Wheless Partners and Chandler Group Join Forces

October 4, 2016 – Executive search firms Wheless Partners and Chandler Group have officially merged. The combined organization brings industry experience to the 25 different industry sectors that both recruiting outfits serve.

With offices in New York, Atlanta, Birmingham, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and San Francisco, Wheless Partners has professionals in strategy, assessment, executive selection, leadership development, and executive coaching. Since its founding in 1986, the firm has partnered with global Fortune 500 companies, mid-size enterprises, leading public and private institutions, investment portfolio companies, not-for-profit foundations and smaller entrepreneurial startups across all industries and functions.

Established in 2001, Chandler Group is a Minnesota-based search boutique that serves clients in 28 states. The firm has practice groups include healthcare, non-profit, technology, corporate and board of directors.

The Right Fit

Mike Wheless, chief executive officer of Wheless Partners, said: “This is a tremendous combination of two highly compatible companies with complementary strategic priorities, service offerings, and geographies, which we expect to expand in order to deliver significant value for both sets of clients.”

Mr. Wheless said that he sees  numerous opportunities to enhance his firm’s growth profile by offering integrated solutions across a broader client base. “We also expect to realize substantial efficiencies by bringing our two organizations together with a well-defined integration roadmap that will ensure the strongest combination of talent and practices, while achieving the full benefits of the merger for all of our clients and stakeholders.”

Chandler Group president Cindy Chandler said that she and her partners decided to seek a merger with another firm because “we believe that a larger organization will allow us to provide a wider array of retained executive search services, increased industry expertise, and greater access to talent for our clients.”

Mergers Continue In the Search Industry

There have been a number of mergers among executive search firms in recent months. Some provide national expansion opportunities, others more global reach, while still others allow for additional solutions offerings for clients requesting a full suite of talent management services.

Executive search firm Indigo Partners merged with national cyber security CyberSN. Veronica Mollica, chief executive officer and founder of Indigo Partners, joined the CyberSN executive team as vice president of business development, responsible for building teams to support national expansion. “I’m excited to work with an experienced individual who is cut from the same cloth of integrity and transparency, who has five-star sales and customer service skills, and who is a team player and believes there can be love in the workforce,” said CyberSN CEO and founder Deidre Diamond. “Veronica is that rare person and I am beyond thrilled that we are uniting.”

Shilton Sharpe Quarry (SSQ), an international legal search consultancy, joined forces with Vienna-based executive search firm lawyers & more [L&M]. SSQ has worked in Austria and the wider central and eastern European region for some time but through this formal relationship the business is looking to increase its activity by working with lawyers & more to place internationally qualified lawyers in Austria. The relationship covers the private practice market, recruiting for law firms, as well as recruiting lawyers for leading corporates across commerce and industry and financial services on the in-house side.

Healthcare and life sciences recruiter HM Long Global Partners Ltd joined forced with RSVP Group, a global boutique recruiting outfit that focuses exclusively on the life sciences and chemical sectors. The combined firms will give the newly-merged entity a broad global presence in New York, Zurich, London, Paris, Boston, Wiesbaden, Washington, D.C., Princeton, Austin, Shanghai and Singapore.

Executive search firms AETHOS Consulting Group and Greger / Peterson Associates merged to serve the hospitality industry. Greger / Peterson will begin operating immediately under the AETHOS Consulting Group name. “Greger / Peterson has a sterling reputation in the hospitality industry, as well as in leisure, entertainment and media,” said AETHOS managing director and CEO Keith Kefgen. “Coupled with our global presence and wide range of advisory services, the merger will benefit our global clients with additional resources and increased senior level expertise.”

Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media

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