Odgers Acquires Ridgeway Partners
January 28, 2026 – Odgers has acquired Ridgeway Partners LLC, a New York City-based executive search firm focused on financial services and board advisory. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We’re thrilled to welcome Ridgeway Partners’ talented team to the firm,” said Kennon Kincaid, CEO, Odgers US. They’ve earned an outstanding reputation for expert advice and a passionate commitment to client service—an approach shared by Odgers. Uniting our teams is a natural fit that will enhance the knowledge, reach, and impact we provide to clients. Together, we are building an executive search and leadership advisory platform aligned with how capital-driven decisions are made today—and how they impact every sector our clients operate in.”
The expanded Odgers team will partner with clients across banking and capital markets, asset wealth and alternative investments, private equity, fintech, and board services.
The acquisition strengthens Odgers’ ability to advise leaders and boards where capital allocation, governance, and strategy intersect, recruiting and supporting decision-makers who shape outcomes across industries. This union further strengthens Odgers’ global financial services and board advisory practices, combining a strong U.S. presence with a global platform and reach to recruit and develop exceptional leaders across 33 countries, including major financial hubs such as New York, London, Singapore, Chicago, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, Toronto, Hong Kong, and Sydney.
Ridgeway Partners was established in 2004 as an informal affiliation of two separate businesses in the U.S. and U.K. This transaction only applies to U.S.-based Ridgeway Partners LLC.
“Joining forces with Odgers marks an exciting next chapter for Ridgeway Partners,” said Charles F. Preusse, managing partner, Ridgeway Partners US. “Our shared commitment to excellence and client service creates a powerful platform to deliver even greater value. Together, we offer deep sector expertise with global reach to help clients build exceptional leadership teams and Boards capable of leading for the future.”
Mr. Preusse has acted as a trusted advisor to senior executives for both large multi-national companies as well as emerging growth companies for more than three decades. He joined Ridgeway Partners in 2010 and has deep experience with high profile advisory search and succession planning engagements for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, managing directors, board members, and a wide range of executive level positions across multiple industries and sectors. Areas of specific focus include financial services, technology, financial technology and private equity.
Odgers delivers executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to organizations globally. The firm’s 250-plus partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of 59 offices in 29 countries.
Recent Deals
Hunt Scanlon Ventures has facilitated a number of M&A transactions across the executive search space in recent months. Here is a look at a few:
Talento Human Capital has acquired R2 Global, a highly respected technology recruitment and staffing firm known for its niche expertise across cloud & data, business systems, and e-commerce. This strategic move will expand TalentoHC’s existing footprint in the technology sector and launch, as well as strengthen, its technology search & staffing service lines. “The combination of TalentoHC’s talent acquisition expertise with R2’s deep technical focus marks an exciting new chapter for both organizations,” said Juan Gaitan, CEO of TalentoHC, based in Coral Gables, FL. “R2’s agile approach to technology staffing and recruiting aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver tailored recruitment solutions. Together, as R2 Powered by Talento, we are positioned to become a premier go-to partner for IT talent and innovation,” he added. “TalentoHC and R2 Global customers will benefit tremendously from the portfolio of human capital offerings that the combined organizations now provide,” said Scott A. Scanlon, CEO and co-founder of Hunt Scanlon Ventures.
Global talent advisory firm ZRG has acquired Aspen Leadership Group, a search firm focused on placing and supporting top fundraising leaders and executive talent in educational institutions and the broader non-profit sector. “The addition of Aspen Leadership Group is nothing short of transformative,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “Their expertise in development and advancement is the perfect complement to our growing education practice, and as we roll into 2025 we are unlocking the collective power of these exceptional niche businesses under the unified banner of ZRG’s education practice, creating unmatched solutions for academic and non-profit leadership.” Aspen Leadership Group, established in 2013, conducts a wide range of searches across the fundraising, education and non-profit sector and is widely considered the eminent leader in its field. Its clients include Brown University, PBS, Robin Hood, the Humane Society of the United States, the Leakey Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Denver Zoological Foundation, among others.
Talento Human Capital (TalentoHC) has acquired The PeterSan Group and PeterSan Legal Staffing. The merger brings expertise in legal recruiting to TalentoHC’s customer experience model and comprehensive human capital services, including retained executive search, professional and management recruiting, RPO, staff augmentation, and human capital consulting. Managing partners Peter Gosule, Peter Goldfeder, and Sandy Friedman of The PeterSan Group will lead the TalentoLegal business unit from New York City, where the firm has been rooted for three decades. “The PeterSan transaction fits in well with our platform strategy as we build onto our customer-centric model and expand our industry and functional vertical focus,” said Juan Gaitan, CEO of TalentoHC, based in Coral Gables, FL. “The intersection of these two approaches will create opportunities for continued growth and value for our customers, candidates, associates and shareholders.”
ZRG acquired Jamesbeck, a New York City-based recruitment firm specializing in senior-level talent for the broad investment management community across private market and traditional firms. “This strategic move aims to establish ZRG’s presence in asset management and will support the firm’s existing private markets clients by adding a new channel for senior roles at the management company level across investments, product, and fundraising,” said ZRG. “Jamesbeck has been at the forefront of decisive changes that have impacted asset management leadership for more than two decades,” said Scott A. Scanlon, CEO of Hunt Scanlon Ventures. “The firm’s acquisition by ZRG will be beneficial to clients across the global investment management space who have come to rely on its network, judgment and guidance around senior-level leadership talent,” he noted. Jamesbeck specializes in the investment management industry across public and private markets. The firm recruits senior-level talent across investing, distribution, product and C-suite positions on behalf of a range of clients from boutiques to the largest multi-product organizations. Jamesbeck’s Melissa Norris, managing partner, and Beth Rustin, founding partner, will become the co-heads of asset management search at ZRG.
Related: How Search Firms are Winning Through M&A and Unlocking Value
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
