DHR International Appoints Leaders for Global Consumer Practice
May 5, 2021 – Chicago-based executive search firm DHR International has named Marcey Rubin Stamas and Kristi LeBlanc as managing partners of its global consumer practice group.
“Marcey and Kristi are highly collaborative leaders committed to the success of our global consumer practice clients,” said Geoff Hoffmann, CEO of DHR. “Their proven track record of successful placements across consumer product, consumer service and hospitality companies globally make them a perfect fit to lead this growing practice.”
Long-tenured DHR leaders with an impressive track record working with world-class brands, Ms. Stamas and Ms. LeBlanc have a combined 50-plus years of experience placing C-suite and board-level leaders for consumer companies. They have backgrounds serving consumer companies across North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. “Consumer companies today are faced with challenges from the changing international landscape as well as domestic market shifts due to digitization, innovation, consolidation and new companies entering the space,” DHR said. “Under Stamas and LeBlanc’s leadership, DHR’s global consumer practice will place forward-looking senior leaders to help clients combat these challenges and find opportunities to achieve their growth potential.”
Ms. Rubin Stamas joined DHR in 1998 and has been instrumental in the development and expansion of the retail/consumer practice. She additionally is a member of the firm’s board of directors and was named managing partner of DHR’s Chicago office in 2014. Her practice focuses on retail/consumer and with more than 25 years in the executive search industry, she has completed more than 750 executive searches for leading retail, fashion, beauty and personal care, CPG, hospitality and health and wellness companies. Ms. Rubin Stamas also spearheads DHR’s expertise in the beauty, personal care and health and wellness sectors. Her clients have included 24 Hour Fitness, Backcountry, BruMate, Danone, David Yurman, Davidson Hospitality Group, Disney, Fast Retailing, Jane Iredale, Kate Somerville, Luxury Brand Partners, Mars Inc., Michaels Stores, NYX Cosmetics, PANDORA Jewelry, PCA Skin, Pixi Beauty, Planet Fitness, Raley’s, Ross Stores, Sea World, ULTA Beauty, Unilever Prestige and WellHaven Pet Heal.
Ms. LeBlanc joined DHR in 2008 and served as DHR’s North American consumer practice leader for 12 years. For 25 years, has been retained at the CEO, board and officer level across all functional areas for consumer, retail and hospitality brands within public, private and private equity companies. One of DHR’s “Top Performing” consultants, Ms. LeBlanc has also been recognized by the Business Journal as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women Industry Leaders and has received numerous awards for excellence in executive search throughout her career.
Related: DHR International Launches Commercial Growth Practice
Consultants in DHR’s global consumer practice group have experience providing executive search to a variety of consumer organizations. The team has marketplace knowledge and insight relative to identifying, accessing, developing, assimilating and retaining top consumer talent for emerging and midsize companies to Fortune 500, multi-national consumer goods and services organizations.
Since 1989, DHR International has been a leading, privately held provider of executive search solutions with more than 50 wholly-owned offices spanning the globe. DHR’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.
New Initiative
DHR recently named James Abruzzo, the long-time global head of the search firm’s non-profit recruiting practice, to lead an initiative to support non-profit organizations with their succession planning needs. The need for succession planning in non-profit organizations is underscored by Mr. Abruzzo’s research of the activities of non-profit board members and CEOs. In 2020, he and DHR conducted a survey which confirmed that while four out of five non-profit board members and CEOs agree that a succession plan is “important” or “very important,” less than one in five organizations surveyed had a succession plan in place.
Research also suggested that non-profit CEOs enjoy significantly longer tenures than CEOs in the corporate sector, that leadership within the non-profit sector is aging, and the pipeline for new leaders may not meet the demand. Furthermore, some within the sector may be particularly vulnerable during the pandemic. “These factors point to the need for both emergency and long-term planning in the non-profit sector,” said the search firm. “We have identified the issue of succession planning as an important, immediate and long-term need for non-profit organizations and are developing services specifically designed for the unique needs of the arts and cultural, social service, foundation, and educational sectors,” said Mr. Abruzzo.
Related: DHR International Launches Commercial Growth Practice
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
