role of CISOs on Boards

Not since 2002 and the passing of the massively consequential Sarbanes-Oxley Act, when the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) required America’s boards of directors to appoint chief financial officers and form audit committees, has there been such a critical impending change to board skill-sets and reporting. The SEC has once again identified a serious gap

Slone Partners Launches Cybersecurity Practice

Life sciences-focused search firm Slone Partners has launched Slone Partners Cybersecurity, a national talent recruitment firm that delivers diverse commercial, operational, and technical cybersecurity specialists and leaders for companies in all business verticals and health systems. The firm is a successor to Wolf Hill Group, which was founded as a joint venture with Slone Partners

The Burgeoning Demand for Cybersecurity Talent

The impact of a cybersecurity breach – be it from cyber criminals, business competitors, terrorist organizations, or foreign nations – is unsettling to say the least. In terms of dollars alone, the average data breach cost $4.35 million in 2022, an increase of 2.6 percent over last year and 12.7 percent since 2020, according to

Will Hot M&A Recruiting Market Cool and Reset Valuations?

Acquisitions made big news in the recruiting industry this year, and for good reason. Outside investors finally caught on to the sector’s expansion potential and long growth runway ahead. Top search leaders also found ways to maximize profit (cutting back on office space helped every search firm achieve a better bottom line in 2022). That

Spotlight: What is Fueling the Surging M&A Sector?

Ghada Sousou, CEO of Sousou Partners. She conducts senior management recruiting assignments for clients globally and is responsible for managing and building Sousou Partners’ clients, who consist of general partners and limited partners, among the largest and most successful real estate, hospitality, and infrastructure investors globally. Ms. Sousou is also responsible for the firm’s board

Spotlight: Looking Ahead: Will M&A Activity Remain Hot?

Prais+Barnette works proactively with diverse executives, leaders, and influencers who are passionate about increasing workplace diversity to help the firm build broad referral networks across functions and industries. Top diverse prospects can be introduced to key company leaders for networking 30 to 60 days in advance of an opportunity posting. David Barnette is managing partner

NFP Acquires Juno Search Partners

It’s not only private equity firms and search firms acquiring rivals. Now billion dollar consulting firms and insurance brokerages want in on the action. Hunt Scanlon Ventures goes inside the latest deal. Philadelphia-based executive search firm Juno Search Partners LLC, has been acquired by NFP, a property and casualty broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager, and

HireQuest Acquires MRINetwork’s 252 Franchise Offices

HireQuest Inc., a NASDAQ-traded national franchisor of on-demand, temporary and commercial staffing services, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of MRINetwork, a global executive recruiting network headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, for approximately $13.5 million before working capital adjustments. The assets include MRI’s 232 franchise offices in the U.S. and internationally,

Executive Recruiters Upping Their Efforts to Help Organizations Achieve Diversity Goals

Anyone who works in executive search right now has seen, and will continue to see, a push for more lists of diverse candidates for open roles. “We are also seeing organizations start to mandate diversity numbers as a benchmark for DEI success, and seeing an influx of diverse candidates at the executive level as a

Spotlight: Presenting a Diverse Slate of Candidates

Blue Rock Search is a 100 percent minority/female-owned executive search firm. As a member of the SRA Network, the firm is also a Hunt Scanlon HR/Diversity Recruiting Power 65 recruiter. After a 25-year career in corporate human resources and HR executive search, Ruben Moreno and his two partners co-founded Blue Rock Search based on a

Spotlight: The Importance of Having a Diverse Workforce

Founded in 1998 by Tom and Paula Christopher (former HR executives with GE, Pepsi, Progressive Insurance, and Citigroup), The Christopher Group is a leading boutique HR executive search and staffing solutions firms. The firm is staffed by former HR professionals and trained search practitioners who use proprietary, scientific, and industry-leading systems, tools, and processes. The

The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion In the Workplace

Having a culture that supports DEI programs is integral to successful teams and better business performance, says a new report from Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive. We sat down with Val Lopez and Pamela Culpepper, who are key leaders in the firm’s DEI efforts, to discuss diversity and inclusion. Here is an excerpt. Diversity

