Heidrick & Struggles Names Leader of Mexico City Office
December 13, 2022 – Chicago-headquartered executive search, leadership consulting, and culture shaping services provider Heidrick & Struggles has appointed Carlos Vázquez as the new partner in charge of its Mexico City office. The appointment of Mr. Vázquez, a veteran executive recruiter, signals Heidrick & Struggles’ intention to continue to expand strategically in Latin America.
“We are excited that Carlos has assumed the leadership role in Mexico as we continue to provide our growing number of Latin American clients with an integrated suite of executive search, consulting and on-demand talent solutions,” said Paulo Mendes, a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Miami and São Paulo offices and the regional leader of Latin America. “Carlos is a proven business leader with the vision and depth and breadth of experience required to help us drive the next growth phase for Latin America.”
With over 11 years of search experience, Mr. Vázquez specializes in CEO and board of directors, CEO succession, financial services, venture capital and disruptive innovators, tech, private equity, and leadership advisory assignments. His area of focus is CEO and C-level search assignments for clients based in Mexico and Latin America, where he brings broad expertise across business lines and functional roles. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Mr. Vázquez was partner at Egon Zehnder for over 11 years and where he played a critical role in building the firm’s relationships with the leading financial institutions, fintech, private equity, and family offices. Before his career in search, Mr. Vázquez was a vice president at Goldman Sachs – Investment Banking, based in NY and Mexico, where he focused in M&A and capital markets. His earlier career also included strategy consulting with Deloitte and economic research at BBVA.
In his new role, Mr. Vázquez will work closely with Heidrick’s Latin America leadership team, focusing on further expansion into new growth areas, increasing revenue, and generating long-term stakeholder value. “I am honored to head the Mexico City office, leading a team that demonstrates its ability to propel our regional growth strategy and deliver a premier range of talent solutions to our clients,” said Mr. Vázquez. “In today’s challenging business environment, we must help our clients build the leaders and organizations of the future as their management and executive talent requirements change.”
New Diversity Leaders
In September, Heidrick & Struggles named Jonathan McBride as global managing partner of the firm’s global diversity, equity, and inclusion practice. “Under Jonathan’s leadership, our diversity, equity, and inclusion practice will work with more of our clients to support their efforts in bringing on board extraordinary talent from all backgrounds, and creating organizations with thriving cultures where their teams can do their best work,” said Krishnan Rajagopalan, president and CEO. “For decades, our firm has been dedicated to making DEI part of the leadership conversation – starting at the top – catalyzing change and helping our clients find solutions for their unique needs. Jonathan’s deep expertise and broad-based experience will be valuable assets as our clients seek new ways to achieve their DEI objectives and measure their progress over time.”
Related: Heidrick & Struggles Names Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Mr. McBride is a former head of the Presidential Personnel Office in the Obama White House, and he also served as global head of inclusion and diversity at BlackRock where he oversaw the operating committee and held other leadership roles. He joined Heidrick & Struggles in 2021 as a partner in the DEI practice and chief human resources officers practice, based in Los Angeles. In his new, expanded role leading the global DEI practice, Mr. McBride and his team will focus on advising boards, CEOs, and leadership teams on various areas related to strengthening organizations’ focus on their DEI programs and enhancing workplace culture.
Heidrick & Struggles also recently named Cecilia Nelson-Hurt as its new chief diversity officer. Ms. Nelson-Hurt joins the firm from L’Oréal USA, where she served as vice president, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She was responsible for shaping the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts that underscore its commitment to building an inclusive beauty brand and as an equal opportunity workplace. She also developed and facilitated its diversity and inclusion programs and worked with the company’s employee-led Think Tanks to create and implement strategies and initiatives that positively impacted employee engagement, consumer insights and community outreach. She takes the place of Kamau Coar, who shifted from a role as the organization’s chief legal officer to chief inclusion officer, overseeing its diversity and inclusion efforts, including talent development, employee resources, and culture.
“At Heidrick & Struggles, we are committed to building diverse leadership teams and organizations and creating inclusive workplace cultures, both for our employees and our clients,” said Mr. Rajagopalan. “We are delighted to welcome Cecilia who brings her deep passion, experience and commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion to our firm. We look forward to further strengthening our focus and efforts on increasing representation and fostering an equitable and inclusive environment where all of our employees can thrive and achieve success.”
“It is an incredibly exciting time to join Heidrick & Struggles as the firm looks to accelerate its transformation and growth journey globally,” said Ms. Nelson-Hurt. “I am honored to have this opportunity to lead the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy and deliver long-term, sustainable programs and initiatives that build on its values and commitment to creating the most diverse and inclusive executive talent and leadership advisory firm in the industry.”
Related: Heidrick & Struggles Appoints Regional Leader for Americas
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
