Cheyenne Group Merges With SRi
January 31, 2017 – There’s been yet another combination among search firm boutiques. The Cheyenne Group and SRi have merged, creating a global recruiting business dedicated to the fast growing media and sports & entertainment sectors. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1999, The Cheyenne Group provides search and consulting services by assisting management teams and boards with the recruitment and selection of senior executives, corporate directors, and other professional personnel for clients in the media, entertainment, sports, publishing, technology and information services sectors.
“The Cheyenne Group joining forces with SRi will significantly benefit the clients of both organizations in the U.S. and around the world,” said Pat Mastandrea, Cheyenne Group CEO. “Companies today seek to partner with organizations that can globally deliver world class talent recruitment and consulting solutions seamlessly and consistently. We’re now incredibly well positioned to tap into the best talent globally, while maintaining our premier boutique ethos.”
“I’m thrilled to be able to welcome The Cheyenne Group into the SRi fold,” said Mike Squires, SRi chairman. “Both companies share a similar approach and have built a reputation for having the scope and reach of a larger firm, while maintaining the discretion, attention to detail and expertise of a specialized boutique.” With the addition of Cheyenne Group, SRi will be able to partner with the global media, sports and entertainment communities more effectively than building out the practice on its own.
“This merger is a significant landmark in the history of the firm and gives us a strong platform to grow the business in new markets and sectors,” said SRi CEO Jim Chaplin. “The convergence of media, sports and entertainment continues to move at a rapid pace with an increasing transfer of talent between industries globally. The combination of SRi and The Cheyenne Group allows us to build an even more formidable offering and we can’t wait to get started.”
Overseas Search Firms Look to U.S. for Expansion Opportunities
SRi is not the only overseas search firm specializing in the sports sector to look at expansion opportunities in the U.S. London-headquartered Nolan Partners expanded recently into North America, opening dual offices on both coasts. “The sports industry is global,” said the firm’s managing director for North America, “with two of the largest commercial markets being the U.K. and U.S.” The firm has received an increasing number of requests from clients to see a global candidate pool, and that more than anything seems to be driving growth for this search firm as well as its rivals looking to broaden their reach and capabilities to new geographic markets ….. Here’s some further reading from Hunt Scanlon Media.
Nolan Partners Expands Into North America
London-based search firm London-based search firm Nolan Partners expanded its operations to North America last year. Regional head Chad Biagini represents a range of sports clients, including UFC, WWE, Special Olympics, and U.S. professional sports teams.
Last year, SRi expanded its reach into Canada, then the U.S., broadening its capabilities to two important sports markets. It also acquired Munich-based sporting goods and fashion executive search firm, “heads for brands.”
The sports & entertainment field is one of the most expanding sectors for executive search businesses. Many C-suite focused recruiting firms are now active in it and some specialize only in the sports field itself, but all are dedicated to providing sports-related executive search and leadership advisory services.
They include in addition to SRi, Nolan Partners, CarrSports Consulting, Korn Ferry, Harvard Group International, Prodigy Sports, Marquee Search, DHR International, Hartmann Mason, College Sports Solutions, Egon Zehnder, Heidrick & Struggles, Ascension Sports Partners, Russell Reynolds Associates, Diversified Search, Odgers Berndtson, Eastman & Beaudine, Alden Associates, Turnkey Search, Parker Executive Search, Neinas Sports Services, and Collegiate Sports Associates.
Mergers Continue In Search Sector
There have been a number of mergers among executive search firms in recent months. Some provide national expansion opportunities, others more global reach, while still others allow for additional solutions offerings for clients requesting a full suite of talent management services. Here’s a look at just a few from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
- Thomas Thor Associates, B.V. and KeySource HCI, LLC merged their nuclear industry business interests in the Americas and formed a new company called KeySource Thomas Thor, which is focused on providing executive search services to the entire life-cycle of nuclear providers in North and South America. The combined firm also has access to the global network of Thomas Thor Associates with operations in Europe and the Middle East. Keith M. Wing, founder and principal of the KeySource companies, will serve as president and chief executive officer, reporting to Callum Thomas who will serve as chairman.
- Just recently, U.K.-based Intrinsic Executive Search merged with San Francisco area recruiters The Roseinstein Group. Silicon Valley based recruiter Darrell Rosenstein heads up the firm’s new San Francisco office and will lead North American operations. The expansion is part of Intrinsic’s strategy to work more closely with the global MarTech communities, as well as to get closer to its growing VC, customer and candidate base in the U.S.
- In October, search firms Wheless Partners and Chandler Group merged. The combined organization brings industry experience to the 25 different industry sectors that both recruiting outfits serve. With offices in New York, Atlanta, Birmingham, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and San Francisco, Wheless Partners has professionals in strategy, assessment, executive selection, leadership development, and executive coaching. Established in 2001, Chandler Group is a Minnesota-based search boutique that serves clients in 28 states. The firm has practice groups include healthcare, non-profit, technology, corporate and board of directors.
- Executive search firm Indigo Partners merged with national cyber security CyberSN. Veronica Mollica, chief executive officer and founder of Indigo Partners, joined the CyberSN executive team as vice president of business development, responsible for building teams to support national expansion. “I’m excited to work with an experienced individual who is cut from the same cloth of integrity and transparency, who has five-star sales and customer service skills, and who is a team player and believes there can be love in the workforce,” said CyberSN CEO and founder Deidre Diamond. “Veronica is that rare person and I am beyond thrilled that we are uniting.”
- Shilton Sharpe Quarry (SSQ), an international legal search consultancy, joined forces with Vienna-based executive search firm lawyers & more [L&M]. SSQ has worked in Austria and the wider central and eastern European region for some time but through this formal relationship the business is looking to increase its activity by working with lawyers & more to place internationally qualified lawyers in Austria. The relationship covers the private practice market, recruiting for law firms, as well as recruiting lawyers for leading corporates across commerce and industry and financial services on the in-house side.
- Healthcare and life sciences recruiter HM Long Global Partners Ltd joined forced with RSVP Group, a global boutique recruiting outfit that focuses exclusively on the life sciences and chemical sectors. The combined firms will give the newly-merged entity a broad global presence in New York, Zurich, London, Paris, Boston, Wiesbaden, Washington, D.C., Princeton, Austin, Shanghai and Singapore.
- Executive search firms AETHOS Consulting Group and Greger / Peterson Associates merged to serve the hospitality industry. Greger / Peterson will begin operating immediately under the AETHOS Consulting Group name. “Greger / Peterson has a sterling reputation in the hospitality industry, as well as in leisure, entertainment and media,” said AETHOS managing director and CEO Keith Kefgen. “Coupled with our global presence and wide range of advisory services, the merger will benefit our global clients with additional resources and increased senior level expertise.”
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