Seeking Gender and Racial Equity

The past two years have seen significant progress in raising awareness and opening a national dialogue around racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a recent study, executive recruitment firm Jensen Partners sought to better understand where DEI stands within the search industry, tracking 207 black front office distribution professional hires from Jan. 1, 2019

Financial Services Booming; CFO Role Continues to Evolve

The global financial crisis has brought increasing scrutiny from regulators and investors across the world. Combined with digital disruption, new technologies, and a high profile conduct agenda, financial institutions face a number of challenges to continued growth, according to Odgers Berndtson. The firm notes that today’s boards and executives need to foster a culture of

Spotlight: Today’s Demand for Senior Finance Leaders

Craig Lapham has served as CEO of The Lapham Group since 1997. Under his leadership, the firm has conducted senior executive search engagements on a global basis for multiple Fortune 100 insurance clients and smaller emerging insurance/ financial services firms across both P&C and life insurance. The Lapham Group is a boutique executive search firm

Spotlight: The Evolving CFO Role and What Has Changed

With a focus on helping PE and VC backed healthcare organizations, Tim Russell, managing partner of The Tolan Group, oversees the business development and recruitment activities for private equity and venture capital clients. Using market demographic data, Mr. Russell consults clients on candidate dynamics, compensation arrangement, and hiring probability. Using data driven analysis, Mr. Russell

Women CFOs at Top Companies See Gains in First Half of 2022

Although the percentage of chief financial officers hired by Fortune 500 and other notable companies continue to skew male, over a third of new CFOs hired by Fortune 500 companies and companies of note in the first half of 2022 have been female (36 percent), suggesting a steady incline in female representation among CFOs in

The Changing Requirements of Financial Leaders

Over the past year, Christian Schmidt and his colleagues have had dozens of discussions with CFOs to understand how they have been navigating the pandemic era and are adapting as leaders to this challenging and often unpredictable environment. What became apparent during these conversations is that the pandemic created or accelerated some key trends that

Surging Non-Profit Sector Seeks Senior Leaders

During a time of tremendous societal transformation, not-for-profit organizations provide support and stability for individuals and their communities. These mission-driven institutions create equitable opportunities for all, leverage funds and resources for critical social programs and initiatives, and ensure at-risk and underserved individuals are not left behind, according to WittKieffer. The value of not-for-profits has only

Spotlight: Non-Profit Recruiting and How its Changed Over the Years

Sam Pettway, a 30-year search veteran, launched BoardWalk Consulting in 2002. Over his career in executive search, he has worked with hundreds of board members and leadership teams with entities ranging from start-ups to mature multinationals in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Mr. Pettway has served clients as varied as international relief agencies, national

Spotlight: What Types of Leaders Do Non-Profits Seek

Vetted Solutions specializes in helping purpose-driven organizations in all aspects of leadership – from defining their leadership needs and requirements, to developing entire teams of loyal, dedicated high-performers, and everything in between. Jim Zaniello is president and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based firm which focuses on serving the leadership needs of associations, non-profit organizations, hospitality

5 Tips for Launching a Second Career in Non-Profit

The pandemic has left many people recalibrating their career choices. Americans quit 4.5 million jobs in March – a record. Some are burned out; others want more purposeful work. Whatever their reasons may be, many employees are looking at transitioning into a second career, experts say. “There might be some initial hiccups but finding a

Replacing a Longtime, Non-Profit CEO

Many a search firm has encountered the following scene, probably more than once: A frantic board chair or search committee member calls because their esteemed founder and long-tenured leader (LTL) has decided to retire. The organization has no succession plan or otherwise strong internal candidates so they must engage a search firm. “It is never

The High Demand for Higher Education Leaders Continues

The higher education landscape is shifting across the world, and the next generation of university leaders require a unique set of skills to negotiate this change, according to executive recruiters. The traditional university model is being challenged by growing student migration, disruptive technologies, and an increasingly competitive market-driven economy, says Odgers Berndtson. “The higher education

Spotlight: Recruiting Leaders for Higher Education in a Time of Change

For over four decades, Academic Search has been a leader in designing and implementing search processes for leaders of colleges and universities across the country. The firm has completed hundreds of executive searches for higher education institutions and related organizations, for roles ranging from presidents to provosts to deans. L. Jay Lemons became president of

