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On November 13, 2025, Hunt Scanlon Ventures is convening top executive search firm leaders, private equity investors, and M&A advisors at The Harvard Club of New York to explore the latest trends shaping dealmaking in the industry. As M&A activity continues to evolve, executive search firms are leveraging acquisitions, capital raises, and private equity partnerships to drive growth and stay competitive in a rapidly shifting market.

Agenda

Welcome

A Special Thanks To Our Premier Sponsors

7:15AM-8:45AM

REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST

 

 

Rob Adams
8:45AM-8:50AM

Opening Remarks

Rob Adams Moderator – Hunt Scanlon Media
Clint Johnson
Cole Daill
8:50AM-9:20AM

Maximizing Investment Potential With a Growth Capital Partner

Clint Johnson President – CenterPeak Cole Daill Vice President – Main Street Capital Corporation

If search firm founders are in need of anything right now it is finding the right growth capital partner to help diversify wealth, achieve liquidity, complete a management buyout, or execute mergers and acquisitions. In this insightful presentation, Clint Johnson – president of legal recruiting powerhouse CenterPeak, and Cole Daill – vice president at Main Street Capital, will discuss the formation of their growth capital relationship — and how that partnership has set the stage for rapid growth and expansion at one of the nation’s fastest growing search firms. They will explore how entrepreneurs, business owners, management teams and financial sponsors can work together through minority partnerships to maximize investment potential and generate wealth for owners.

9:20AM-9:35AM

AUDIENCE Q&A

Kevin D. McVeigh
9:35AM-10:05AM

How to Assess Investment Opportunities in Executive Search

Kevin D. McVeigh Managing Director – UBS Securities, LLC

In this special presentation, Kevin D. McVeigh – a well-respected Americas equity research analyst at UBS Securities – will examine how investors, and Wall Street, assess and evaluate executive search firms. His presentation will explore why the sector is ripe for investment – and why merger & acquisition activity is surging across the human capital space. Based on UBS global market intelligence, he will survey the risks and valuation metrics that investors use when appraising investments in the sector. He will also provide his views on the measures that executive search firms can take to stimulate growth, attract capital investments, and foster M&A.

10:05AM-10:20AM

AUDIENCE Q&A

10:20AM-11:05AM

Special Extended Networking Break

Moderator: Nada Usina
11:05AM-11:35AM

Strategic Acquirer vs. Private Equity Sponsor

Moderator: Nada Usina CEO & Co-Founder – NU Advisory Partners

There has been a mad rush to acquire or invest in recruitment firms around the globe. From Denver to Dubai to Delhi strategic acquirers have been lining up alongside deep-pocketed private equity firms to plant a stake in the human capital sector – one of the fastest growing areas of professional services. Choosing the right partner is arguably the most important decision a founder or management team can make as they consider transition alternatives and exits. Getting it right is their main objective and depends on many factors, including a firm’s growth stage, its market position, and long-term objectives. In this panel discussion, buyers and sellers who have gone through the M&A process will explore value creation in the context of synergies and operational integration which are important levers for strategic buyers vs. financial sponsors who emphasize cash flow generation and growth potential in an underlying market.

Paul Nolan
Executive Chair
Excel Search & Advisory

Brian Meany
Managing Partner, Global Private Equity Practice Co-Leader
ZRG

Manish K Mehta
Chairman
Zemantics Ventures

Larry Dolinko
CEO
Stevenson Search Partners

11:35AM-11:45AM

AUDIENCE Q&A

Drew Seaman
Introduced by: Christopher W. Hunt
11:45AM-11:55AM

Why Human Capital Firms are Now a Cornerstone of Modern Investment Portfolios

Drew Seaman Managing Director – Hunt Scanlon Ventures Introduced by: Christopher W. Hunt President – Hunt Scanlon Media

Private equity is reshaping the human capital sector, driving a new wave of consolidation and strategic investment across executive search, leadership advisory, and talent assessment. As investment confidence builds, firms with recurring revenue, embedded advisory businesses, and AI-enabled platforms are becoming some of the most sought-after assets in professional services. This surge in deal activity – highlighted by Advent and Corvex’s $1.3 billion acquisition of Heidrick & Struggles and KKR’s minority investment in ghSMART – underscores how ‘the leadership business’ has evolved into a true investment class. Drew Seaman, Managing Director at Hunt Scanlon Ventures, will break down the market dynamics fueling this transformation. He will explore valuation trends shaping current transactions and examine why the human capital business is no longer a side category in professional services, but a cornerstone of modern investment portfolios.

