EMA Partners Opens New Office in Seattle
July 18, 2023 – EMA Partners International, a global partnership of executive search professionals, has opened a new Seattle office. The new location will focus on cloud computing and senior technology searches to support the executive search practice globally. EMA Partners Seattle will be co-led by the firm’s two managing partners, Ezra Hodge and Scott McKinley.
Alberto Miranda, Barcelona-based chair of EMA Partners said the Seattle office is “a strategic addition to our network and capabilities globally. We are very pleased to have Ezra and Scott join as managing partners and bring their expertise in cloud computing and technology talent solutions to EMA. This is a true win for EMA and our global clients who are increasingly in need of best-in-class digital transformation talent to drive innovative business models during today’s extremely challenging business environment.”
“Increasingly we are seeing our clients request executive talent that has direct experience and expertise in cloud computing and AI as part of their efforts to innovate and transform their businesses,” said Chris Pantelidis, chair of the Americas for EMA Partners. “We believe that the Ezra and Scott are well positioned to access this talent and provide incredible career growth opportunities for individuals across our network of clients.”
Messrs. Hodge and McKinley are two former Amazon Web Services executives who led and scaled cloud enablement programs for AWS and previously held senior executive roles in the education and training sector. “Their network and knowledge of the cloud landscape is uniquely valuable to EMA Partners as the firm looks to enhance its technology and digital transformation practice for a global client base,” the organization said.
Mr. Hodge co-founded the McKinley Hodge Group (MHG), a cloud-native executive and technical retained search firm, before joining EMA Partners. He is focused on helping match fast-growing companies with the top cloud computing talent, placing a heavy focus on employee diversity, inclusion, transformational leadership, and work-life balance. Prior to Amazon, Mr. Hodge led the largest educational data measurement (standardized testing) program in the U.S. for Pearson, followed by leading a start-up software company that brought its cloud-based e-gov solutions to state and local government agencies, expanding heavily in the Pacific Northwest.
“Scott and I feel fortunate to join the EMA Partners team,” said Mr. Hodge. “The unique combination of our own network and expertise complements the global reach and agility of EMA. Our clients have global talent needs and the power of EMA along with our experience will enable the Seattle office to deliver hard to find technology talent to our clients.”
Should Your Next CEO be an Internal or External Hire?
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, known as the “DACH” region, are German-speaking countries where supervisory boards not only define profiles and requirements for hiring the CEO, they are also responsible for their appointment. Consultants and management auditors support these processes, helping boards to ensure that suitable candidates have the required skills and experiences.
“However, experience shows that this is only one side of the coin,” said Rudolf von Buenaum, managing partner in Dusseldorf, Germany for EMA Partners International, in a recent report. “We strongly believe that the company’s momentum plays a pivotal role in answering the question: Should this be an internal or an external hire?”
“What Scott and I are increasingly seeing is that the majority of tech talent is on what we call the tech merry-go-round, and is unaware of how much demand exists outside of a handful of the largest technology builders,” Mr. Hodge said. “Industry and professional services firms need this expertise. Even the large tech builders, including AWS, Azure, and Google realize that their partners and customers have talent needs that if not met, will slow down the adoption and implementation of cloud workloads. To some extent, the launch of the EMA Partners Seattle office is about democratizing cloud talent and enabling enterprises to access top tier talent that can drive substantial change and digital transformation.”
Seattle Market
Seattle is well-known for its robust technology ecosystem. The city’s economy is driven by a mix of older industrial companies, and “new economy” internet and technology companies, service, design and clean technology companies. Seattle is a hotbed for start-up businesses, especially in green building and clean technologies, being ranked as America’s No. 1 “smarter city” based on its government policies and green economy. Four companies on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest companies, based on total revenue, are headquartered in Seattle: internet retailer Amazon, coffee chain Starbucks, department store Nordstrom, and freight forwarder Expeditors International of Washington.
Since 1988, EMA Partners has partnered with multinational corporations, governments, and not-for-profit organizations across a variety of industry sectors and functional areas. It has more than 40 offices on six continents, and the firm continues to expand globally.
Related: EMA Partners Opens Office in Seoul
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
