Kalon Executive Search Announces Launch
October 6, 2023 – Veteran search consultant Liesl Bernard has launched Kalon Executive Search and Staffing, a new health and wellness recruiting firm focused on the health, wellness, and beauty industries. The firm will concentrate on finding executive talent in all sectors in the market from CPG, food and beverage, vitamins and supplements, personal care, organics, and natural cosmetics.
“For the last seven years, our team has been laser focused on establishing CannabizTeam – Executive Search and Staffing as the premier staffing firm exclusively focused on the cannabis industry,” Ms. Bernard said. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made: we have a database of more than 400,000 skilled workers, have placed thousands of candidates a year at companies across the U.S. and internationally and we offer a range of services – from executive search to temporary staffing to outplacement services.”
“Recently, we’ve received a number of requests to help health and wellness companies hire top talent,” said Ms. Bernard. “Why? Because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has called for the reclassification of cannabis as a Schedule III, and health and wellness and cannabis are converging.”
Ms. Bernard has more than 25 years of experience in global executive search and staffing. She is passionate about fitness, health and wellness, and is known for her entrepreneurial spirit and experience building teams. Before founding CannabizTeam in 2016, Ms. Bernard held numerous leadership roles at Robert Half – the premier retained executive search firm. While at Robert Half, held various leadership roles including managing director for executive search, business development director for management resources, and managing director for Robert Half Technology in Australia.
“For those of you who know me, you know I’m passionate about health and wellness,” Ms. Bernard said. “Working out, yoga, cycling, meditation, supplements, and cannabis are critical parts of my daily routine. And I’m not alone; health and wellness are deeply rooted in our culture at CannabizTeam. We all consider cannabis an important category within the health and wellness industry and a natural extension of our business. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce Kalon Executive Search and Staffing.”
“Looking ahead, CannabizTeam will continue to operate as usual, providing cannabis companies with the same level of service,” said Ms. Bernard. “Kalon will operate independently, and its services include executive search, fractional executives, direct hire and temporary staffing. We chose the term Kalon because it’s inspired by the wisdom of Ancient Greek philosophy and embodies the essence of inner beauty. We sought a name that symbolizes the deep love we hold for the realms of health and wellness.”
CannabizTeam has 10 offices in eight states across the U.S. Since its inception in 2016, the search firm has placed top candidates from entry level to specialized C-suite leadership at private and public cannabis companies in North America and Europe. Multi-state clients include TerrAscend, Justice Grown, Ascend Wellness Holdings, Jushi, LEEF Holdings, NewTropic, and Benzinga.
Newly Launched
In the past year, a handful of new search firms have been launched. Here’s a look at a recent sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Veteran executive search consultant Ross Johnston recently launched Centric Search in the U.K. The firm focuses on founder-led, investor-backed technology companies recruit leadership team members at VP and C-level. Centric works with some of the fastest-growing technology vendors across Europe, typically partnering with companies from seed round through series C+. Hunt Scanlon Media recently asked Mr. Johnston about what led to the creation of his new firm and he pointed out two things. “Early-stage companies were caught in between – needing the quality of a top-tier search firm but the speed, flexibility, and more reasonable price point of a more contingent firm,” he said. “Centric solves this need and bridges this gap. Most search firms are not focused on this stage of growth – they are either functional specialists or big broad catch-all search firms and doing most of their work with later stage or public companies.”
Executive search firm Value Creation Talent LLC (VCT) has been launched by veteran consultant Christopher Langhoff to focus on recruiting corporate officers for private equity and select corporate clients. “The traditional search model has become too transactional leading to misalignment between the interests of the client and of the search firm,” Mr. Langhoff said in a LinkedIn post. “In short, the industry is more focused on its top-line revenue numbers than on learning about clients’ specific needs and taking action to support its value-creation agenda.”
Executive search and HR veteran Howard Glenn has launched Heritage Executive Search in Birmingham, AL. “I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Heritage Executive Search,” said Mr. Glenn. “After countless conversations and a lot of planning, I’ve taken the entrepreneurial leap to start my own executive recruitment and talent advisory business. My goal is to partner with business owners and management teams to attract, hire, and retain transformational talent,” he said. “My guiding principles are simple: have a transparent process, offer a deep level of service, provide flexible fee structures, and deliver on tough assignments. With over a decade of experience in executive search, assessment, and strategy, we can provide a range of customized talent solutions.”
Matthew Eley launched Elite Search Partners in London, with the mission of helping search firms themselves find talent. “Our dedicated consultants have a successful track record of sourcing and placing partners, managing partners, associates, and researchers globally,” said Mr. Eley. “In addition to our retained services, we provide regular market insights and consultation to both existing and prospective clients on the latest market trends, competitor activities, and in a market overly concerned with tradition and maintaining outdated processes, we bring a new energy.” Mr. Eley primarily focuses on the U.K. and European markets across multiple sectors. He is joined by senior consultant Reece Moran, who heads up the growth of the North American market. Working across multiple industries within those geographies, Mr. Moran specializes in partner, managing partner, and C-level searches.
Legal recruiters Dan Hatch, Jennifer Henderson, and Michelle Fivel have launched Hatch Henderson Fivel (HHF), a legal search firm with a presence in both California and New York. The firm is focused on helping lawyers find their career paths while also helping law firms find the best legal talent for their unique needs. With over 60 combined years of experience, HHF’s partners have backgrounds in making long-term placements for top regional, national, and international law firms. All three of the firm’s partners practiced law at major law firms prior to becoming recruiters, and previously worked together at the global legal recruiting firm of Major Lindsey & Africa (MLA). Mr. Hatch most recently was a founding partner at Hatch Gamble Brown LLC, while Ms. Henderson and Ms. Fivel were most recently partners at MLA.
When looking to fill an executive role, finding a value-aligned candidate is vital to your company’s future. Nexus Search Partners, an executive search and advisory firm in Charlotte, NC, was launched last year by Thaddeus Jones with this in mind. “At Nexus Search Partners, our team is reimagining the executive search process built on four comprehensive pillars,” said Mr. Jones, managing partner. After nearly two decades of leading human resources talent management teams for some of the world’s largest companies, including Amazon, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Target, Mr. Jones brings a wealth of industry knowledge to Nexus Search Partners. He most recently served as executive vice president and chief talent officer for Red Ventures, a multi-billion dollar operating private equity company with more than 21 companies in its portfolio. It is also one of the largest digital media companies in the U.S.
Veteran executive search consultant Shawn Woessner has launched Altair Executive Search in Minneapolis, MN. Altair was founded to cater to small- and mid-market organizations as they look to find top-quality talent to drive significant enterprise value. “The global firms have largely ignored serving our targeted clients,” said Mr. Woessner. “Our white-glove, customized search approach combined with our deep personal relationships with the market will surely delight companies and candidates alike.” Altair focuses on leading senior level, national search assignments. Mr. Woessner has completed numerous chief executive officer and functional head searches across engineering, finance, human resources, information technology, legal, operations, and sales and marketing. Altair provides search engagements in a wide variety of industries, such as: agribusiness, consumer, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, private equity, services, technology, and transportation.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
