Egon Zehnder Appoints Boston Office Leader
January 12, 2016 – Egon Zehnder has named Lisa Blais as leader of the firm’s Boston office. She is assuming the role from Jamie Satterthwaite, who has led the office for the past five years and oversaw significant growth for Zehnder in the New England market.
Ms. Blais has served as head of the firm’s North American industrial practice, where she advised boards and CEOs on CEO succession planning, board composition and director recruitment, and leadership development and recruitment. Before joining Egon Zehnder, she spent over 20 years in leadership roles at global industrial manufacturing companies, including ITT, where she served as president of two of the company’s divisions.
“The North American industrial sector has seen a remarkable transformation over the last several years, and Lisa has been instrumental in helping our industrial clients build the senior leadership teams and boards they need to seize the opportunities presented by dramatic changes in the economy,” said Mr. Satterthwaite. “The Northeast has long been a center of innovation, and Lisa is uniquely positioned to help us continue to meet the needs of our clients in this dynamic region.”
In addition to leading the Boston office, Ms. Blais will continue to work with clients to manage their most important board, CEO and senior leadership issues.
Mr. Satterthwaite will focus on advising CEOs and boards across the technology, health and other sectors on the leadership challenges presented by the emergence of disruptive technologies, the accelerating pace of innovation, and continually evolving business models.
“Leaders in Boston face the same opportunities and challenges that we see on a global scale: adapting to technological change, the need for continuous transformation, heightened risk and cybersecurity concerns, and developing and retaining the next generation of Millennial talent,” said Greig Schneider, U.S. managing partner.
“Jamie’s experience, not just from leading the Boston office but also from working with the leadership of companies in Silicon Valley and other technology innovation hubs, will be a valuable asset for Boston’s CEOs, boards and leadership teams as they seek to develop the critical recruitment, assessment and succession strategies to navigate these challenges.”
Boston has generally been an attractive hub for search firms. The city and its suburbs are replete with businesses focused on technology, venture capital, manufacturing, clean technology, consumer, business services, higher education, non-profit, and high growth — all looking for cutting edge talent who can keep them competitive in their respected fields. But it is Boston’s burgeoning financial services sector that is seen as the city’s driving economic force.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