Rob Adams
11:55AM-12:00PM

Closing Remarks

Rob Adams Moderator – Hunt Scanlon Media
12:00PM-1:30PM

VIP Champagne Reception

Sponsored by:

 

On November 13, 2025, Hunt Scanlon Ventures is convening top executive search firm leaders, private equity investors, and M&A advisors at The Harvard Club of New York to explore the latest trends shaping dealmaking in the industry. As M&A activity continues to evolve, executive search firms are leveraging acquisitions, capital raises, and private equity partnerships to drive growth and stay competitive in a rapidly shifting market.

Successfully navigating today’s complex M&A landscape requires strategic insight, expert guidance, and the right partnerships. This exclusive gathering will take you inside the latest deals, examining how investors are evaluating search firms, structuring transactions, and identifying opportunities for long-term value creation. Whether you are considering a sale, a merger, or attracting outside investment, this forum provides the intelligence and connections needed to make informed, high-impact decisions.

Powering Growth Through Precision Dealmaking‘, will feature leaders including; Clint Johnson, President – CenterPeak; Drew Seaman, Managing Director – Hunt Scanlon Ventures; Beth Rustin, Co-Head of Asset Management – Jamesbeck ZRG; Cole Daill, Vice President – Main Street Capital Corporation; Paul Nolan, Executive Chair – Excel Search & Advisory; Nada Usina, CEO & Co-Founder – NU Advisory Partners; Larry Dolinko, CEOStevenson Search Partners; Kevin McVeigh, Managing Director – UBS Securities, LLC; Manish Mehta, Chairman– Zemantics Ventures; Brian Meany, Managing Partner ZRG Partners.

Harvard Club of New York City
35 West 44th Street, NY 10036

(Cancellation notice: any passes canceled within 90 days of each conference will not be refunded. Sponsorships non-refundable.)

Speakers

Cole Daill, Vice President – Main Street Capital Corporation

Cole Daill is a Vice President on our Lower Middle Market investment team and has been with the firm in various roles since 2023. Mr. Daill supports our investment team by sourcing new investment opportunities and leading the evaluation of new investment opportunities, including investment underwriting, due diligence and documentation. Mr. Daill is also active in leading the post-investment management of a portfolio of Lower Middle Market companies.

Prior to Main Street, Mr. Daill was an Associate in BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Fund, after beginning his career as an analyst at Morgan Stanley’s energy investment banking group. Mr. Daill graduated from Southern Methodist University, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

Larry Dolinko, CEO – Stevenson Search Partners

Larry is a dynamic, results-driven CEO at Stevenson Search Partners, instrumental in driving operational and strategic expansion during his nearly two-year tenure, reinforcing the firm’s position as a premier total talent solutions provider. Larry is a transparent and communicative leader who empowers his teams and fosters a culture of high performance.

Larry’s recent accomplishments at Stevenson demonstrate a clear focus on scaling and professionalizing the business:

· Strategic Planning & Growth: Spearheaded the firm-wide growth strategy, successfully transitioning Stevenson from a lifestyle business to a growth-oriented organization. This included a thoughtful focus on front, middle, and back-office functions, executing a comprehensive overhaul of the internal finance function, as well as prioritizing, assessing and implementing new technologies to create further efficiencies.

· Operational Excellence: Focused on achieving near and long-term scalability by hiring a new full-time Controller and elevating key leaders into new revenue-generating and execution-focused roles, continuously driving operational excellence across the company.

· Service Line Expansion: Launched and scaled the On-Demand Talent Solutions service offering, transforming the firm’s go-to-market approach and allowing Stevenson to go deeper and wider with new and existing clients. This new division established a critical, high-margin revenue stream and diversified the platform.

· Cross-Sell Synergies: Implemented an incentive-based policy to drive crucial cross-sell efforts across the organization—a key component of the growth strategy that Stevenson continues to successfully execute.

Larry possesses over two decades of experience across the talent solutions industry, bringing a deep understanding of hiring, developing, and retaining top talent. His expertise in M&A and scaling teams and operations is a key differentiator.

