Kingsley Gate Expands Across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific

December 19, 2023 – As it continues to expand its international footprint, private equity-backed Kingsley Gate has announced six new partner appointments in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific as the firm continues to expand its international footprint. “We are excited that our vision is resonating and that we have the privilege of welcoming six new partners across four continents,” said Francesca d’Arcangeli, COO of Kingsley Gate. “Our proven methodologies, technology innovation and culture is a strong combination we are proud to share with our new partners. Their extensive experience will strengthen our capabilities across key sectors and geographies.”
Three partners have joined Kingsley Gate’s growing consumer practice and will be based in North America. Christine Sobhani has been appointed senior partner in New York City. She has over 20 years of recruitment experience and is a leader in the talent acquisition and talent management space with a focus on HR and leadership roles across industries. Ms. Sobhani joins Kingsley Gate from August Leadership where she was responsible for key consumer accounts. Prior to that, she was managing director at Allegis Partners’ New York office, and vice president of global client solutions at Korn Ferry.
Gail Winans joins Kingsley Gate as a partner in Cleveland, OH, from L Brands where she was VP of human resources and managed executive talent acquisition, retention and development. She has more than 25 years’ experience in executive search specializing in the consumer, retail, and professional services sectors. Previously, Ms. Winans was head of partner recruiting at McKinsey & Company’s global consumer practice. She has also been a talent acquisition director for Hewlett-Packard.
Kristina Kalkman also joins Kingsley Gate’s North American team in Portland, OR, as a partner. She is a former entrepreneur who works with CEOs and founders of privately held companies from startups to Fortune 100s. Ms. Kalkman specializes in the food & beverage, hospitality, retail, and FMCG sectors. Most recently, she was a partner at August Leadership. Ms. Kalkman is also an invited member of Chief, a private network for the development of senior women leaders.
Dickon Moon has joined the technology practice as a partner and is based in London. He has more than 20 years’ experience in recruitment and a specialism working with VC backed companies across EMEA. Mr. Moon also advises founders on the scale-up of their businesses and has a strong network of VC and PE contacts on both sides of the Atlantic. Previously, he was at technology specialist True Search, where he built foundation talent in the EMEA. Mr. Moon has also held in-house recruitment roles at Yahoo! and Betfair.
Vinay Parwal has joined Kingsley Gate’s Singapore office as a partner. Previously, he was managing director and head of the Singapore office of Executive Access where he spearheaded business development in Southeast Asia. Mr. Parwal specializes in finance with a track-record in investment banking, capital markets, fixed income and credit funds. He has also worked for the Hong Kong office of Korn Ferry.
Carlos Ramirez has joined Kingsley Gate’s Venezuela office as a partner. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in the financial, telecommunications and manufacturing industries with a focus on corporate finance, process redesign, and strategic planning. Mr. Ramirez joins Kingsley Gate from Deloitte where he was a Consulting Partner responsible for strategy, analytics and M&A and also spent time at Aquanima and A.T.Kearney. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and Brazilian Portuguese.
Founded in 2015, Kingsley Gate recruits senior leadership for private equity and venture capital portfolio businesses and Fortune 100 companies. Headquartered in New York, the firm employs consultants and recruiters with expertise in private equity, life sciences, financial services, technology, manufacturing, and professional services. Kingsley Gate has completed searches with over 1,700 clients in 33 countries.
Recent Acquisitions
In September, Kingsley Gate acquired Seeliger y Conde, an executive search and leadership advisory firm in Spain. “Despite the unquestionable importance of Spain as a key vertex of North American, European, and Latin American enterprise, this partnership goes beyond mere geographical strengths,” said Eduardo Antunovic, chief client officer and senior partner at Kingsley Gate. “At the end of the day, it’s a merging of the most prestigious executive talent brand in Spain with an innovative, future-ready, and disruptive firm… the birth of a new incumbent.”
Related: Kingsley Gate Names Leader of Financial Services Practice for the Middle East and Asia-Pacific
The Seeliger y Conde team, led by their president, Luis Conde, will form a part of Kingsley Gate’s global operations. “The goal of this acquisition by Kingsley Gate is to reinforce our position in the European market, expanding the scope of our impact to Latin America and the United States as well,” Mr. Conde said. “We’re also going to be incorporating Kingsley Gate’s proprietary search approach, HELIA, which will help us improve the rigor, quality, and agility of our existing client service.”
Earlier this year, Kingsley Gate acquired London-headquartered The Omerta Group (TOG), an executive search firm specializing in financial services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “To have a truly global financial services practice, you must be in three locations: New York, London, and Hong Kong,” said Umesh Ramakrishnan, CEO of Kingsley Gate. “This acquisition strengthens our position in these key markets.”
Crescent Cove Advisors Takes Equity Stake in Kingsley Gate
Kingsley Gate secured an investment from Crescent Cove Advisors, a multi-asset investment firm focused on technology investments. The equity partnership is expected to fuel the search firm’s growth through global expansion and accelerate a push into talent acquisition AI-enabled software. Umesh Ramakrishnan, one of Kingsley Gate’s co-founders, has been named CEO. “First, I want to thank my co-founders Nancy Albertini and Buster Houchins,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan. “We would not be at this exciting juncture without them. The partnership with Crescent Cove Advisors is a testament to the value that Kingsley Gate has created in just a little over six years. This partnership will ensure that we will continue to disrupt this industry through innovation, continuous improvement of the search process and further attracting world-class talent.”
The Omerta Group will complement Kingsley Gate’s strength in the U.S. and will accelerate the firm’s growing footprint across the U.K., continental Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. The acquisition brings the addition of 50 experienced global financial services specialists and also builds on Kingsley Gate’s existing financial services expertise, particularly in asset management.
The Omerta Group’s clients include investment banks, investment managers, private equity, hedge funds, quantitative trading platforms, exchanges, sovereign wealth funds, commodity trading houses, and firms within the digital asset and blockchain ecosystem. Jason Mort, founder and CEO of The Omerta Group, will serve as leader of Kingsley Gate’s global financial services practice and has also been appointed to the firm’s global leadership team.
Related: Kingsley Gate Expands in London
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media