Crenshaw Associates Adds Former PE Veteran as Executive Advisor
April 18, 2023 – New York City-headquartered executive leadership advisory firm Crenshaw Associates has expanded with the addition of Erica Meyers Rivera as managing partner and executive advisor. In her new position, she will help lead and guide the firm’s focus on strategic growth initiatives that expand its service offerings in private equity and global Fortune businesses. “Erica joins us with a wealth of knowledge and direct experience in advising executives in the public and private equity markets,” said Bill Glenn, executive chairman. “She will focus on strategic growth and operating initiatives that enhance our ability to respond to ever-evolving client needs.”
“As managing partner, Erica will support our drive to be continually innovative and agile in response to clients’ challenges and needs,” said Barb Bridendolph, CEO. “Erica’s track record of managing both small and large-scale organizational change by aligning senior executives, their teams and boards enhances Crenshaw’s service offerings. Her expertise and input will be instrumental as we continue to grow our business with both PE and public companies.”
With 20 years of experience advising C-suite leaders, boards, and teams, Ms. Meyers Rivera brings consulting, operations, strategy, and marketing experience to Crenshaw. Previously, she was a global director in the private equity practice of YSC/Accenture, where she capitalized on her experience advising portfolio companies on value creation. Her previous role was managing director of human capital for a private equity software investment firm, K1. Before that, Ms. Meyers Rivera held partner and senior principal roles in the leadership consulting firms RHR International and ghSMART.
Seasoned Experts
“I am thrilled to join Crenshaw’s cadre of seasoned experts who support executives in scaling their leadership skills to navigate complexity and disruption in business,” said Ms. Meyers Rivera. “With a well-established culture of delivering exceptional advisory services, Crenshaw is poised to continue supporting executives and their teams to accelerate business performance.”
Related: How Talent is Driving Private Equity Success
Established in 1982, Crenshaw Associates provides a host of services for corporations, including advisory services, executive coaching, culture mapping, outplacement/ executive transition, and portfolio/ alternative careers, among others. Services for executives include outplacement/ executive transition, integration/onboarding, and career planning. The firm represents a broad array of companies including public, private, private equity and not-for-profit/public institutions. Among its clients: Verizon, TIAA, Dow Jones, HBO, Necco, BainCapital, and BlackRock.
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Making the wrong C-suite hire is the biggest risk facing any portfolio company. Besides wasting compensation, a mis-hire in the C-suite can result in strategy mistakes, broken processes, and poor employee morale. But even worse for a private equity portfolio company, a bad C-suite hire consumes precious execution runway, the time that the company should be implementing the value creation plan. That means even one bad C-suite hire can increase the hold period or even derail the investment thesis entirely.
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Ms. Bridendolph leads the operations of the firm as well as the career transition and executive development practices. She is an experienced executive advisor and has worked with 200-plus directors, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, GCs, division presidents, and functional heads. Their industries have included technology, CPG, financial services, pharma, advertising, and consulting.
Bill Glenn is Crenshaw’s executive chairman. As a former public director, CEO, and president, he is active in guiding the firm’s long-term vision for growth and serving as a mentor to the firm’s most senior clients. He holds a board leadership role with Ceras Health and is a trustee of The Boys and Girls Club of America. He was recently an independent director for lululemon.
Related: Building the Best PE and VC Leadership Teams in 2023
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