Prior to joining Stevenson, Larry served as CEO of The ExecuSearch Group (now Tandym Group). During his tenure, his strategic thinking and entrepreneurial spirit drove significant growth, notably through:

· Acquisitions & Vertical Expansion: Successfully completed and integrated two acquisitions, including a self-sourced proprietary deal, which doubled the size of the Technology vertical to $150 million in top-line revenue.

· Market Leadership: Launched a successful Life Sciences vertical that generated over $25 million in revenue in less than four years and guided the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the firm saw a three-fold increase in revenue.

Clint Johnson, President & CEO – CenterPeak

As President and Chief Executive Officer of CenterPeak, Clint leads the Board of Directors and is renowned as one of the foremost law firm partner recruiters in the world. His extensive track record includes placing hundreds of partners and facilitating the opening of over 30 new offices for elite law firms.

Clint established Johnson Downie in 2007, transforming it into a dominant force in the Texas legal market with an unmatched lateral partner placement record. His ambition to consolidate the nation’s top legal recruiters under a single banner drove the transformative merger of Johnson Downie and Lippman Jungers, ultimately culminating in the creation of CenterPeak.

Clint has a passion for developing elite teams. His work in developing a collaborative professional services model has resulted in an environment of teamwork with market-changing results. Clint prides himself in the relationships he builds with clients, helping the world’s strongest law firms…..get stronger. He has been recognized repeatedly in Lawdragon’s Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting.

Kevin D. McVeigh, Managing Director – UBS Securities, LLC.

Kevin D. McVeigh is a Managing Director in Equity Research based in New York covering Business Process Management and IT Services. Mr. McVeigh joined UBS from Credit Suisse where he had been since 2018. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, he was at Deutsche Bank where he was Head of US Business and Information Services.

Over the last 20+ years in research he has been recognized by Institutional Investor with accolades such as Best Up and Coming Analyst in 2009, several honorable mentions, and top five and seven ranked Business Services analyst in 2017-23. He also ranked 2nd in stock picking by StarMine in 2015 and 2017. Mr. McVeigh has covered the sector for over two decades at several investment firms including Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns.

Prior to Bear Stearns, he was an audit manager at Deloitte. Mr. McVeigh received his Bachelor’s (with honors) in Accountancy from Villanova University and is a CPA in New York.

Brian Meany, Managing Partner – ZRG Partners

Based in New York, Brian co-leads the firm’s Global Private Equity Practice. He specializes in the recruitment of CEOs, Boards of Directors, and C-suite leaders. Previously he led ZRG’s Global Consumer Practice. His consumer client work includes Global CPG and Retail, Restaurants, Middle Market Consumer, Pure Play Digital, Hospitality and Leisure. Brian’s clients include public, private equity-backed, and founder-led models.

In his 30-plus years of executive search, Brian spent 25 years as Managing Director with Herbert Mines Associates, focused on retail and consumer client work. He also led their Global Search Group partnership, working with international partners and clients. He began his career at Korn Ferry International.

Brian’s client work is focused on recruiting Chief Executive Officers, Presidents, Chief Financial Officers, and C-Suite functional leaders. His category experience is broad and includes perishable and non-perishable consumer products, broadline and specialty retail, foodservice, consumer services, hospitality and leisure. Brian has significant experience recruiting portfolio company leaders for private equity clients, including assessing teams for new and potential acquisitions and building teams to support growth and exit strategies.

Manish K. Mehta, Chairman – Zemantics Ventures

As Chairman and Founder of multiple organizations, Manish has successfully led global teams, spearheaded product development, optimized operations, and executed high impact sales, marketing, and corporate finance strategies. His expertise spans Startups,
Mergers and Acquisitions, Go-To-Market Strategies, Artificial Intelligence, Regulatory Compliance, and Supply Chain Management. Known for his multicultural perspective, strategic foresight, and risk management acumen, he has a comprehensive skill set to navigate and solve complex business challenges.

As the Founder of Zemantics Ventures (ZV), Manish focuses on deploying capital into high-growth companies, leveraging his extensive network to access exceptional opportunities. ZV plays an active investor role, partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs to create market-driven solutions that blend cutting-edge technology, expert leadership,
sound structuring, and strategic financing. Through collaborations with industry leaders, subject matter experts, and key stakeholders, ZV aims to co-create value, drive innovation, and maximize shareholder returns.

