Modern Executive Solutions Appoints Chief Experience Officer

June 12, 2024 – Atlanta-headquartered search firm Modern Executive Solutions has expanded with the addition of Dean Carter as its chief experience officer. “We are thrilled to announce that Dean is the new chief experience officer for Modern,” the search firm said. “At Modern we are building a business and a movement to redefine the future of leadership, a mission that Dean will be instrumental in designing.”

“We believe the future will be built on amazing experiences, so Dean will work across our entire business ecosystem to ensure radical humanity, kindness, rejuvenation, and reimagination is driven across everything we do,” Modern said. “And to elevate the experience for individual executives shaping the future of work, Dean will be working closely with Larry Emond to evolve and expand our world renowned Modern executive roundtable forums into the most exclusive CxO gatherings, events and experiences. In addition, Dean will also be leading the CHRO practice strategy across all solutions to ensure our Fortune 500 CHROs receive the best experience possible. Welcome to the team, Dean.”

Mr. Carter is widely known as an innovative and industry-recognized leader of people and culture for over 20 years as a four-time CHRO across Fortune 50, rapid growth, and culture-driven organizations. Prior to Modern, he served in the role of chief people officer for Guild, Sears Holdings, Fossil. Inc., and Patagonia, where his 10-year chief administrator role spanned across people, culture, finance, and legal functions. Mr. Carter launched his HR career through a variety of progressive leadership roles at Procter&Gamble, Pier 1 Imports, and Pearle Vision. He has served as a public company independent director and chair of both governance and comp committees for Cornerstone OnDemand and currently, an independent director for Griffith Foods, a high-growth Chicago-based privately held sustainable food company. He also serves on tech advisory boards for SemperViren VC, Wellist, and AirVet.

During his career, Mr. Carter’s perspectives on innovation in the future of work and HR, purpose-driven companies, and a regenerative approach to employee experiences have been featured in The Economist, NBC Nightly News, HRBrew, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, CNBC, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, NPR Morning Edition, NPR Marketplace, and The Wall Street Journal as well a range of books and other national publications. He is also a guest lecturer at renowned universities such as the USC Marshall School of Business, UCLA Anderson School of Business, Columbia Business School, the Stanford School of Business, and The University of Texas McCombs School of Business.

“I have a lifetime personal mission to always leave everything and everyone I connect to remarkably better than I find them,” Mr. Carter said. “And the opportunity to drive that every day in full alignment with Modern’s mission is why I’ll be running up the stairs two steps at a time to build a bold and better future and experience for extraordinary humans, companies, and communities beside us.”

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Mark Oppenheimer launched Modern Executive Solutions in 2021. He co-founded the new search outfit with his wife, Michelle Domanico, who serves as chief financial officer. Modern’s purpose, according to Mr. Oppenheimer – who serves as chief executive – is to improve “diverse representation within leadership teams.” The firm has spent months collecting, tracking, and analyzing feedback from hundreds of C-level executives before launching recently.

Customizable Service Approach

Modern bills itself as “an innovative executive search and integrated advisory solutions firm,” underpinned with market intelligence and assessment capabilities – strong points of Mr. Oppenheimer’s while serving in various leadership capacities at Marlin Hawk over a 12-year career with the London-based recruitment provider. As he did with Marlin Hawk, Mr. Oppenheimer addresses client talent needs with a customizable service approach. “We are determined to set a new benchmark for the search industry,” he said.

 Adapting to Today’s Evolving Search Market

In 2023, TRANSEARCH International navigated the challenges of the market with resilience, maintaining revenue levels in comparison to 2022. “Our commitment to adapt and innovate has been the cornerstone of our success, ensuring that we remain well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of our clients and the market at large,” said Celeste Whatley, CEO of TRANSEARCH, in a recent interview with Hunt Scanlon Media. “Now that we are well into 2024, we are embracing an optimistic growth mindset, underpinned by our significant investments in digital solutions and leadership consulting capabilities. By integrating unique digital technologies with comprehensive leadership consulting services, we aim to deliver unparalleled value to our clients, driving both their success and ours.”

Ms. Whatley says that various executive roles were in high demand, reflecting shifts in business priorities, technological advancements, and economic challenges. “Key executive positions that saw surging demand including chief revenue officer, chief financial officer as well as operating partners,” she said. “Especially in private equity, there was a trend towards hiring experienced executives capable of driving results and managing companies through economic uncertainty. The chief information officer, chief technology officer, and CISO positions have also been in demand.”

Modern offers executive search, ‘nouvelle’ assessment – a proprietary methodology designed by the firm that delves into a leader’s personality, motivators, and leadership style to investigate cultural alignment, potential, and a leader’s ability to succeed in new organizations or more complex roles; talent pipelining; succession planning; and executive research.

Chief Experience Officers

A chief experience officer (CXO) is a corporate executive who is responsible for improving the experience for an organization’s customers, employees, partners, suppliers, and contractors. CXOs are a key member of the C-suite and typically report to the CEO, CMO, or COO. When hiring a CXO, most employers look for someone with at least 10 years of experience in a related field, such as sales, marketing, project management, public relations, communications, customer service, or executive positions.

According to CXtoday, The role is similar to that of the chief customer officer, with a slightly broader scope. Primarily, the goal of the chief experience officer is to foster brand and customer loyalty and drive a customer-centric approach to business operations.

In recent years, the question “what is a chief experience officer?” has appeared more frequently online as companies search for ways to optimize their CX initiatives. CXOs collaborate with leaders across departments to create initiatives that increase customer retention and lifetime value.

CXOs are catalysts of customer-obsessed business strategies. They fight for the needs and wants of a company’s customers and guide employees with the tools and knowledge they need to excel. What’s more, CXOs also help design customer experience initiatives, create journey maps, and orchestrate business operations, create journey maps, and orchestrate business operations focusing on CX.

Related: Executive Recruiters Look to Diversification and Human Capital Tailwinds for Growth

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media