Focus Search Partners Grows Interim Leadership Practice

January 13, 2025 – Focus Search Partners, a Vaco company, has expanded its interim leadership practice with the additions of Barbara Haith and Matthew Zoltowski as managing directors. “Executive-level staffing has rapidly emerged as a key solution in today’s evolving Gig Economy 2.0,” said Paul Frankenberg, founder and managing partner of Focus Search Partners. “As businesses continue to navigate shifting markets and face increasingly specialized needs, the flexibility and expertise offered by interim leaders is invaluable. At Focus Search Partners, we are thrilled to grow our interim leadership practice with the deep expertise of Barbara and Matthew, who have proven track records of building strong client relationships, driving organizational success, and delivering tailored solutions that address the dynamic challenges our clients face.”
In their respective roles, Ms. Haith and Mr. Zoltowski are dedicated to placing interim executives at client companies. They provide organizations with access to the specialized skills and expertise of tenured leaders—without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time employees.
Ms. Haith brings 30-plus years of experience in business development and strategic interim solutions to Focus Search Partners. As managing director, she will recruit experienced leaders across a variety of industries with a focus on manufacturing, operations, and consumer products. Ms. Haith previously served as senior managing director at Korn Ferry, where she was primarily focused on interim solutions within manufacturing. She was also a senior managing director at Patina Solutions, which was acquired by Korn Ferry in 2022. Ms. Haith began her career in retail at Banana Republic.
“I’m thrilled to join Focus Search Partners and contribute to our mission of helping businesses thrive, particularly during times of transition, transaction, and transformation,” said Ms. Haith. “Our focus is on providing the right interim talent to fuel growth—whether that’s stepping in to fill a leadership gap or bringing in specialized expertise to support key initiatives.”
Mr. Zoltowski brings more than 20 years of experience in professional services and organizational development to the team. Most recently, he served as the executive director of client development and management at Business Talent Group, where he built expertise in strategic workforce planning. Mr. Zoltowski previously held leadership roles at TEKsystems, Slalom, and Gartner.
“With business needs rapidly evolving, it’s an exciting time to join Focus Search Partners as we see increased demand for agile and interim leadership roles,” said Mr. Zoltowski. “Professionals are working differently these days. They prefer to focus on complex projects and challenges, rather than simply punch a clock. Our team is poised to help organizations connect with exceptional interim talent that not only drives meaningful change and accelerates growth—but also delivers cost-saving solutions.”
From interim board members and C-suite executives to senior-level professionals, Focus Search Partners’ interim leadership practice sources for a range of positions and specializes in identifying senior talent across key leadership roles. This includes interim chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers, vice presidents, and other critical executives who can step in to drive business growth, navigate complex challenges, and lead during periods of change.
Related: Focus Search Partners Appoints Managing Partner of Interim Leadership Solutions
Alongside Kate McLellan, the interim leadership team leader, Ms. Haith and Mr. Zoltowski join existing interim team members Monica Foster, managing director, Teresa Hansen, principal, and Nick Wilkins, principal. Collectively, the team addresses clients’ provisional talent needs across multiple industries, including healthcare, life sciences, technology, manufacturing, consumer products, and private equity, within both the private and public sectors.
In November, Focus Search Partners named Ms. McLellan as managing partner of interim leadership solutions. Ms. McLellan brings nearly 30 years of experience in professional services and interim leadership solutions. Her clients include both privately held start-ups, as well as multi-billion-dollar publicly traded companies. Previously, Ms. McLellan served as managing partner at Korn Ferry, directing interim solutions within private equity and life sciences, and managing partner of Patina Solutions.
Veteran Search Firm
Focus Search Partners was acquired by Vaco in 2014 to become the retained executive search division of the global talent solutions firm. With 35-plus team members and 13 partners across nine states, Focus Search Partners specializes in building teams to grow companies, focusing on recruiting board members, executives, and senior-level individuals.
Founded in 2002 by Jerry Bostelman, Jay Hollomon, and Brian Waller, Brentwood, TN-based Vaco provides boutique-level service with global reach in executive search, consulting, permanent placement and strategic staffing. Its areas of expertise include accounting, finance, technology, healthcare IT, operations, administration, and managed services. The firm operates more than 35 offices, with 780-plus employees and 4,300 consultants worldwide.
Related: Focus Search Partners Acquires Southerland Group
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media