Cowen Partners Launches Operating Partners Cohort
January 2, 2024 – Vancouver, WA-based Cowen Partners Executive Search has launched its operating partners cohort. The group consists of six strategic executives who are available for consulting engagements and also provide support to new and existing executive search clients. Many of the executives in the cohort have leadership experience. “These strategic operating partners reinforce Cowen Partners’ commitment to providing clients with the support and expertise they need to thrive,” Cowen Partners said. “The firm’s consulting strategy is about more than just partnering with companies; it focuses on empowering them to achieve their full potential, no matter what stage of the lifecycle they’re in.”
Tracy Knox has more than 25 years of experience as a senior-level executive. She has led two companies through the process of going public, is skilled in complex business combinations, and recently retired as CFO of Rover Group, where she grew GBV from $200 million to $1 billion.
Felicia Shakiba, another member of the cohort, is the founder and fractional CPO of global leadership and HR consulting firm CPO Playbook. She has a decades-long track record of experience, having built and scaled HR departments across a wide range of industries. With experience leading HR teams across the globe, Ms. Shakiba specializes in total rewards, DEI, performance management, people analytics, and other areas.
Global creative director Justin Hayes has spent much of his career executing innovative campaigns for Marquis global brands. He has an understanding of how to balance creative influence with consumer demands and market trends to strengthen brand DNA.
Based in the United Kingdom but originally from Zimbabwe, strategic and inspirational leader Lydiah Mutimbanyoka has experience working in fragile, conflict-affected regions in development and humanitarian and emergency response. His career has included working for organizations such as World Vision, Save the Children, and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council.
Bek Chee is a board-certified licensed professional counselor with over 20 years of experience in human resources. She has held leadership roles at companies such Microsoft, Nike, and Atlassian. Her most recent role was at the $30 billion venture capital fund TCV, where she oversaw talent acquisition, employee experience, performance, and DEI.
Related: Cowen Partners Appoints Leader of New Sports and Entertainment Practice
Lastly, Myriam Khoury has worked as a humanitarian for almost 30 years. She joined forces with Scottish European Aid in 1996. Since then, Ms. Khoury has held significant program development and management roles, with her latest being VP of innovation.
Cowen Partners Launches Proprietary Personality Assessment
Cowen Partners Executive Search has launched a proprietary personality assessment measuring behavioral, motivational, and thinking style assessments (DISC, motivators, and critical thinking) in one applicable tool. The firm’s personality assessment report offers insight into: the individual’s behavioral and communication tendencies; what can drive action toward, away, or against others, based on values; how an individual’s processing ability affects the decisions they make and their ability to think critically.
“Motivators are the reasons we want to act,” Cowen Partners said. “They help people to better understand their value hierarchy or belief system. They filter and guide decisions specifically toward the results that reflect them, and they combine uniquely for each person to influence priorities and decision-making. Motivators reveal our viewpoint, our mindset, and our paradigm of thought.”
Cowen Partners serves both small and large, publicly traded, pre-IPO, private, and non-profit organizations. Its clients are typically $50 million to multi-billion-dollar revenue Fortune 1000 companies or have assets between $500 million to $15 billion. Placements span the entire C-suite and include VP and director-level leadership roles. Cowen Partners has placed hundreds of candidates in industries including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and private equity.
Experienced Consultants
Shawn Cole is president and co-founder of Cowen Partners. He is a serial entrepreneur and executive leader with over 15 years’ experience founding and running companies. His business career has been centered on value creation for both turnarounds and start-ups. Mr. Cole helps find executive talent, such as a CEO, CFO, COO, chief revenue officer, and chief marketing officer. Clients are both small and large, publicly traded, pre-IPO, private, and non-profit organizations, typically $50 million to multi-billion dollar revenue Fortune 1000 companies or have assets between $1 billion and $15 billion.
As a founding partner of Cowen Partners, Ash Wendt has drawn on his career experience in sales and executive recruiting. As a founding partner and practice leader for Cowen Partners sales and marketing division, Mr. Wendt has placed high-quality executives in positions such as chief revenue officer, chief marketing officer, vice president of sales, and vice president of marking, among others.
Related: Cowen Partners Establishes New Venture Fund
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media