Odgers Berndtson Names Head of U.S. Collegiate Sports Practice

Odgers Berndtson has appointed Dan McHale as a partner and head of its U.S. collegiate sports practice. “We are thrilled to add Dan to our growing sport and entertainment practice,” said Drew Cloud, head of Odgers Berndtson’s U.S. sport and entertainment practice. “Dan is a great example of how we are building a team of

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Executive Search Review

European Executive Search Market: Dynamic & Increasingly Unpredictable

The way work is delivered continues to change; so does the negotiating relationship between organizations and candidates, particularly executives, according to a new report from Global Executive Search’s Portugal partner Pedro Branco. Organizations are being asked to find the best solutions to secure the best talent to achieve their objectives, the study said. Europe —

Spotlight: Executive Recruiting In Europe: Uncertainty and Resilience

Raffaele Jacovelli is managing director at digital-focused executive search firm Hightech Partners. The firm leverages forward-looking methods such as big data analysis and artificial intelligence into the executive search process to help companies embrace new ways of working. Hightech Partners has offices in Brussels and Geneva, Switzerland with local partners across the major regions of

Spotlight: How One Search Firm is Adjusting to the European Market

As managing director and CEO of the group Rialto Recruitment NV, Patrick Van Lijsebetten is responsible for three brands: Proman (interim), Rialto Recruitment (executive search), and Ombrelo (recruitment and selection). After a career of more than 20 years as an engineer in the B2B industry, he founded Atlantae Executive Search in 2001, a specialized headhunting

ZRG Partners Opens Office in Munich

ZRG Partners recently opened a new office in Munich and named Ralph von Pallandt as managing director to spearhead a new location. He also furthers the firm’s reach into Germany and Europe. “With his great success as a CHRO across multiple countries for General Motors and SVP for Allianz in Europe and the U.S., Ralph

Meeting the Challenge of Deglobalization

Beyond the health crisis it created, COVID-19 in many ways changed the world. In business and our work lives, the pandemic sparked and accelerated shifts that had already been stirring, driving them to the forefront, from the rise of technology and remote work to a greater emphasis on work-life balance. Concern about supply chains, meanwhile,

Amrop Opens New Office in Vienna

Global recruiting organization Amrop has added Gabriele Gradnitzer and Sandra Schrögenauer to represent the Amrop brand and business in Austria. The executive search and leadership veterans will operate the new company under the global Amrop brand, with offices located at Karlsplatz in Vienna’s 1st district. They are joined by a team of six consultants and

Heightened Demand for Cybersecurity Leaders Keeps Executive Recruiters Busy

Increasingly, organizations of all sizes are awakening to the perils posed by cyberattacks. For years, many groups tried to ignore the problem, dismissing cybersecurity as a concern only for the biggest, most high-profile entities, be they government or corporate. These days, more groups are coming to understand how ruinous such intrusions could be and cyberattacks

Spotlight: A Look Inside the Competitive Market for Cyber Experts

A pioneer in the development of the cybersecurity recruiting industry, Matt Comyns co-founded Artico Search with Mercedes Chatfield-Taylor to lead the team helping companies protect against cyberwarfare. He built the original cybersecurity search practices at two global firms – Russell Reynolds Associates and Caldwell – filling more than 300 executive level searches in a hyper-competitive

Spotlight: A Look Through the Eyes of an Executive Recruiter at the Cybersecurity Sector

As a partner at SPMB, Radley Meyers works with a variety of leading technology and tech-enabled-services companies, placing senior-level executives at venture capital-funded, private equity-backed, and publicly traded companies. A key area that he brings extensive knowledge and expertise to is SPMB’s security and data-related search work. Mr. Meyers leads both functional searches (CISO, CDO,

Expanding the Role of CISOs on Boards

Not since 2002 and the passing of the massively consequential Sarbanes-Oxley Act, when the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) required America’s boards of directors to appoint chief financial officers and form audit committees, has there been such a critical impending change to board skill-sets and reporting. The SEC has once again identified a serious gap

