Hanold Associates Acquired By Creative Artists Agency

In a significant move within the executive recruiting landscape, Hanold Associates has been acquired by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). With the deal, Hanold’s expertise in recruiting diverse corporate HR talent will be integrated into CAA's executive search division. Let’s go inside the latest deal!

October 2, 2024 – Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive Search has been acquired by entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Co-founded by Neela Seenandan and Jason Hanold, Hanold Associates recruits diverse corporate officers and board directors, with a significant focus on leading high-profile searches for chief people and HR officers across a wide array of industries. Hanold Associates’ team of 20 colleagues will be folded into CAA’s executive search division.

“We continue in our longstanding efforts to innovate growth opportunities across all facets of CAA that further our commitment to providing unmatched resources to our esteemed clients worldwide,” said Paul Danforth, CAA managing director and president, CAA Sports. “CAA was the first talent agency to launch an executive search division, and we are thrilled with the incredible success that Joe Becher, Asher Simons, and their team consistently deliver to their clients across sports and entertainment. The addition of Hanold Associates, and its unique expertise, will amplify our efforts in this important service area and we are excited to see what these two teams can accomplish together.”

“This is a noteworthy deal for the executive recruiting  industry and it will likely drive more search firm founders into an already supercharged M&A market,” said Scott A. Scanlon, founding partner of Hunt Scanlon Ventures based in Greenwich, Conn. “We have not seen a better time for founders to consider selling their businesses than right now.”

Hanold Associates serves CEOs of startups, founder-led organizations, family offices, pre-IPO companies, PE firms and Fortune 100 organizations. The firm has completed more than 2,000 searches for its clients across industries, which include American Airlines, Apollo, a16z, A+E Networks, Acushnet, BlackRock, Blackstone, Cartier, College Football Hall of Fame, CBS, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Domino’s Pizza, eBay, Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Federal Reserve Bank of NY, Ford Motors, Ford Foundation, Gucci, Hearst, Indeed, KKR, L Catterton, Live Nation, MGM Resorts, Moderna, Nederlander, The New York Times, Nordstrom, Paramount, Patagonia, Phillips 66, Prada, Kering, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Riddell, Save The Children, Shore Capital, TB12, Uber, Under Armour, Vail Resorts, Walgreens, and Zoom. Founded in 2010, Hanold Associates is headquartered in Chicago, with partners located in Boston, New York, Salt Lake City, Detroit, and Phoenix.

“The recruitment of effective human resources leadership is vital to the growth and success of any organization, and Neela, Jason, and the team at Hanold Associates are without peer in this space,” said Mr. Becher. “There are tremendous synergies across our businesses and clients. Hanold’s culture and approach to client service is complementary to ours, and we are thrilled to join forces to bring these world class resources to our clients globally.”

CAA Executive Search was co-founded by Mr. Becher and Mr. Simons in 2017. It serves the sports, entertainment, and media industries, working closely with its clients to help build leadership teams through executive search; designs and develops organizational structures and compensation plans; and engages with investors, venture capital and private equity firms on human capital due diligence projects, providing expert insight into senior management teams within acquisition targets. Since its launch, CAA Executive Search has worked across major global sports rightsholders, technology companies, record labels, esports leagues and franchises, gaming publishers, live entertainment promoters, sports betting companies, traditional and digital media businesses, agencies, global brands, private equity firms, VC funds, and family offices.

“We are thrilled to join forces with such an outstanding team of people at CAA, who share our values, commitment to talent, and a great culture while elevating others,” said Mr. Hanold, now president CAA Executive Search. “This partnership allows us to serve our existing and new clients more broadly, bringing the full reach, connectivity, and relationships of CAA into our client service offerings.”

Related: Creating a Winning M&A Leadership Team

“We are excited to join the CAA team and expand our services globally,” said Ms. Seenandan, now president, CAA Leadership Advisory. “The ability to grow our relationships and provide both search and leadership advisory services to complement the work that CAA already does will allow us to more fully support our clients. Our team will bring consultative excellence and deep technical knowledge to an already strong CAA team. Working closely with Joe and Asher, we will continue to build on their world class reputation across the whole of CAA’s client portfolio.”

