Cognitive Talent Partners Adds Former CHRO

April 26, 2019 – The executive search field continues to be a welcoming landing pad for HR executives looking for a career change. Recently, Gurgaon, Haryana-headquartered executive search firm Cognitive Talent Partners expanded with the addition of former CHRO Ajay Bakshi as senior client partner. Mr. Bakshi joins a growing list of HR executives who have turned to the executive search sector for new career paths.

Mr. Bakshi is a CEO /CXO-level executive coach, board-level human resources professional and strategic business advisor. He has received several awards for his contributions in HR from Business World, Economic Times, Hindustan Times and Ministry of Technical Education, Government of Rajasthan. With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Bakshi has held senior-level HR and board-level positions as a chief human resources officer with Vodafone Global Services, Prudential Global Services and Sterlite Technologies & Power.

“Ajay has held global positions as head of talent for Prudential U.K. where he was involved in succession planning, design and deployment of assessment centers, career planning for emerging leaders and high potentials,” said Anuj Dhawan, founder and managing partner of Cognitive Talent Partners. “His wealth of global experience in human resources for powerful global corporations across markets like the U.K. and Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, India and Malaysia) will add immense strategic value to our global customers in executive search and human resources advisory.”

“Ajay will specifically focus on further strengthening our global insurance, global infrastructure, global captive and third party service centers and global Indian corporations segments,” said Mr. Dhawan.

Mr. Dhawan, former director and partner at Positive Moves Consulting, an angel investor in a Seattle-based healthcare IoT business, launched Cognitive Talent Partners in 2017. The firm provides executive search services to private equity funds, banks, consumer lending clients and global technology corporations. Mr. Dhawan said he started the business to deliver qualified candidates to some of the world’s largest global private equity funds for portfolio companies, Asian business groups and global Indian business corporations across sectors. The firm recently set up its first European office to cover customer relationships in the region.

HR Leaders Transition to Recruiters

For CHROs, chief talent officers and other C-suite HR executives, the cross-over skills required in the search business are nearly identical, and Hunt Scanlon Media has recently tracked a number of successful transitions. We have taken note of the trend among top-ranking HR executives reestablishing themselves as executive recruiters. Here’s a look at some of the more prominent ones:

The Human Capital Group, based in Nashville, TN, expanded with the addition of former HR executive David Alexander as managing director. Based in the firm’s Dallas office, he is charged with supporting the firm’s ongoing growth of its executive search and leadership advisory services. Previously, Mr. Alexander was chief people officer of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. 

Brazilian search firm EXEC added former HR executive Cintia Bortotto as partner. She works in the business division focused on leadership advisory. Ms. Bortotto has more than 24 years of professional experience, including 20 years in the human resources area, with more than 18 years in leadership positions in multinational companies, with a global and Latin America focus. 

M&A Executive Search & Consulting named Rick Copeland as a senior vice president. He comes to the executive recruitment industry after more than 25 years in HR. “What makes this an exciting hire for the firm is that Rick has spent the past 25 years as a human resources executive,” said Dave Magnani, M&A Executive Search’s president, consulting services.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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