Kennedy Executive Search Makes Senior Appointments

January 11, 2023 – Kennedy Executive Search, a network of independent executive search firms, has elected Veerle Van De Vijver as president and György Kobelrausch as vice president. Former president Pablo Perella-Berdun will remain active as vice president of special projects. In 2023, Kennedy’s legal entity will also transition from an EIG to a limited liability company, allowing the network more flexibility to grow and act as a trading partner.

“With Veerle and György at the helm, we leave Kennedy in trusted and capable hands,” said Mr. Perella-Berdun. “We look forward to the future for Kennedy with great confidence and enthusiasm.”

Ms. Van De Vijver is the managing partner of Tavernier & Van De Vijver, Kennedy’s Belgian partner with offices in Ghent and Antwerp. She joined the Kennedy network in 2021 with her business partner Luc Tavernier, with whom she founded Tavernier & Van De Vijver in 2014.

Mr. Kobelrausch is the managing partner of Ikelosz, Kennedy’s partner office in Budapest, Hungary, that he founded in 2010. In 2017, he was one of the first partners to join the Kennedy network

New Entity Structure 

In 2023, one of the key projects is the evolution from an Economic Interest Growth Group, a type of Consortium, to a BV, a business limited liability corporation in Belgium.

Related: Kennedy Executive Search Appoints Practice Leader

“The restructuring creates a platform to incorporate new partners and benefits clients by simplifying contractual engagements, reinforcing their preferred lead partner’ role as the steward of the quality of project delivery wherever they have executive talent selection and development needs,” Kennedy said.

Diversity and Inclusion

Furthermore, Ms. Van De Vijver wants to strengthen the focus on diversity and inclusion. “Within the network, many initiatives have already been set up for this by our practice team led by partner Caroline Frisenberg, and our partners have made great strides in this area,” she said. “I want to make sure these best client success stories help all partners and their customers elevate their organizations to be truly inclusive and diverse in all geographies they operate.”

Mr. Kobelrausch will focus on the firm’s marketing efforts, to take the Kennedy brand to the next level, and further build on the image of trust Kennedy represents. One of the marketing effort’s aims is to attract new partners in markets Kennedy is not active in yet. “For me and the other Central European partners, a network partner in Poland would be very welcome,” Mr. Kobelrausch said. “But we also hope to attract new partners in the United Kingdom, India, and China.”

Kennedy Executive Search offers “360 talent management,” as the firm calls it, from executive search to coaching during a placement’s integration period, and a host of other talent and leadership consulting services.

New Member Firm

Kennedy recently added Dublin-based Vista Executive Search as its first partner in Ireland. Vista becomes the 15th partner firm for Kennedy, bringing the total number of offices in Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia to 24. “Many of the world’s most successful companies have chosen Ireland as a critical hub for their global headquarters, R&D centers, and manufacturing and service operations,” said Mr. Perella-Berdun. “Ireland has incredible talent and is well-known for the highly developed ecosystem fostering innovation for many industries.”

Vista Executive Search offers executive search services to clients in the technology, media, and telecoms sectors. Clients include eBay, FreeNow, Capita, Digicel, Centric Health, and Three Ireland. The firm was founded in 2016 by Bob Hoffman and Ann Donehy.

Related: Kennedy Executive Search Adds New Member Firm in Japan

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

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