Morgan Samuels Appoints Chief Financial and Operations Officer

November 17, 2022 – L.A.-based executive search firm Morgan Samuels has named Jarrod Gray as chief financial and operations officer. “We are delighted to have Jarrod on our team. His strong background in finance, human resources, and business development operations is in direct alignment with our growth strategy goals,” said Bert Hensley, CEO of Morgan Samuels. “He is a world class leader, and we are excited to welcome him to Morgan Samuels.” Mr. Gray has more than 15 years of experience serving as a senior financial executive in distribution and manufacturing environments. He joins Morgan Samuels from The Merchants Company, recently acquired by Performance Food Group, where he led the firm’s financial exit and transition efforts for HR, accounting, and IT functions. While at The Merchants Company, Mr. Gray helped scale the company from $230 million to $850 million in revenue over 15 years.
In his new role with Morgan Samuels, Mr. Gray is responsible for finance, human resources, information technology, and overall business operations. “I am both honored and excited to be joining the Morgan Samuels team,” he said. “This is truly a first-class organization, and I am confident that my previous experience and skills will serve me well as I work with our team to achieve the aggressive goals we have set forth. The future is very bright at Morgan Samuels.”
Established in 1969, Morgan Samuels maintains a 60-day median cycle time and a 42 percent diversity placement rate. The firm’s mission is to place exceptional and diverse talent in extraordinary roles across all industries and functions.
Leadership Appointments Rising at Recruiting Firms
Top leadership appointments, of men and women, have been gaining traction at executive search firms over the past year. Here’s a look at several examples taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Oak Brook, IL-based search firm WittKieffer has named Christina Boiler as its chief operating officer. “Christina is well known for inspiring organizations to achieve excellence and meaningful change,” said Andrew Chastain, president and CEO of WittKieffer. “She brings a unique, diverse skill-set developed through previous senior leadership roles while possessing an eager willingness to explore new opportunities and embrace strategies that will ultimately help us to serve our clients better. Her expertise will be invaluable to WittKieffer. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her join our firm’s leadership team.” Ms. Boiler has more than 15 years of leadership experience across operations, strategy, business development, and finance in market-leading consulting organizations. She was previously a partner and led the North American global mobility business for the global consulting firm Mercer.
ChampionScott Partners, which specializes in senior-level appointments for technology and technology-enabled companies, has appointed Doug Kaplan as managing director and president. “We’re thrilled Doug is joining ChampionScott Partners,” said Geoff Champion, CEO. “Having had the pleasure of supporting his success as a candidate and client, we’re confident that he’ll add great value to our team. Doug joins a team of professionals who’ve led businesses as CEOs, served on boards and as senior executives led transformative growth initiatives globally. Our valued added IP and advisory expertise in support of our clients has never been stronger.” Mr. Kaplan has worked with ChampionScott Partners for 20 years as a client and candidate. He joins CSP as a top leader for SaaS / PaaS / IaaS solutions in the Industry 4.0 / IoT industries, compliance, professional training and certification and creative and digital staffing segments.
Global search firm H.I. Executive Consulting (HIEC) has named Stacey Mainiero as its CEO, based in New York. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Stacey to HIEC during an exciting period for the firm,” said chairman Michael Bornhaeusser. We are a fast-growing organization focused on delivering transformational leaders for our digital focused clients and Stacey’s skills and experience will prove invaluable as HIEC enters the next phase of its growth acceleration journey with expansion into new markets and territories. I wish Stacey every success in her new role.”
Russell Reynolds Associates appointed Constantine Alexandrakis, currently head of the firm’s Americas region, as its new CEO succeeding Clarke Murphy, who will remain with the firm, transitioning back to full-time client work. “Constantine is a demonstrated leader who has an inspiring vision,” said Mr. Murphy. “With his global orientation, collaborative leadership, inclusive mindset, and passion for the business, I am confident that he will lead this organization forward with tremendous success. I am proud to be a part of the firm’s legacy and am looking forward to continuing to work with Constantine as he positions us for the future.” Mr. Alexandrakis served on the firm’s executive committee between 2015 and 2018 and in 2018 was appointed head of the Americas – including the U.S., Canada, and Latin America – overseeing the firm’s growth and expansion in the region.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media