ECA Partners Names Leader of Value Creation Practice
March 27, 2025 – Santa Monica, CA-based search firm ECA Partners has named Dan Baker to director, value creation practice. “Dan’s promotion reflects his outstanding contributions to our clients and his intimate familiarity with the top value creation talent in the private equity ecosystem,” said Ken Kanara, CEO of ECA Partners. “His diverse background in law, economics, and public policy brings a multidimensional perspective to solving complex business challenges.”
Mr. Baker’s promotion is a sign that ECA’s expanding team of PhD talent continues to drive success at the firm. “We are very excited to promote Dan to director,” Jason Blonstein, managing director. “Dan has been a go-to engagement manager at ECA, and this is a well-deserved promotion. It also highlights the continued success of our PhD program at ECA Partners as well as the intellectual horsepower that they bring to executive search.”
Mr. Baker has been with ECA Partners since July 2022 where he has led numerous executive searches for private equity clients. In his new role, he will lead ECA’s value creation practice. Before his promotion, Mr. Baker was an engagement manager at the firm, during which time he honed his expertise in matching senior talent with his clients’ needs.
Prior to joining ECA Partners, Mr. Baker built a career in academia, serving as a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice and a course facilitator at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. He also held several teaching positions at UC Berkeley. Mr. Baker’s professional experience extends to the legal sector, where he worked as an attorney at Wiggins & Masters and served as a judicial clerk for Judge J. Robin Hunt at the Washington Court of Appeals. He has a PhD in public policy from the University of California.
“I’m honored to take this next step and help build the CEO and Value Creation Practice at ECA,” said Mr. Baker. “We’ve built a foundation through steady investment in our search process and execution for clients, and I’m excited to help ECA lead the market in talent for private equity value creation.”
ECA is a specialized project staffing and executive search firm focused on private equity and PE portfolio companies. They use a proprietary, evidence-based approach to recruiting that leverages data and technology. The firm uses a talent management system, CASCADE. Founded in 2010, ECA operates across five global offices and in 2024 was named one of Hunt Scanlon’s Top 50 Recruiters.
Related: ECA Partners Expands Search Staff
Atta Tarki is the founder and chairman of ECA. He leads ECA’s private equity and venture capital practice, where he supports PE-owned, VC-owned and other high growth companies with filling C-level positions. His primary focus is on CEO, COO, president, CFO, and chief strategy officer roles. Prior to ECA, Mr. Tarki led management consulting engagements at L.E.K. Consulting.
Past Addition
ECA Partners recently expanded with the addition of Robert Meara as senior director of industrials, distribution and services. “Bringing on Robby this year will continue to strengthen ECA’s presence within the Industrials and B2B services sectors,” said Burton Francis, managing director at ECA Partners. “We’re excited to see Robby drive new relationships and expand existing partnerships within these sectors and broadly across the private equity landscape. He brings a strong track record of success with over a decade of experience in consultative human capital services, and we’re excited to have him on board.”
ECA Partners Adds Private Equity and Financial Services Expertise
ECA Partners has expanded with the addition of Evan Markgraf as senior director. The search firm notes that this strategic addition further strengthens ECA’s capabilities in serving private equity firms and their portfolio companies. “Evan’s extensive CFO network and recruiting expertise has strengthened ECA’s ability to meet the growing needs of our clients across both PE-backed companies and publicly traded organizations,” said Steven Haug, managing director at ECA. “I continue to be excited about the growth of ECA’s world-class team.”
“ECA continues to grow even in a slow market,” said Mr. Blonstein. “Robby will accelerate that growth, and we are excited to have him join the team. His robust search experience combined with his supply chain expertise makes him a valued addition to ECA.”
Mr. Meara comes to ECA Partners with an background in executive search and consulting, bringing over a decade of experience in the industry. He most recently served as a principal at Korn Ferry, focusing on B2B distribution, supply chain and senior commercial, and marketing opportunities.
“This unique blend of intelligence analysis background and extensive experience at top-tier search firms positions Robby to make significant contributions to ECA’s data-driven approach to executive search,” ECA Partners said. “His diverse skill set, industry knowledge, and powerful analytical toolkit aligns perfectly with ECA’s vision for the future.”
Related: ECA Partners Grows Search Staff with PE Veteran
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