Creative Artists Agency is an entertainment and sports agency, with global expertise in filmed and live entertainment, digital media, publishing, sponsorship sales and endorsements, media finance, consumer investing, fashion, brand management and consumer product licensing, executive search, and philanthropy. The trailblazer of the agency business, CAA was the first to build a sports business, create an investment bank, launch a venture fund, found technology start-up companies, establish a philanthropic arm, build a business in China, and form a brand marketing services division, among other innovations. Named Most Valuable Sports Agency by Forbes for nine consecutive years, CAA represents more than 3,000 of the world’s top athletes in football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer, in addition to coaches, on-air broadcasters, and sports personalities and works in the areas of property sales and sponsorships, media advisory, brand consulting, and venue development and strategic advisory.

Founded in 1975, CAA is headquartered in Los Angeles, and has offices in New York, Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, Miami, London, Munich, Geneva, Stockholm, Shanghai, and Beijing, among other locations globally.

Recent M&A Activity

Acquisitions and consolidations continue to make news in the recruiting industry, with a number of notable purchases in recent months. Here is a sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

ZRG, a global talent advisory firm and portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners, has acquired Bravanti, a Chicago-based advisory firm specializing in services including executive coaching, executive team coaching, developing leaders, and outplacement/career transition services. “Bravanti brings expertise in three key areas: executive coaching, leadership acceleration, and outplacement career transition,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “Bravanti’s global cadre of highly experienced coaches helps unlock the potential of executives up through C-level who deliver powerful business results and exceptional return on their company’s investments in their development.”

 Global talent provider True has acquired Paradigm Search, a boutique executive search firm focused on finding engineering and product leaders. Founder and CEO Matt Johnson and the Paradigm team will join True’s product, data & technology (PDT) practice. “Matt and the Paradigm team have an excellent and well-deserved reputation in the executive search market,” said Brad Stadler, president of True Search and co-CEO of True Platform. “From our first conversation, this felt like such a natural fit. They are exceptional search professionals who will enhance our culture and our ability to deliver value to clients. We are truly fortunate the Paradigm team is joining us.”

Paris-headquartered search firm Alexander Hughes has acquired Chicago-based DSML Executive Search. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The move marks a significant milestone in Alexander Hughes’ global growth strategy, positioning the firm as the global executive search and leadership firm of choice for businesses and corporations worldwide,” the search firm said. “The acquisition includes two new offices, one in Chicago and one in Boston.” In addition, Alexander Hughes will retain Myriam Le Cannellier, co-founder and director of DSML Executive Search, who becomes the managing partner of Alexander Hughes USA, and her team of experienced executive search professionals. “This acquisition marks a pivotal moment for our group,” said Julien Rozet, CEO of Alexander Hughes. “We are very proud to strengthen our presence in the U.S. and to have Myriam Le Cannellier and her team at the helm. Her expertise aligns perfectly with our commitment to deliver the highest standard of executive search and leadership advisory services globally.”

The Elevate Sports Ventures agency has acquired SRI and launched Elevate Talent, a new executive search and global talent advisory practice. The new firm will recruit senior leaders across sports, entertainment, media, lifestyle, technology, and gaming. Elevate is led by Al Guido, who also serves as president of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.  Jim Chaplin, formerly CEO of SRI, will become global president of Elevate Talent. In his 14 years at the helm of SRI, Mr. Chaplin and his management team have spearheaded the firm’s transformation from a U.K.-based sports specialist firm to a global company in the executive search space, helping organizations with board structure, governance, and C-suite issues with talent and advisory solutions. “For the team at SRI, becoming part of Elevate feels like a perfect match,” said Mr. Chaplin. “We share a foundation in the world of sports and have used that particular vantage point to deliver for clients across a wide range of consumer-facing sectors. Our common experience, aligned t

Related: How Search Firms are Winning Through M&A and Unlocking Value

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media

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