Hanold Associates Recruits Chief People Officer for PE-Backed Cynosure

February 5, 2021 – Private equity is one sector that seems to be immune to the current global health crisis. As deal making rages on, leaders will be needed in droves – particularly those focused on the human resource and talent functions within portfolio organizations. To that end, Chicago-based Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive Search recently recruited Kellie Teal-Guess as the new chief people officer of Cynosure, a provider of energy-based aesthetic and medical treatments backed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Lisa Butkus and Katrina Prospero led the search for this role based in the Greater Boston area.

“Kellie’s experience as a global chief people officer in fast-paced, scaling organizations will make her a strong asset to the executive leadership team at Cynosure,” said Ms. Butkus, a partner at the search firm. “Her authenticity and spirit add to her exceptional leadership skills, along with her ability to create a dynamic and inclusive culture. We’re excited to see the partnership and contribution she will have alongside CEO Todd Tillemans.” Ms. Teal-Guess comes to Cynosure from CyrusOne, where she served as executive vice president and chief people officer. In this role, she will be the key leader of all HR operations throughout the organization, establishing and delivering a strategy that supports the business, employees, and the overall culture. Previously, Ms. Teal-Guess was senior vice president of global HR for ProQuest, where she led all facets of HR delivering strategic, timely and value-added services including organizational effectiveness, employee relations, succession planning, development planning, performance management and career pathing for worldwide workforce.

Reporting directly to Mr. Tillemans and serving as a close partner to the senior leadership team and board of directors, Ms. Teal-Guess will provide a people lens on business operations. She will also oversee and develop the growing HR team with a focus on creating a more strategic function, transforming skillsets and culture to best serve the company’s mission and growth aspirations.

Cynosure is a market leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of energy-based aesthetic and medical treatment systems. Its products are used in a wide range of treatment applications, including skin revitalization, scar reduction, body contouring, hair removal, women’s health, and more. Headquartered outside of Boston, in Westford, MA, Cynosure has global operations with sales offices in 15 countries. Its products are sold under the Cynosure, Palomar, ConBio and Ellman brand names through over 130 distribution channels.

Trusted Recruiters

Hanold Associates is a boutique executive search firm focused on HR and diversity and inclusion officers. Its client list is diverse across industries, geographies and business scenarios, and culture is at the core of everything the firm does. Its clients include the National Football League, Zoom, Domino’s Pizza, Under Armour, Patagonia, Gucci, The New York Times, Tom Brady’s TB12, Kohler, REI, Live Nation Entertainment, Dick’s Sporting Goods, McDonald’s, Major League Baseball, Kellogg, Apollo, Big Ten Conference, Blackstone, TPG, L Catterton, Northwestern University, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Electronic Arts, Fiat-Chrysler, SC Johnson, eBay, Moderna, Hillrom, Great Place To Work, Fossil, Vail Resorts, AbbVie, Carnival Corp., Biogen, Allstate, Bridgestone, Wikimedia, ClubCorp, Nike, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Ford Motor Co., among others.

Ms. Butkus specializes in recruiting executive level HR leaders across industries, and with a core focus on fashion, luxury brands, retail merchandise and the broader consumer industry. Previously, Ms. Butkus spent six years in luxury retail.

Ms. Prospero focuses on the recruitment of HR professionals across industries including learning and development, talent management, HRBP, total rewards, talent acquisition, organizational development, and diversity and inclusion.

Recent Placement

Hanold Associates recently assisted in the placement of Kim Blue Terrell as global head of people experience partners at Zoom. Mayank Parikh, Keri Gavin, Ashley Schiele and Jason Hanold led the assignment. Ms. Blue Terrell is a strategic and data-focused crisis-manager with over 15 years’ experience developing and executing human resources strategies for employee populations in technology, telecommunications and entertainment. Most recently, she was senior HR manager for the U.S. East region for Microsoft.

“Zoom has become the ubiquitous solution to allow us to safely attend class, go to work, meet our friends and see our family,” said Mr. Parikh, a partner with the search firm. “With so many people relying on their product, Zoom is evolving, growing and getting better. Bringing on a great new addition to their people leadership team like Kim enables them to create better experiences for their employees, and in turn, lead to better and more reliable experiences for the millions of people globally who trust Zoom.”

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media