Allen Austin

About Us

Leadership. Impact.

Allen Austin is a Houston-headquartered retained executive search and leadership advisory firm, founded in 1996, with partners managing client engagements from offices across North America and Europe. In 30 years of continuous operation, the firm has completed more than 4,000 retained engagements without abandoning a single assignment — a record that reflects a fundamental commitment to seeing every engagement through to a successful outcome.

The firm’s approach to executive search is governed by Foresight™, a proprietary evidence-based process developed and refined over three decades. Unlike conventional search, Foresight™ begins with a rigorous Organizational and Position Needs Analysis — defining culture, performance expectations, and measurable success criteria before a single candidate is sourced. The result is a 92% placement retention rate at the two-year mark, compared to a 55% industry average, and a 97% offer-to-acceptance ratio, compared to a 70% industry norm. Every placement above $250,000 in total compensation is backed by a full two-year guarantee.

Allen Austin’s capabilities extend beyond search to include leadership assessment through its proprietary VantagePoint™ platform, executive coaching, organizational culture and performance advisory, founder and board advisory, and interim and fractional leadership placement. These capabilities are designed as an integrated system that supports the full leadership lifecycle — from organizational health diagnostics to executive placement, onboarding, and long-term leadership development.

Every engagement is led by a senior partner from start to finish. There are no junior handoffs. Clients engage the firm for a single search and frequently return for broader leadership challenges that arise in the course of that search.

Rob Andrews, Chairman and CEO, founded Allen Austin after a career as an operating president with P&L responsibility for enterprises of up to $2.4 billion in revenue and 10,600 employees. He is the author of High-Performance Human Capital Leadership and has been published in several professional publications, including the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Directorship Magazine on board governance and leadership risk. He is currently completing doctoral work in organizational leadership at the University of Texas.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Allen Austin

Solutions And Expertise

Solutions
  • Advisory Services
  • Assessment
  • Board Services
  • Career Services
  • Culture Shaping
  • Data Analy./Mrkt. Intell.
  • Executive Coaching
  • Executive Search
  • Executive Tracker
  • Interim
  • Leadership Develop.
  • Mgmt. Consulting
  • Onboarding
  • Org. Chart Mapping
  • Recruitment Research
  • Succession Planning
Industries
  • Advertising/Marketing
  • Aerospace/Defense
  • Agriculture
  • All Industries
  • Alt. Investments
  • Asset Management
  • Associations
  • Automotive
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemicals
  • Clean Tech./Sustain.
  • Clinical Research
  • Cloud Based
  • Colleges/Universities
  • Commercial Banking
  • Communications
  • Construction
  • Consulting
  • Consumer
  • Consumer Products
  • Consumer Services
  • Cultural Arts
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data & Analytics
  • Devices
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Engineering & Archit.
  • Faith Based
  • Family Offices
  • Financial Services
  • FinTech
  • FinTech
  • Foundations
  • Global Markets
  • Government
  • Healthcare Services
  • Hedge Funds
  • High Tech
  • Industrial
  • Industrial Products
  • Insurance
  • Internet
  • Investment Banking
  • Investment Mgmt.
  • K-12
  • Legal/Compliance
  • Life Sci./Healthcare
  • Luxury
  • Machine Learning
  • Manufacturing
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Medical
  • Medical Devices
  • Mobile
  • Natural Resources
  • Non-Profit
  • Oil & Gas
  • Payments/Processes
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Private Banking
  • Private Equity
  • Professional Services
  • Quantitative Finance
  • Restaurants
  • Retail
  • Software
  • Sovereign Wealth
  • Sports
  • Supply Chain
  • Technology
  • Trade Finance
  • Transportation
  • Travel, Hosp. & Leisure
  • Utilities
  • Venture Capital
  • Wealth Management
Functions
  • Advertising
  • All Functions
  • Board/Governance
  • Business Development
  • CEO/President
  • Communications/PR
  • Customer Service
  • Data/Analytics
  • Development
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Finance/Accounting
  • General Management
  • GM/Operations
  • Government
  • Human Resources
  • Information/Digital
  • Invest. Mgmt./Banking
  • Investor Relations
  • Legal/Compliance
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Medical/Clinical
  • Research & Develop.
  • Risk Management
  • Supply Chain

Allen Austin

News Briefings

Culture is Key to Success and Failure in Private Equity Deals 

The importance of culture and its impact on private equity strategy and returns has been a growing development over the past few years. As PE investment returns have lagged behind those of the stock market in the U.S., firms are feeling pressure to improve and deliver stronger results. “This fact combined with some high-profile private

Allen Austin Appoints Consumer Products and Retail Sector Leader

Houston, TX-based search firm Allen Austin, parent company to Gaines International, has named Ken Wilcox as its newest partner and head of the consumer products and retail sectors in the executive search practice. “Ken is a truly exceptional addition to the Allen Austin team,” said Darcie Murray, senior managing partner. “Ken will help us make deeper inroads

Allen Austin Introduces Communication IQ

Houston, TX-based search firm Allen Austin, parent company to Gaines International, recently introduced a new service offering to support leaders in pursuit of a culture of peak performance: Communication IQ. “Other assessments tend to do their best to describe you and build self-awareness, and then they leave it at that,” said Danielle Mairs, managing partner

Allen Austin Launches Interim Leadership Practice

Top experts in talent management and C-suite recruitment agree that interim leaders will likely play a significant and growing role in top grading senior-level positions in a post-pandemic era, where costs and efficiency underpin executive hiring. Houston, TX-based search firm Allen Austin recently unveiled a new push into the sector by establishing a dedicated interim leadership

Allen Austin

Press Releases