With a strong foundation in business strategy, technology, and finance, Manish remains committed to building, scaling, and investing in companies that solve real-world problems and create sustainable long-term value.

Paul Nolan, Executive Chair – Excel Search Advisory

Paul Nolan is the founder of Nolan Partners, the biggest firm in the world dedicated to Executive search in Sport and Sport related industries.

Following a career in HR, spanning 2 decades, 3 different industries and culminating in the role of HRD at The English FA/Wembley stadium, Paul launched Nolan Partners to address a gap in the market in the UK to provide executive search services for senior leadership positions in the sports industry.

Having had great success in the UK market building significant market share, the business faced the challenge of how to scale and landed on a strategy of geographical expansion into North America in 2016. Applying the same principles that had enabled its success in the UK, Nolan
Partners quickly gained a significant share of the market and with offices in New York and Dallas has now become the market leader in the executive search space in sports in North America.

Having now worked with 37 different sports in 31 countries, in addition to sport related businesses in the media and entertainment industries around the world, the business has firmly established itself as the global leader in its field.

In 2022, with the global success of the business clear to both competitors and potential investors, the shareholders of Nolan Partners, having built significant capital value, agreed to an acquisition by Excel Sports Management in New York.

Key to the transaction and vital to value creation was the strong and consistent financial performance over a 17 year period, a strong brand and global footprint, strong leadership team with recognised successors beyond the founder and a clear pattern of decreasing dependence
for revenue on Paul Nolan over a long period of time.

The business has recently rebranded to Excel Search and Advisory and Paul Nolan serves as Executive Chairman.

Beth Rustin, Co-Head of Asset Management – Jamesbeck ZRG

Beth was a founding partner of Jamesbeck and helped lead the firm’s integration into ZRG.  She began her search career in 1995 with The Whitney Group, where she built and led the firm’s investment management practice. Prior to that, she spent seven years working with money managers at Institutional Investor Conferences as the Head of Sales for the company’s membership organizations. She started her career with Chemical Bank in New York, where she was an analyst in corporate finance. Beth received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, cum laude, from the University of Vermont.

Drew Seaman, Managing Director – Hunt Scanlon Ventures

Drew Seaman is a Managing Director at Hunt Scanlon Ventures. He is responsible for co-managing the firm’s investment portfolio of executive search, talent acquisition, private equity, and investment firms. In addition to sourcing new opportunities and managing the firm’s current investments, Drew leads the technical aspects of client engagements, including valuation and financial analysis and the preparation of investment marketing materials.

Drew began his career in wealth management before joining BMO Capital Markets as an Investment Banking Associate in the Financial Institutions Group. Drew assisted with transaction execution and prepared comprehensive valuation and financial analyses for clients in the specialty finance, asset and wealth management, and insurance sectors.

Drew earned a B.A. in Economics from DePauw University, where he was quarterback on the varsity football team. He earned his M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Nada Usina, CEO & Co-Founder – NU Advisory Partners

Nada Usina is CEO and Co-Founder of NU Advisory Partners, an executive search and advisory firm.

Nada is a recognized industry leader in board, CEO, and C-suite placements across technology, sports, media, entertainment, and industrial sectors. Prior to co-founding NU, she was on the executive committee at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she led the global Technology, Media, Entertainment, and Sports practices.

With over 15 years in executive search, Nada is a trusted advisor to leading PE and VC firms, Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, and boards on leadership, succession planning, and board composition. She’s held executive roles at Nokia, broadcast.com—which IPO’d and was acquired by Yahoo!, where she later held an executive role—and Comcast Ventures-backed XOS Technologies, which she successfully sold and merged with NeuLion. She’s also played key leadership roles with the Florida Sports Foundation, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and Florida State University Athletics.

Sponsors

Premier Sponsors

CenterPeak is the world’s premier legal search firm, renowned for their expertise in strategic expansion and high-impact partner and practice group placements.

For over 20 years, CenterPeak’s founders have been the driving force behind the most significant office openings, group acquisitions and partner placements across the United States. The firm has placed over 2,000 partners and opened more than 40 offices for Am Law 50 firms, with combined practices worth billions of dollars.

The nation’s top legal recruiters are now united under a single brand. CenterPeak’s team is comprised of industry titans across New York, California, Washington, D.C., Texas, Chicago and Miami.

For more information, visit centerpeak.com.

