McDermott & Bull Opens Office in Vancouver

September 18, 2018 – Irvine, CA-based search firm McDermott & Bull has expanded in Canada with the addition of a new office in Vancouver. Paul Gibbons, a 20-year search and talent acquisition executive, joins the firm as managing partner and will lead the firm’s expansion throughout Canada.

“The No. 1 complaint I hear from businesses who deal with search firms is the time it takes to complete a search,” said Rod McDermott, CEO of McDermott & Bull. “We’ve spent 18 years refining our high-touch process and can have interim executives placed within a week and permanent positions filled inside of three months, where the industry average is between 120 to 150 days. After doing diligence on the Canadian market, we believe there is a strong demand for our approach and are thrilled to have Paul leading the charge for us,” he said.

Mr. Gibbons has been a driving force in identifying, attracting and placing hundreds of executives from various industries, markets and functional disciplines throughout North America and Asia. Most recently, he was a director with WMC (Western Management Consultant). Before that, he was with People First Solutions, a boutique Canadian-based recruitment and executive search firm.

Mr. Gibbon is currently president of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association, a bilateral trade organization focused on increasing trade between Asia and Canada.

McDermott & Bull said that Mr. Gibbons “plans to recruit like-minded search consultants to support U.S.-based clients who are expanding into Canada and Canadian-based companies who require high value permanent and interim executives to strengthen their organizations.”

“I’m excited to be part of an organization that is known for being efficient, responsive and nimble,” said Paul Gibbons, managing partner of McDermott & Bull Canada. “The firm is led by a very entrepreneurial management team and their mindset and industry bench strength, coupled with their ability to fill searches with top talent quickly, is what attracted me to join.”

“In addition to being a best-in-class permanent and interim executive search firm, McDermott & Bull’s Executive Network, which serves executives in transition, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Gibbons said. “We intend to take the playbook the U.S. team has thoughtfully created and infuse that same energy into the Canadian market. I truly believe we have the right recipe for success and am very excited to be leading this effort.”

McDermott & Bull was founded in 2001 and is now the 29th largest executive search firm in the Americas, where it serves clients in the technology, financial services, manufacturing, biotech & life sciences, retail and professional services sectors. Since the advent of MB Interim Leaders in 2011, McDermott & Bull has served both the permanent and interim needs of its clients.

Growth in Canada

A number of executive search firms have experienced growth in Canada in recent months. Here’s a look at a few examples from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

The Bedford Consulting Group has expanded with the addition of David MacPherson as the firm’s newest partner. He leads Bedford’s global power and industrial practice from the firm’s Ontario offices. Mr. MacPherson has over 20 years of senior executive search experience, focused on identifying and placing outstanding leaders for his clients in energy and technology. 

Odgers Berndtson expanded in Western Canada with appointment of Stephen Diotte to partner and head of leadership services for the Western region, as well as the firm’s new Canadian energy sector expert. Mr. Diotte has deep consulting experience in working with leaders globally around talent and organizational strategy and redesign, specifically focused on the energy sector.

Sunrise, FL-based executive search firm StevenDouglas expanded into Canada with the opening of a new office in Toronto. Navinder Binning, who joined the firm as vice president, is leading the executive search business in the Canadian region, said the firm. Her focus will be to further develop the recruiters’ presence by delivering high-caliber talent for Canada’s leading industries.

The Bedford Consulting Group has expanded with the addition of John Marshall as partner, covering Western Canada. Based in the firm’s new Vancouver office, he will lead executive search and talent advisory services for clients of all industries in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Pedersen & Partners appointed Keith Labbett as a client partner and the country manager for Canada. He will be based in Toronto. Opened in 2008, the Canadian office of Pedersen & Partners provides talent solutions and senior management placements for the local market. The team largely focuses on the industrial and technology sectors.

Odgers Interim Canada, the executive interim division of Odgers Berndtson, has expanded naming Andrew Dmytryk and Camille Petitti to its Canadian team. With more than a decade of search experience, Mr. Dmytryk joined the firm from a Canadian IT consulting organization called ADGA Group Consultants. He is focused on the expansion of the firm’s executive interim offering.

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