Bó Lè Associates Appoints New CEO
December 12, 2017 – Executive recruitment firms have made a number of top leadership appointments this past year, many focused on strategy, growth, branding efforts and operations.
The latest: Hong Kong-headquartered search firm Bó Lè Associates has announced that Pierre Zhuang has resigned as CEO and the board named David Chan, managing director and its Shanghai office head, as its new CEO.
“As one of the founding members of Bó Lè Associates, Pierre Zhuang guided the company to become one of the leading executive search firms in Asia, expanding Bó Lè Associates from 10 to 400 consultants across 13 offices in Asia,” said Hiroki Nakashige, COO of RGF International Recruitment Business, on behalf of parent company Recruit Group. “Pierre has made countless contributions to Bó Lè Associates’ success, and he has attracted multiple million-dollar performers and has inspired an outstanding executive team.”
Mr. Chan will oversee all nine offices across mainland China, Hong Kong and Taipei. He is expected to help drive growth and innovation for Bó Lè Associates Greater China.
Mr. Chan joined the firm in 2015 and was head of Bó Lè Associates’ Hong Kong office prior to taking on the role as head of Bó Lè Shanghai office in August of this year. He has a strong track record in various local and regional senior executive search assignments with specialization in the financial industry, said the firm. Mr. Chan previously spent over 20 years of international experience in corporate and institutional banking in Australia, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
“As the organization targets to become globally leading HR service provider, the success of Bó Lè Associates is essential and key priority,” said Mr. Nakashige. “We are pleased to have David, who is an international professional with extensive experiences of leadership and business acumen in performance driven enterprises,” he said. “David is a proven chief executive who has previously managed a multi-million dollar Chinese-owned business in APAC in addition to decades of corporate accolades in banking.”
That sentiment is echoed by Mr. Zhuang. “It’s rare to find an individual who can be both a great people manager as well as a top performer,” he said.
Established in 1996, Bó Lè Associates offers executive search and consulting expertise aligned with international quality. The firm has more than 400 consultants well versed in their respective industries. Since 2013, Bó Lè Associates has placed over 18,000 successful candidates.
Leadership Appointments Rising at Search Firms
Leadership appointments have been gaining traction at executive search firms in recent months. Here’s a look at several taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
U.K.-headquartered Armstrong Craven, a specialist executive search and intelligence consultancy, has named Tom Mason as its new CEO. Mr. Mason previously served as senior vice president at Pontoon Solutions, part of the Adecco Group. Before that, he was a partner at boutique firm Mason McLoud and managing director for EMEA at Allegis Global Solutions.
U.K.-based executive search and interim firm Holmes Noble appointed Donna Chapman as its CEO. Her experience at board level includes mergers and acquisitions, commercial directorship, HR, talent strategies and growth through successful leadership for listed companies, privately-owned and private equity-backed organizations.
Non-profit executive recruiters Higher Talent appointed Mindy Cohen as president and managing partner. Ms. Cohen has been instrumental in establishing the firm’s dedication to educational institutions and non-profits across the country over the past 15 years. She has recruited senior executives, nationally and internationally, for non-profit organizations…
Lois L. Lindauer Searches (LLLS) named Deb Taft as its new CEO. The carefully planned changeover comes as the firm celebrates its 20th anniversary. Chosen by founder Lois L. Lindauer to lead the firm into the next era, Ms. Taft brings over 25 years senior-level development and executive management experience to the role.
Sales-focused executive recruitment provider TwentyPine has promoted Jamie Coakley to CEO. In her new role she is responsible for leading growth strategy and execution of the company’s long-term vision across operations, sales and marketing. Ms. Coakley has a history of re-energizing growth and profitability for mature recruiting and staffing companies.
Heidrick & Struggles recently named Krishnan Rajagopalan as its new president and CEO. Mr. Rajagopalan has served as acting CEO since Tracy Wolstencroft took a medical leave of absence in April. Based in Washington, D.C., 57-year-old Mr. Rajagopalan also leads the firm’s executive committee. He has been with Heidrick for 16 years.
San-Francisco-headquartered executive search firm O’Rourke & Associates appointed Rebecca Bower as president. Ms. Bower is widely regarded as a top leadership advisor with a career that spans nearly 25 years in human resources, management, training and sales. O’Rourke & Associates specializes in credit union industry recruiting.
Ratliff & Taylor appointed Beth Sweeney as its president, where she now has full profit-and-loss responsibility for each of the company’s three practices: executive search, leadership development and career transition. Ms. Sweeney previously served as market president at the firm.
Executive search firm Cobalt Recruitment tapped James Wakefield as its CEO. Mr. Wakefield joined Cobalt in 2007 coming from the management team at Michael Page in London. In 2009, Mr. Wakefield moved to the UAE to help Cobalt establish a presence in the region, and in 2014 he was promoted to international managing director.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
