Diversified Search Group Appoints Leader of Legal, Risk, Compliance & Government Affairs Practice
June 22, 2022 – Diversified Search Group (DSG), a leading search firm backed by private equity firm ShoreView Industries, has named Sonya Olds Som as a global managing partner and leader of the newly created legal, risk, compliance & government affairs practice. “With a proliferation of new and intensified risks, challenges and opportunities today, companies are seeking deeper levels of legal and compliance expertise and strategy from their executives and board members,” said Aileen K. Alexander, CEO of Diversified Search Group. “Sonya Som brings extensive industry experience and search expertise, a wide and diverse national network aligned with a strong brand and reputation, combined with a mission and values-driven approach that will bring unique value to our clients and candidates as well as to our firm.”
Ms. Som is a recognized leader in the legal industry and brings over a decade of experience in executive recruiting, in addition to over a decade as a practicing attorney. She joins Diversified Search Group from Heidrick & Struggles, where she was a partner, specializing in recruiting general counsels, deputy general counsels, chief diversity officers, board directors and other C-suite executives. Prior to that, she was a partner at legal search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, where she managed the sourcing of attorney search opportunities with global corporate legal departments and led activities firmwide designed to help advance the cause of diversity, equity & inclusion in the legal industry. Prior to her career in executive search over a decade ago, Ms. Som practiced in the areas of labor & employment and immigration law at the associate and partner levels at large law firms nationwide for over a decade.
In her new role, Ms. Som will lead search and consulting projects and advise clients with recruiting chief legal officers, general counsels, deputy general counsels, other C-suite and board members with strong business acumen across industries and locations who are attuned to a myriad of evolving legal, risk and compliance issues. She will work in partnership with the firm’s chief legal officer and managing director, Denielle Pemberton-Heard, and other leaders across the firm.
Diversified Search Group Acquires Alta Associates
Increasingly, organizations of all sizes are awakening to the perils posed by cyberattacks. In the latest deal facilitated by Hunt Scanlon Ventures, Diversified Search Group has acquired Alta Associates, a search firm specializing in cybersecurity, IT risk management, and data privacy and Executive Women’s Forum, a professional membership organization for women in cybersecurity, risk management, and privacy.
“Cybersecurity is the biggest threat facing companies today,” said Scott A. Scanlon, CEO of Hunt Scanlon Ventures. “But the biggest risk these organizations are now confronting is finding enough talent to put on their front lines of defense. This transaction will help them close that talent gap.”
“Diversified Search Group is an industry leader in being a purpose-driven, diversity-dedicated, full-service executive search firm that has always been focused on cultivating new leaders across sectors and geographies,” said Ms. Som. “I look forward to working with the team to bring this focus to clients with growing needs for executives and board directors with legal, risk, compliance, and/or government affairs expertise who understand the complex and changing dynamics in these areas.”
Related: Diversified Search Group Names Managing Directors
Diversified Search Group is a family of recruiting firms serving specialized sectors. The firm was founded almost five decades ago by Judith M. von Seldeneck for the express purpose of placing diverse candidates in client organizations. It is today the largest U.S. female-owned and founded firm in the executive recruitment industry. It is comprised of a combination of specialty practices with deep industry expertise under industry recognized brands, including Alta Associates, BioQuest, Koya Partners, Grant Cooper, and Storbeck Search.
Related: Diversified Search Group Names Vice Chair and Leader of Global Corporate Practice Group
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