Slone Partners Launches Cybersecurity Practice

Life sciences-focused search firm Slone Partners has launched Slone Partners Cybersecurity, a national talent recruitment firm that delivers diverse commercial, operational, and technical cybersecurity specialists and leaders for companies in all business verticals and health systems. The firm is a successor to Wolf Hill Group, which was founded as a joint venture with Slone Partners

The Burgeoning Demand for Cybersecurity Talent

The impact of a cybersecurity breach – be it from cyber criminals, business competitors, terrorist organizations, or foreign nations – is unsettling to say the least. In terms of dollars alone, the average data breach cost $4.35 million in 2022, an increase of 2.6 percent over last year and 12.7 percent since 2020, according to

Will Hot M&A Recruiting Market Cool and Reset Valuations?

Acquisitions made big news in the recruiting industry this year, and for good reason. Outside investors finally caught on to the sector’s expansion potential and long growth runway ahead. Top search leaders also found ways to maximize profit (cutting back on office space helped every search firm achieve a better bottom line in 2022). That

Spotlight: What is Fueling the Surging M&A Sector?

Ghada Sousou, CEO of Sousou Partners. She conducts senior management recruiting assignments for clients globally and is responsible for managing and building Sousou Partners’ clients, who consist of general partners and limited partners, among the largest and most successful real estate, hospitality, and infrastructure investors globally. Ms. Sousou is also responsible for the firm’s board

Spotlight: Looking Ahead: Will M&A Activity Remain Hot?

Prais+Barnette works proactively with diverse executives, leaders, and influencers who are passionate about increasing workplace diversity to help the firm build broad referral networks across functions and industries. Top diverse prospects can be introduced to key company leaders for networking 30 to 60 days in advance of an opportunity posting. David Barnette is managing partner

NFP Acquires Juno Search Partners

It’s not only private equity firms and search firms acquiring rivals. Now billion dollar consulting firms and insurance brokerages want in on the action. Hunt Scanlon Ventures goes inside the latest deal. Philadelphia-based executive search firm Juno Search Partners LLC, has been acquired by NFP, a property and casualty broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager, and

HireQuest Acquires MRINetwork’s 252 Franchise Offices

HireQuest Inc., a NASDAQ-traded national franchisor of on-demand, temporary and commercial staffing services, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of MRINetwork, a global executive recruiting network headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, for approximately $13.5 million before working capital adjustments. The assets include MRI’s 232 franchise offices in the U.S. and internationally,

Executive Recruiters Upping Their Efforts to Help Organizations Achieve Diversity Goals

Anyone who works in executive search right now has seen, and will continue to see, a push for more lists of diverse candidates for open roles. “We are also seeing organizations start to mandate diversity numbers as a benchmark for DEI success, and seeing an influx of diverse candidates at the executive level as a

Spotlight: Presenting a Diverse Slate of Candidates

Blue Rock Search is a 100 percent minority/female-owned executive search firm. As a member of the SRA Network, the firm is also a Hunt Scanlon HR/Diversity Recruiting Power 65 recruiter. After a 25-year career in corporate human resources and HR executive search, Ruben Moreno and his two partners co-founded Blue Rock Search based on a

Spotlight: The Importance of Having a Diverse Workforce

Founded in 1998 by Tom and Paula Christopher (former HR executives with GE, Pepsi, Progressive Insurance, and Citigroup), The Christopher Group is a leading boutique HR executive search and staffing solutions firms. The firm is staffed by former HR professionals and trained search practitioners who use proprietary, scientific, and industry-leading systems, tools, and processes. The

The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion In the Workplace

Having a culture that supports DEI programs is integral to successful teams and better business performance, says a new report from Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive. We sat down with Val Lopez and Pamela Culpepper, who are key leaders in the firm’s DEI efforts, to discuss diversity and inclusion. Here is an excerpt. Diversity

Seeking Gender and Racial Equity

The past two years have seen significant progress in raising awareness and opening a national dialogue around racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a recent study, executive recruitment firm Jensen Partners sought to better understand where DEI stands within the search industry, tracking 207 black front office distribution professional hires from Jan. 1, 2019

Financial Services Booming; CFO Role Continues to Evolve

The global financial crisis has brought increasing scrutiny from regulators and investors across the world. Combined with digital disruption, new technologies, and a high profile conduct agenda, financial institutions face a number of challenges to continued growth, according to Odgers Berndtson. The firm notes that today’s boards and executives need to foster a culture of

