Massey Henry

About Us

Ranked among Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail, Massey Henry is one of North America’s leading executive search and board advisory firms focused exclusively on the financial services sector, bringing nuanced expertise in serving clients across the full spectrum of financial services.

We are disrupting the rigid culture of traditional corporate search firms by offering clients an open, transparent, and collaborative search process that moves quickly and delivers the right leadership talent – at the right time.

The Massey Henry team have collectively led more than 800 leadership mandates across their executive search careers, including 160+ executive searches in the past four years.

We leverage innovative technology with sector and function expertise to provide clients with full-scope talent assessment, coaching, succession planning, and executive search services. We have supported clients across the full spectrum of financial services, including:

  • Asset Management
  • Capital Markets
  • Corporate and Investment Banking
  • Credit Unions
  • FinTech
  • Insurance and Reinsurance
  • Payments
  • Pension Funds
  • Private Equity
  • Retail and Commercial Banking
  • Wealth Management
Our Values

We lead by example and are guided by our core values: trust, transparency, innovation, and active engagement in executive search. We embrace agile processes that are deeply informed by our understanding of the financial services industry, and work with our clients to help transform their organizations through the selection of key senior talent.

Our Vision

Founder and Managing Partner, Michael Henry, believes in the power of networks and connections, and is a fierce promoter of Canadian talent at home and abroad. Our vision as a firm is to set a new standard for executive search, shining a spotlight on Canadian talent. We also leverage the unique expertise of our Advisory Board, made up of distinguished leaders across the financial services and public sector.

Massey Henry is strongly committed to supporting diversity and inclusion to create strong leadership teams and high impact boards for our clients. 61% of the candidates we have placed in C-suite positions, and 63% of the candidates we have placed in Board Director roles identify as belonging to an equity-seeking group. We are also active supporters of organizations such as VersaFi, The Black Opportunity Fund, and The Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB).

Recent Placements

Company Achievements

Massey Henry

Solutions And Expertise

Executive Search

Our executive search experts have a proven track record of partnering with organizations to build their teams with transformational leaders. Our focus is critical, urgent, complex assignments when time is of the essence and access to exceptional, high-value talent is key. Collaboration is the cornerstone of our approach. We are disrupting the rigid culture of traditional corporate search firms by offering clients an open, transparent, collaborative search process that moves quickly and delivers the right talent.

Executive Coaching

We act as partners with our clients to design unique strategies and action plans to develop organizational leaders. This includes transitioning and onboarding newly recruited executives into client organizations, accelerating the development of high-potential talent and improving organizations’ leadership pipelines. We help engineer new practices that mean sustainable improvements to organizational and leadership results, both immediately and over time.

We also work with clients to align their internal teams, clarify common purposes and objectives and develop strategies for optimizing operational efficiency. Our coaching services can help leaders across an organization’s functional areas work more cohesively together as a “team of teams,” improving best practices and increasing organizational support for their common goals.

Executive Assessment

At Massey Henry, we know how to find leaders. We take a comprehensive assessment approach that goes beyond evaluating a candidate’s ability to perform. Whether evaluating cultural fit, personality or leadership skills, our rigorous process ensures that our clients are set up for success when hiring a senior leader.

Board Recruitment and Advisory Services

In addition to traditional executive search, our team has extensive experience placing and advising corporate directors. With our wide network, we’re able to quickly find the right candidate with the right background, experience and subject matter expertise.

Our senior advisors also bring expertise on a wide range of critical topics including board culture, board effectiveness, governance best practices, succession planning and diversity. We work with organizations to determine whether boards have the skill sets and governance oversight needed for the ever-evolving corporate, technology and risk landscape.

Solutions
  • Assessment
  • Board Recruitment and Advisory Services
  • Executive Coaching
  • Executive Search
Industries
  • Asset Management
  • Capital Markets
  • Corporate Banking
  • Credit Unions
  • Financial Services
  • FinTech
  • Government
  • Insurance
  • Investment Banking
  • Payments/Processes
  • Private Equity
  • Wealth Management
Functions
  • Banking
  • Board/Governance
  • Business Development
  • CEO/President
  • Communications/PR
  • Data/Analytics
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Finance/Accounting
  • General Management
  • Human Resources
  • Information/Digital
  • Investment Management & Banking
  • Investor Relations
  • Legal/Compliance
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Operations
  • Research & Develop.
  • Risk Management

Massey Henry

News Briefings

Massey Henry Expands Leadership Practice

Toronto-based executive search firm Massey Henry has created a strategic partnership with industry veterans Sébastien Bélair and Dana Zorbas to expand its leadership practice. “Building on the recent recognition by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies, this collaboration reflects the firm’s continued investment in delivering tailored leadership advisory solutions for financial services

Massey Henry Seeking Chief Legal Officer for Peoples Group

Toronto-based executive search firm Massey Henry was recently retained once again by Peoples Group to lead its search for a chief legal officer (CLO). Reporting to the president CEO, the chief legal officer is a core member of the executive leadership team, responsible for developing and executing the company’s legal strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives

Massey Henry Seeking Chief Information Officer for Prairie Payments Joint Venture 

The chief information officer is considered one of the most strategic roles in any organization. Still, recruiting within the function remains challenging, as skilled C-suite IT professionals are among the toughest to find, and move. Toronto-based executive search firm Massey Henry was recently retained by Prairie Payments Joint Venture (PPJV) to lead in its search for a new

CFOs as Strategic Architects: Navigating Transformation in Financial Services

Financial services organizations, generally, are facing a new competitive market, regulatory challenges and a constant struggle to manage cost and efficiency, recruiters tell Hunt Scanlon Media. This requires strategic leaders, both men and women, with a multidimensional skill-set and competencies that often go above and beyond any typical job description. CFOs play a pivotal role

Massey Henry

Press Releases

Rachel Liem-Smith joins Massey Henry as Principal Amid Continued Firm Expansion

The addition marks one of six strategic hires the firm has made over the past year, reflecting its continued growth and deepening sector expertise. TORONTO, May 27, 2025 – Massey Henry, one of North America’s leading executive search firms focused on financial services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Liem-Smith as Principal. Ms.

Massey Henry joins VersaFi as a supporting partner

Massey Henry, a leading North American executive search firm specializing in financial services, has joined VersaFi (formerly Women in Capital Markets) as a supporting partner. As Canada’s largest network of women in finance, VersaFi is dedicated to providing a voice and platform for networking, mentorship, and development opportunities for its community of more than 4,000

Massey Henry bolsters financial services recruitment expertise with three key hires, including industry veteran Lisa Newey as partner

TORONTO, Dec.17, 2024 – Massey Henry is pleased to announce the addition of three financial services and recruitment specialists to its growing team, including industry veteran Lisa Newey as partner. Ms. Newey, joined by newly appointed senior consultant Lee-An Palo and research associate Aarti Arora, brings deep sector expertise that further enhances the firm’s ability

Massey Henry Donates $250,000 to Support the Future of Massey Hall

Gift strengthens support of the revitalization of Canada’s iconic cultural institution and encourages the next generation of entrepreneurs to give back. TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2024 – Massey Henry, a leading North American executive search firm specializing in financial services, has announced a $250,000 donation to Massey Hall, a charitable not-for-profit venue and vital pillar in

Massey Henry named among top executive search firms specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Massey Henry has been named among the top executive search firms specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by Hunt Scanlon Media in its 2023-2024 HR/Diversity Recruiting Rankings. Hunt Scanlon Media has helped define and inform the senior talent management sector for over 30 years, and produces rankings annually based on evaluated criteria. Massey Henry is uniquely positioned as one of