Kestria Adds New Member Firm in Switzerland
May 8, 2023 – Kestria, formerly known as IRC Global Executive Search Partners, has added Zurich-based executive search firm Viavanta as its newest member firm. “We are thrilled to welcome Viavanta as our new member in Switzerland,” said Stepan Motejzik, Kestria global alliance director. “As a leading executive search alliance, we recognize the importance of the Swiss market, which is a critical economy worldwide with extensive international exposure and substantial business opportunities.”
“With Viavanta, we have a new strong partner who will help all Kestria members serve their local and international clients who are based in Switzerland or invest within the territory,” Mr. Motejzik said. “We look forward to collaborating with Viavanta and delivering exceptional executive search services in Switzerland.”
Founded in 2016, Viavanta has a track record in the following industries: consumer and retail, technology, and industrial / production. In addition, the firm regularly leads senior management mandates in other industries.
‘It is a great honor for us to represent Switzerland as an important hub in Europe and the world within the global alliance and we are very excited to move into the future together with Kestria,” said Philipp Mathieu, who becomes managing partner, Kestria Switzerland. “Since our first contact with Kestria, we have been impressed by the alignment of our values and understanding of executive search with those of Kestria. By building personal relationships with members around the world, regular knowledge sharing, and active global collaboration, Viavanta will take a big step in the company’s history.”
Swiss Market
Switzerland has a stable, prosperous, and high-tech economy and in multiple rankings is listed as the wealthiest country in the world per capita. It is home to several large multinational corporations, which has helped make it an attractive area for search firms to expand.
Related: Kestria Adds Pender & Howe to Network
Switzerland is home to several large multinational corporations. The largest Swiss companies by revenue are Glencore, Gunvor, Nestlé, Novartis, Hoffmann-La Roche, ABB, Mercuria Energy Group, and Adecco. Switzerland’s most important economic sector is manufacturing, which consists largely of the production of specialist chemicals, health and pharmaceutical goods, scientific and precision measuring instruments, and musical instruments.
Kestria Names Agribusiness and Agriscience EMEA Practice Leader
Kestria has named San-Marie Barnard as agribusiness and agriscience EMEA practice leader. “I am pleased to welcome San-Marie to our team,” said Patrick Westerburger, managing partner of Kestria Netherlands. “The agricultural sector is changing rapidly thanks to innovations on all fronts. San-Marie understands better than anyone the type of leaders that our clients need to turn innovations into real business success.” Ms. Barnard, principal consultant with Kestria South Africa and USA, brings a global approach to executive search with her experience leading executive and C-level recruitment projects in a range of industry sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa, the U.S., South America, and MENA.
Kestria has partners in over 40 countries and 90 cities across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The consortium has completed more than 40,000 assignments for more than 4,000 clients, from game-changing start-ups to major global players.
Recent Addition
Kestria recently added Invictus Hill in Zambia, Africa as a member firm. “Africa is an exciting part of the world in terms of growth, development, and new opportunities,” said Rohan Carr, Kestria’s president. “We look forward to a long and happy association with our new member and to assisting them further develop their business.” Invictus Hill, now billed as Kestria Zambia, has experience across the executive search, legal, and commercial spectrum having acted for a variety of clients in different segments of the business. “Invictus Hill is committed to assisting clients to achieve their commercial objectives in the most effective and efficient way possible while maintaining the highest level of advisory excellence,” Kestria said.
With over 14 years of my experience as a human resource practitioner and being registered with the Zambia Institute of Human Resource Management (ZIHRM), I’m extremely excited by this opportunity to join Kestria Global,” said Lusungu Kayela, managing partner, Kestria Zambia. “As a team, we will strive to achieve more. We are ready to serve our clients in line with our values of family, empathy, and integrity and building lasting professional collaborations globally.”
Related: Kestria Names Americas Practice Leader for its Technology Practice Group
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
