Coleman Lew Merges with Canny, Bowen
January 23, 2019 – Charlotte, NC-based executive recruitment firm Coleman Lew + Associates and New York-based Canny, Bowen have joined forces to become Coleman Lew Canny Bowen.
The recruiters said they are committed to remaining generalists in an age of specialization and will continue to work across a wide array of industry sectors, including industrial, consumer, education, technology, financial services, healthcare, non-profit, government and professional services. The combined firms will continue to maintain offices in their respective cities. Shana Plott, who became Coleman Lew’s first female chief executive officer in 2016, is CEO of the new firm. Greg Gabel, Canny, Bowen’s former president, is managing director.
“Our two firms are entirely compatible, yet we each have different strengths,” Ms. Plott said. “We have known Greg Gabel and his team for years and have, on occasion, even competed against them. Coleman Lew has clients across the globe and sources candidates internationally, so having a New York presence with an incredibly capable New York-based team made a lot of sense.”
“Both firms are committed to remaining generalists,” Ms. Plott said, “and will continue to work across a wide array of industry sectors including industrial, consumer, education, technology, financial services, healthcare, non-profit, government, and professional services.”
What had been Coleman Lew + Associates recruits CEOs, board members and senior leaders for national and international companies, institutions of higher education, independent schools, and a wide variety of non-profit organizations. Founded in 1979, the firm’s list of completed assignments is lengthy and includes: vice president for finance and business at the Citadel, vice president of human resources for Wingate University, director of sales for Costco U.S. and director of criminal justice services for Mecklenburg County (NC), among others.
Partners for what was Canny, Bowen average over 25 years of executive search experience. Over 80 percent of the firm’s searches come from repeat business from clients which include such well respected companies as: General Electric, Pfizer, Balfour Beatty, Colfax, Danaher, the Hartford, IBM, International Paper, Polaris Industries and Royal Dutch Shell. Canny, Bowen was established in 1954.
Partnerships and Mergers
Executive search firms have seen a rise in partnerships and mergers in recent months. Here’s a look at a few from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
College Sports Solutions (CSS) and Buffkin / Baker have formed a new partnership. Under the strategic alliance, the two firms will combine their executive search services to better serve universities and colleges, intercollegiate conferences and collegiate athletic organizations.
The Hennessy Group partnered with Shanghai-based executive search firm Norland Associates to extend life sciences executive search services to East Asia markets. “Our clients in the life sciences industry have seen incredible growth over the past few years,” said Bob Hennessy, founder and CEO.
San Francisco-headquartered Riviera Partners has merged with Alpha Advisors, a boutique search firm specializing in senior information technology and quantitative talent for financial services and technology clients. Its founder and executive search veteran Jeff Campbell has joined Riviera to drive continued expansion. He will lead Riviera Partners’ new Atlanta location.
FaithSearch Partners, an executive search firm for faith-based organizations, has merged with Halftime Talent Solutions, a recruitment firm that serves mission-motivated non-profit and for-profit clients. The union creates a wider resource base through their combined networks. Based in Dallas, the new search firm will operate under the FaithSearch Partners brand.
Executive recruitment firm RM Nephew and Associates has formed a partnership with Cronin Partners International Search, an executive search firm headquartered in Dublin. “Having a trusted partner based in Ireland will enable us to significantly improve our offerings to clients with needs in the European and international markets.”
Consultants from three executive search firms have joined forces to launch a new search platform, HealthSearch Partners, specializing in identifying and placing transformational, mission-minded CEOs and senior leaders in healthcare systems. HealthSearch Partners combines the leadership of CES Executive Search, FaithSearch Partners and Southerland Partners.
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
