Curran Partners Adds Former CHRO As Partner
May 25, 2016 – Executive search firm Curran Partners has added Robert F. Obst as a new partner.
Mr. Obst brings more than 40 years of corporate experience in talent acquisition and organizational development. His “inside experience and perspective will be most helpful in recruiting, as well as providing HR consulting services,” said the firm in a statement.
Most recently, he was chief human resources and facilities officer (CHRO) for MacroGenics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Rockville, MD. He was a key member of the company’s senior management team as MacroGenics grew from early start-up through clinical development, became publicly-traded, and formed partnerships with several major pharma companies.
Prior to MacroGenics he was the chief human resources executive leading MedImmune’s (now AstraZeneca) growth from early-stage development through regulatory approval and commercial launch. He established the human resources function at both MedImmune and MacroGenics. Earlier in his career, he held HR positions with American Cyanamid (now Pfizer), SmithKline Beckman (now GlaxoSmithKline), and W.R. Grace.
In-House Recruiting: Best Practices Redefining Talent Acquisition
“This report provides an excellent in-depth analysis of the changing landscape of talent acquisition.” — Jennifer Buchholtz, Global CHRO
Get Info |
“After leaving the corporate environment, Michael Curran offered me a unique opportunity to develop a new career,” said Mr. Obst. “I think HR executives coming out of industry have much to offer a search firm. We have a good understanding of what organizations value, what they need, and how they do things. In addition, we can complement the search process by providing HR consulting services to support a client’s organizational development efforts.” Former HR executives have also developed many professional relationships over the years, he said, which can be invaluable for business development and sourcing candidates.
Established in 1989, Curran Partners serves the recruiting needs of companies in the consumer and industrial products, healthcare & life sciences, and business-to-business services sectors. Its clients include public and private U.S. organizations and, to a significant extent, foreign entities establishing or enhancing their U.S.-based operations.
Hunt Scanlon Media has seen a recent trend among top ranking HR executives reestablishing themselves as executive recruiters:
- Johnson Executive Search named Carol Crawford to lead the firm’s newly established HR division. Ms. Crawford spent 17 years as chief human resources officer (CHRO with McKenna Long & Aldridge, which grew during her tenure from a mid-sized regional firm to an Am Law 100 firm with an international presence;
- Executive search firm Salveson Stetson Group added Michael A. Biondolillo as senior vice president in its Radnor, PA office. Most recently, he served as SVP of HR for Henkel Corporation – Americas. During his career, he led other global human resource initiatives for QVC, Inc.; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company; MG Industries; and General Electric;
- Sheffield Haworth recently appointed John Budriss as executive director of corporate officers in the firm’s technology practice. He most recently ran all talent acquisition for Bloomberg and was CHRO leading talent and people-related activities for Bloomberg’s enterprise division. He formerly served as global head of talent acquisition at Thomson Reuters;
- Plymouth Search Partners – Signium added Mark S. Fogel as managing director in its New York City office. He formerly served as CHRO for Success Academy Charter Schools. He is the recipient of multiple human resources leadership and innovation awards nationally, including the Society for Human Resources (SHRM) human capital leader of the year award and HR Executive Magazine Honor roll designation;
- Summative Executive Search named George Hotter as an advisor. He previously served as worldwide talent acquisition leader at IBM, where he led the worldwide talent acquisition strategy and execution for the critical strategic growth areas of cloud, analytics, security and sales.
“Executive search can provide the ability to have impact across a variety of companies, industries and geographies,” said Kimberly Shanahan, president and chief executive officer of accelHRate, an executive search firm focused on the senior level HR function. “CHROs are able to take their corporate experiences to understand their clients’ business and individual challenges. Well networked CHROs are able to leverage their relationships from a client and candidate perspective,” she added.
But many who make this career move are surprised at how challenging the work can be. “There are elements of business development that many do not enjoy,” said Ms. Shanahan. Others, she said, have discussed the roller coaster ride that executive search can be, with its extreme highs and lows. “We tend to see more CHROs go into HR consulting rather than executive search as that area tends to be more aligned with their expertise.”
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media