DHR Global Recruits Chief People Officer for Builders FirstSource

March 17, 2022 – Chris Knipp of Chicago-based executive search firm DHR Global has recruited Amy Bass Messersmith as chief people officer of Builders FirstSource in Dallas. She will be overseeing all aspects of human resources, including the implementation of strategies to develop and promote best practices in organizational and leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and talent acquisition, development, and management. “We are excited to bring Ms. Messersmith on as chief people officer, and I am confident that her strong and broad-based experience will help Builders FirstSource be an employer of choice and deliver best in class human resources capabilities for our more than 28,000 team members, enabling them to continue to focus on delivering for customers and making our company the best partner in the industry,” said Dave Flitman, president and CEO of Builders FirstSource.

Ms. Messersmith formerly held the role of chief human resources officer for U.S. Anesthesia Partners (USAP). Prior to joining USAP, she held the chief people officer roles at TDIndustries Inc. and Pizza Hut, Inc., as well as progressive leadership positions with PepsiCo Inc., Frito Lay North America, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Accenture Consulting.

Builders FirstSource is the largest U.S. supplier of building products, prefabricated components, and value-added services to the professional market segment for new residential construction and repair and remodeling. The company provides customers an integrated homebuilding solution, offering manufacturing, supply, delivery and installation of a full range of structural and related building products. With the acquisition of National Lumber, Builders FirstSource operates in 42 states with about 565 locations and have a market presence in 47 of the top 50 and 85 of the top 100 MSAs, providing geographic diversity and balanced end market exposure.

Global Search Firm

Since 1989, DHR Global has been a leading, privately held provider of executive search solutions with more than 50 wholly owned offices spanning the globe. The firm’s consultants specialize in all industries and functions, providing senior-level executive search, management assessment and succession planning services tailored to the qualities and specifications of its client base.

Mr. Knipp serves as managing director for DHR’s Dallas office. Over the course of more than 30 years as a human resources executive, he has completed hundreds of executive-level searches while building best-in-class HR functions, shaping high-performing cultures, and leading organizational transformations for renowned blue-chip businesses at the top of the Fortune list. These include ExxonMobil, Hostess Brands and Centex Homes, as well as private equity-funded, high-growth and turnaround organizations.

Chief People Officer Recruiting

Executive search firms have been stepping up their efforts to assist companies across the nation to find new chief people officers. Here is a look at few recent searches from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Daversa Partners, which helps build leadership teams for growth and venture-backed companies, has assisted in the recruitment of Meghan Lapides as the new chief people officer of SmartAsset, an online destination for financial information and advice and a national marketplace connecting consumers to financial advisors. Associate director Emma Sullivan and director Samantha Pernice led the assignment. Joining the company’s executive leadership team and reporting to co-founder and CEO Michael Carvin, Ms. Lapides will oversee and scale a fully integrated people discipline that will help drive aggressive growth and expansion. In this new role, she will be responsible for all aspects of SmartAsset’s human resources department and strategy, including talent acquisition and management, onboarding, leadership development, compensation and benefits, culture and engagement, diversity and inclusion, and employee relations.

Lindauer has helped to place Shari Stier as the new chief people officer for Fenway Health, a Boston-based healthcare, research and advocacy organization that serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She will assume the role on April 4. Faith Eutsay led the assignment for the search firm. Ms. Stier brings over 20 years of experience, including a track record of building successful staffing recruitment, management and retention strategies grounded in organizational values, transparent communication, and collaborative decision-making. Most recently, she served as senior associate vice president and chief human resources officer at Emerson College.

Global HR search firm Frederickson Partners was recently selected to find a new chief people officer for GRAIL, a healthcare company focused on saving lives and improving health by pioneering new technologies for early cancer detection. The company’s human resources executive will be based in Menlo Park, CA, and will report to the company’s CEO. The new HR leader will be responsible for developing, guiding and growing a forward-thinking function that impacts GRAIL through their next phase of rapid growth and expansion. Founded in 1995, Frederickson Partners has completed over 2,500 HR executive searches and HR consulting engagements, according to the firm, maintaining relationships with more than 10,000 rising and established HR executives worldwide.

San Diego, CA-headquartered executive search firm Bespoke Partners recently placed Kerry Unflat as chief people officer of Zipari, a modern consumer experience solution. Alex Bossetta led the assignment. “In this moment of continued growth and expansion, it’s more important than ever that we ensure our employees have what they need to succeed, inside and outside the office,” said Mark Nathan, CEO of Zipari. “With over 20 years of human resources and talent management experience – much of it with a fast-growing software company – Kerry is the perfect person for the job. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team.”