N2Growth Opens New Office in Malaysia
April 27, 2023 – N2Growth, a Philadelphia-based management consulting and executive search firm, has opened a new office in Malaysia. The firm has added Armin Effendi as managing partner for its Malaysia and South East Asia operations. Mr. Effendi, who brings over 35 years of executive and advisory experience across Asia, Europe, and North America, is widely recognized for his expertise in board and executive search, board reviews, CEO succession, executive assessment, and development. “Armin is a wonderful addition to N2Growth as our managing partner in Malaysia,” said Kelli Vukelic, CEO. “His wealth of knowledge and experience will be an invaluable asset to our team, and we are confident that his contributions will benefit our clients in Malaysia and globally.”
Reporting directly to Ms. Vukelic, Mr. Effendi will lead the team in Malaysia to deliver results for clients and strengthen N2Growth’s presence in the region. He joins N2Growth from Korn Ferry, where he served as country chairman in Kuala Lumpur, responsible for all lines of business. Prior to that, Mr. Effendi was the managing partner and office leader for Egon Zehnder Malaysia for over 14 years. His experience also includes senior consultant roles with Bain and Company in London and Singapore, director of strategy products at Accenture, and director of consulting at KPMG. On the executive side, Mr. Effendi was the first general manager of international business development at PETRONAS, where he established the unit to lead the company’s globalization efforts in the early 1990s.
“The firm’s newest addition in Malaysia further expands the firm’s presence and capabilities to help our clients throughout Asia and worldwide, supporting the firm’s vast global network of premiere talent through retained search, executive coaching, board evaluation, and leadership assessments,” Ms. Vukelic said.
”I am thrilled to be in the N2Growth family. It’s a nimble new generation high touch – high tech firm,” said Mr. Effendi. “I look forward to helping our clients shape the future of leadership.”
N2Growth is a global leadership consultancy with practice areas in executive search, culture shaping, leadership development, strategy, organizational design, risk, digital transformation, and executive coaching. The firm has more than 40 locations across the Americas, Europe, MENA, and APAC.
Other Geographic Expansion
N2Growth recently established a presence in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Mexico. The firm added an office in Saudi Arabia with the addition of Waleed Al Ahmadi as managing partner. Headquartered in Khobar EP, Mr. Al Ahmadi will be responsible for the firm’s operations in Saudi Arabia and neighboring GCC countries and will report directly to Ms. Vukelic. “Saudi Arabia is growing rapidly and we are acutely aware of the challenges facing clients in the region, and leadership challenges are at the core of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 plan for the future,” said Ms. Vukelic. “We added Waleed Al Ahmadi and his team to support our clients. Leadership, coupled with Mr. Al Ahmadi’s expansive professional experience, will allow N2Growth to support clients while addressing these challenges head on.”
Related: N2Growth Expands to Chile
N2Growth expanded to Brazil with the addition of Luiz Gustavo Aranha as partner. He is responsible for all operations in Brazil and neighboring countries. “Supporting our expansion into Latin America, particularly in Brazil, is a crucial pillar in our goal to better serve clients worldwide, especially in Central and South America,” said Ms. Vukelic. “Luiz brings an exceptional track record of superior client delivery and experience in the financial services market, construction and engineering sector, and technology, mining, and consumer goods industries. We are excited to see further growth under his leadership.”
N2Growth Expands to Greece
N2Growth expanded to Greece with the appointment of Rebecca Pitsika as managing partner. Headquartered in Athens, Ms. Pitsika will be responsible for the firm’s operations in Greece and neighboring countries and will report directly to Kelli Vukelic, CEO of N2Growth. “I’m delighted to add Rebecca and her team to N2Growth,” said Ms. Vukelic. “With someone of her caliber, both local clients in the area and global companies working in Greece will be extraordinarily well served. Her expertise will also be leveraged worldwide in the technology, energy, and financial services industries.”
“The executive search segment has been operating in the same way for years, and changes are overdue to respond more accurately and quickly to the needs of our clients,” said Mr. Aranha. “N2Growth brings an innovative and proven solution to Brazilian and Latin American markets.”
“Unsurprisingly, Forbes ranks N2Growth as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms,” said Ms. Vukelic. “This partnership brings the Brazilian market a global excellence operation with exclusive methodology and tools. With N2Growth as a partner, we will have all the resources needed to recruit the best talent and develop outstanding leaders.”
N2Growth also recently expanded to Mexico with its acquisition of Mexican talent and leadership advisory firm FluidMind Consulting and appointing the firm’s founder, Carlos Alfonso Gonzalez, as managing partner. Mr. Gonzalez will be responsible for all operations in Mexico and neighboring countries and will report directly to Ms. Vukelic. The firm’s new location will be in Mexico City. “In today’s ultra competitive global climate, our clients entrust us to help them find top leaders who can build notable leadership teams who can drive exceptional performance from all corners of the globe, and Mexico is no exception,” said Ms. Vukelic. “Furthermore, FluidMind Consulting’s leadership advisory practice was a perfect fit for our firm’s mission and philosophy: to find the best leaders by first identifying their leadership DNA.”
Related: N2Growth Names Leader of Executive Search Operations in Southeast Asia
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