Spotlight: Today’s Demand for Senior Finance Leaders

Craig Lapham has served as CEO of The Lapham Group since 1997. Under his leadership, the firm has conducted senior executive search engagements on a global basis for multiple Fortune 100 insurance clients and smaller emerging insurance/ financial services firms across both P&C and life insurance. The Lapham Group is a boutique executive search firm

Spotlight: The Evolving CFO Role and What Has Changed

With a focus on helping PE and VC backed healthcare organizations, Tim Russell, managing partner of The Tolan Group, oversees the business development and recruitment activities for private equity and venture capital clients. Using market demographic data, Mr. Russell consults clients on candidate dynamics, compensation arrangement, and hiring probability. Using data driven analysis, Mr. Russell

Women CFOs at Top Companies See Gains in First Half of 2022

Although the percentage of chief financial officers hired by Fortune 500 and other notable companies continue to skew male, over a third of new CFOs hired by Fortune 500 companies and companies of note in the first half of 2022 have been female (36 percent), suggesting a steady incline in female representation among CFOs in

The Changing Requirements of Financial Leaders

Over the past year, Christian Schmidt and his colleagues have had dozens of discussions with CFOs to understand how they have been navigating the pandemic era and are adapting as leaders to this challenging and often unpredictable environment. What became apparent during these conversations is that the pandemic created or accelerated some key trends that

Surging Non-Profit Sector Seeks Senior Leaders

During a time of tremendous societal transformation, not-for-profit organizations provide support and stability for individuals and their communities. These mission-driven institutions create equitable opportunities for all, leverage funds and resources for critical social programs and initiatives, and ensure at-risk and underserved individuals are not left behind, according to WittKieffer. The value of not-for-profits has only

Spotlight: Non-Profit Recruiting and How its Changed Over the Years

Sam Pettway, a 30-year search veteran, launched BoardWalk Consulting in 2002. Over his career in executive search, he has worked with hundreds of board members and leadership teams with entities ranging from start-ups to mature multinationals in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Mr. Pettway has served clients as varied as international relief agencies, national

Spotlight: What Types of Leaders Do Non-Profits Seek

Vetted Solutions specializes in helping purpose-driven organizations in all aspects of leadership – from defining their leadership needs and requirements, to developing entire teams of loyal, dedicated high-performers, and everything in between. Jim Zaniello is president and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based firm which focuses on serving the leadership needs of associations, non-profit organizations, hospitality

5 Tips for Launching a Second Career in Non-Profit

The pandemic has left many people recalibrating their career choices. Americans quit 4.5 million jobs in March – a record. Some are burned out; others want more purposeful work. Whatever their reasons may be, many employees are looking at transitioning into a second career, experts say. “There might be some initial hiccups but finding a

Replacing a Longtime, Non-Profit CEO

Many a search firm has encountered the following scene, probably more than once: A frantic board chair or search committee member calls because their esteemed founder and long-tenured leader (LTL) has decided to retire. The organization has no succession plan or otherwise strong internal candidates so they must engage a search firm. “It is never

The High Demand for Higher Education Leaders Continues

The higher education landscape is shifting across the world, and the next generation of university leaders require a unique set of skills to negotiate this change, according to executive recruiters. The traditional university model is being challenged by growing student migration, disruptive technologies, and an increasingly competitive market-driven economy, says Odgers Berndtson. “The higher education

Spotlight: Recruiting Leaders for Higher Education in a Time of Change

For over four decades, Academic Search has been a leader in designing and implementing search processes for leaders of colleges and universities across the country. The firm has completed hundreds of executive searches for higher education institutions and related organizations, for roles ranging from presidents to provosts to deans. L. Jay Lemons became president of

Odgers Berndtson Names Head of U.S. Collegiate Sports Practice

Odgers Berndtson has appointed Dan McHale as a partner and head of its U.S. collegiate sports practice. “We are thrilled to add Dan to our growing sport and entertainment practice,” said Drew Cloud, head of Odgers Berndtson’s U.S. sport and entertainment practice. “Dan is a great example of how we are building a team of