PRESS RELEASES

ECA Partners Elevates Four Ph.D. Experts, Re-enforcing Data-Driven Approach In Executive Search

Santa Monica. September 4, 2024 – ECA Partners, a leading executive search firm known for its pioneering data-driven recruitment process, announced today the promotion of four key team members, further solidifying its reputation as a leader in executive search for private equity and their portfolio companies.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, ECA Partners is an innovative tech-enabled executive search firm with more than 400 clients, the majority being private equity and investor-owned companies. ECA works with clients to place executives in full-time or interim roles, spanning from portfolio company CEOs and CFOs to a robust freelance business staffing on-demand MBB consultants on short-term engagements. ECA has become a Top 50 search firm through a proprietary, evidence-based approach developed by Atta Tarki, ECA’s founder.

In light of its strong showing in the market and upward trajectory, ECA made the promotions from its ranks of PhD experts, a rising cadre of talent they have continued to invest in after repeated successes.

“These promotions reflect our continued growth in executive search across private equity and corporate strategy,” said Ken Kanara, CEO of ECA Partners. “Our newly promoted leaders embody the perfect blend of deep industry knowledge and functional expertise that our clients have come to expect.”

Newly Appointed Managing Directors

ECA has named Gustav Brown (Ph.D., UCLA) and Steven Haug (Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz) as their newest Managing Directors. Brown, who has been with the firm since 2018, shared his enthusiasm for the new role, “As I step into this new role at ECA, I look forward to further expanding our services in the private equity, healthcare and biotech sectors, mentoring our growing team of talented professionals, and continuing to refine our executive search methodologies. Our rigorous, evidence-based approach to executive recruiting is unique within the market—as ECA grows, we have the opportunity to introduce this approach to a wider variety of roles and partner organizations.”

Kanara added that Brown “has shown beyond a doubt that data-driven recruitment processes work for our clients. Nobody wants to waste time hiring a person who looks great superficially but doesn’t end up hitting it off with the team or doesn’t have the right executive skill set. Combining a rigorous evidence-based approach with our industry expertise has proven to be a success for our clients in private equity time and again.”

This rigorous approach to executive search has been a strong factor in Brown’s accomplishments at the firm. “ECA has provided me with a unique platform to build on my academic research,” he stated. “Working to solve our clients’ talent needs over the past six years has been incredibly fulfilling, both intellectually and personally.”

In Haug’s words, this evidence-based methodology has been key to his success finding top CFO talent. “During my tenure at ECA,” Haug remarked, “I’ve had the pleasure of supporting the growth of PE firms and their portfolio companies alike. As the CFO practice at ECA has grown, we’ve become smarter about search though industry-leading candidate tracking and evaluation processes.”

This success, he emphasized, was not just a matter of good data and methods, but also speaks to ECA’s white-glove approach. “ECA continues to gain market share because of our uncompromising commitment to serving our clients. From our personal and regular check-ins with top talent, to our ability to evaluate skills and culture fit, ECA is well-positioned to continue to be recognized as a go-to firm for critical hiring needs. I am encouraged by the way ECA balances tech enablement with human touch, a balance which allows us to deliver both quality and quantity to our clients.”

Newly Appointed Directors

Kanara also shared his perspective on ECA’s elevation of Olivia Hanninen (Ph.D., UC Irvine) and Tony Topoleski (Ph.D., Northwestern) to their team of Directors. “As we continue to build on our established position in executive search for private equity and portfolio companies, we need more capable, smart, and caring leaders who can work closely with our clients to identify their needs and develop an elegant, efficient search strategy. We were lucky to have all of this and more in Olivia and Tony.”

These promotions are another sign of ECA’s commitment to recognizing and cultivating outstanding talent, even within its own ranks. “I realized early on that what makes ECA different is its commitment to innovation and supporting the best idea,” Hanninen stated. “So, when I suggested we do a podcast about making the transition from consulting to private equity, I was immediately given the green light.”

Beyond Consulting, Hanninen’s podcast, is now on its 74th episode and features interviews with former consultants and C-suite executives on pivoting to a career in private equity. The most recent episode can be accessed here.

“In today’s competitive market, the right executive can make or break a PE investment,” said Kanara. “Olivia has consistently identified leaders who not only possess the right skills but also align perfectly with portfolio companies’ cultures and strategic objectives.” Hanninen is an expert in healthcare and strategic leadership searches, in addition to heading ECA’s CHRO practice.

Dr. Topoleski, who specializes in ECA’s Finance practice, said that he is “excited to leverage his deep network to place CFOs, VPs of Finance, Controllers, and Financial Transformation leaders into new organizations.” Although his expertise spans industries, he is particularly adept at running searches for private equity-backed manufacturing and services businesses nationwide.

“ECA is uniquely poised to bring value to the PE market in 2024 and beyond,” Topoleski noted, “I’m thrilled to have such an impactful role on our rapidly growing team.” Looking forward, Topoleski plans to further develop his already significant network of top-tier private equity operators and value creation professionals ready to take on their next challenge.

He also expressed his eagerness to continue solving private equity’s acute talent needs with ECA’s deep bench of bright minds and superior process. “The thing that makes this whole thing tick,” Kanara added, “is the non-stop energy and out-of-the-box thinking that top performers like Tony bring to the table. He’s always itching to shake things up and find better ways to do execute our searches. That’s how we keep upping our game.”

About ECA
ECA Partners is a Top-50 boutique executive search firm, focused on strategy, operations, and finance talent serving private equity and private equity portfolio companies, for interim, project and full-time talent needs. The firm has been in operation since 2010 and has more than 400 clients. For more information, please visit www.eca-partners.com.