Main Street Capital, based in Houston, Texas, has helped over 200 private companies grow or transition by providing flexible private equity and debt capital solutions. Privately-held businesses turn to them because they are Main Street, not Wall Street–they build relationships and tailor transactions to meet the unique needs of their portfolio companies and those company owners.

For more information, visit mainstcapital.com.

Champagne Reception Sponsor

HelloSky is the first AI powered platform designed to deliver the power of human capital intelligence. HelloSky combines behavioral analytics, sector mapping, and relationship intelligence to equip companies to successfully navigate talent shortages and optimize their workforce.

For more information, visit www.hellosky.ai.

Gold Sponsor

Stevenson is a global leader in executive search and on-demand talent solutions with over 40 years’ experience advising clients who are changing the face of Life Sciences. From stealth mode start-ups to clinical and commercial stage companies, we partner with our clients to build modern executive leadership teams across functions, as well as non-executive boards, for the biotech, pharma, MedTech, HealthTech and CRO/CDMO sectors.

For more information, visit stevensonsearch.com.

Since 1999, ZRG’s data-driven approach to executive and professional search has been changing the way clients think about how to find top talent.

Today, ZRG is one of the fastest growing firms in the executive search and integrated talent solutions space, providing a full suite of executive, middle management, project, and interim search solutions globally through its offices in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.

For more information, visit www.zrgpartners.com.

Lanyard Sponsor

TRANSEARCH International is one of the leading executive search organizations in the world. Headquartered in Europe, the firm has representation in The Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Their global presence allows them to service companies around the world – covering all the major industry sectors.

TRANSEARCH International operates through a matrix structure – organized by geography, industry specialization and functional expertise as well as by additional leadership services. The firm’s clients, whether large or small, global or local, benefit greatly from this structure as they have access to the most relevant resources and relationships wherever they may exist. This enables them to understand their clients’ cultures, operations, business strategies and industries thoroughly.

For more information, visit www.transearch.com.

Exhibitor Sponsors

Recruiterflow is an end-to-end AI-first ecosystem to run and scale your executive search business. Recruiterflow comes equipped with ATS, CRM, Sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation and a host of AI agents.

You can check them out on Recruiterflow.com and request a demo to see how they can help you get an edge in your executive search business.

Networking Sponsors

The Cluen Corporation is a global leader in software solutions built specifically for executive search and talent-driven organizations. Trusted by top retained search firms, Cluen’s flagship platform: Encore Max, empowers consultants to manage relationships, track candidate progress, and drive business development, all in one seamless system. What sets Cluen apart is its deep industry insight: the software is designed from input from thousands of search professionals. Whether you’re working on C-level searches or building long-term client pipelines, Cluen helps you stay ahead with intuitive workflows, powerful reporting tools, and bulletproof data security. With global support teams and decades of experience, Cluen ensures your firm can scale efficiently while maintaining the high-touch service your clients expect. In a fast-moving market where connections are everything, Cluen gives you the edge to source smarter, move faster, and win more business. Join the firms already shaping the future of executive search — powered by Cluen.

For more information, visit cluen.com.

DSG Global is one of the top 10 retained executive search firms in North America. It has nine offices across the U.S. – in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Southern California, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. and global capabilities in 37 countries as the exclusive U.S. partner of Alto Partners. DSG Global delivers leadership talent to its clients using a highly collaborative approach to each search assignment, viewing each one through a broad lens. This allows its consultants to consider all issues – including generational, cultural, ethnic, industry, gender and functional – to bring organizations fresh, high-potential candidates.

For more information, visit www.diversifiedsearch.com.

Elite Sponsor

Kinsley Sarn

Cancellation Policy

(Cancellation notice: any passes canceled within 90 days of each conference will not be refunded. Sponsorships non-refundable.)

Register

Thank you for your interest in attending our upcoming conference, ‘Powering Growth Through Precision Dealmaking,’ to be held on November 13, 2025, at the Harvard Club of New York. The half-day event will begin at 8:00am with continental breakfast, a mid-day Networking break along with very exciting presentations by top professionals in the sector.

We invite you to come learn how the executive search community is reimagining how they can fund their growth and expansion plans, raise capital and prepare for an expansion or exit strategy.


 

Pass Rate: $850

(Cancellation notice: any passes canceled within 90 days of each conference will not be refunded. Sponsorships non-refundable.)