Odgers Berndtson Names Head of Washington, D.C., Office

February 25, 2022 – Odgers Berndtson has appointed Conrad Woody, partner and leader of the firm’s association and corporate affairs practice, as head of its Washington, D.C., office. “Today, organizations are held to a very high standard of transparency, constant communication and managing public reputation,” said Steve Potter, CEO of Odgers Berndtson U.S. “We are well positioned in D.C. to pinpoint and place leaders with the global experience and political savvy to be successful in high-pressure corporate affairs roles, and I look forward to Conrad’s leadership to elevate our presence in Washington and the broader Mid-Atlantic market.”

“When I recruited Conrad to Odgers Berndtson, I told him the firm was committed to expanding our footprint in Washington, D.C.,” said Derek Wilkinson, partner and head of the non-profit practice at Odgers. “Over the past three years, his energy, drive, positive reputation in the market, and the care with which he leads and comports himself has been inspirational and outstanding. We will all benefit from his leadership in this role.”

As head of Odgers Berndtson’s D.C.-based association & corporate affairs practice, Mr. Woody advises boards and C-suite leaders on acquiring talent in the global corporate affairs vertical. His portfolio of talent advisory work includes counseling clients on senior level government affairs, corporate communications/public affairs, public policy, trade association CEO and leadership roles. He also co-leads the firmwide diversity equity and inclusion council and leads the firm’s corporate board diversity initiative.

Mr. Woody has a degree in political science from Howard University and serves as an advisory board member for public policy insights firm Poligage. Additionally, he is a member of the Economic Club of Washington, chairman of the board of directors for Step Afrika!, a board member for Starting with Today Inc., and on the Young Patrons Board of Arena Stage.

Related: Odgers Berndtson Launches Health and Wellness Recruiting Practice

Odgers Berndtson 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. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and has been one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. It now ranks No. 12 on the Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Recruiters ranking.

Odgers Berndtson has U.S. offices Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Recent Appointments

Odgers Berndtson recently appointed Coleen Howard as a partner in the asset, wealth and alternative investments sector of the firm’s financial services practice based in Boston. “Coleen is uniquely positioned to recruit C-suite executives, senior leaders and board members through her experience working for major Wall Street firms including her nearly five years with State Street Global Advisors leading their talent acquisition efforts and goals,” Mr. Potter said. An experienced financial services executive with a 20-year Wall Street career working for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, BNY Mellon and Fidelity Investments, Ms. Howard joined Odgers Berndtson from State Street Global Advisors where she was vice president of talent acquisition. She currently serves on the educational committee of 100 Women in Finance which she has been a member of for more than seven years.

Odgers Berndtson recently named Troy de Haas as partner and head of its sports and entertainment practice for Asia-Pacific. “Troy joins us just as the Asia-Pacific region is gathering rapid momentum in hosting more and more major global events,” said Mark Braithwaite, managing director at Odgers Berndtson APAC. “As a firm, we have been operating globally in the sports sector for many years, but recent expansion of our team in the U.S. and now in APAC completes our capability to support global sports organizations in attracting the very best leadership talent.”

Odgers Berndtson also named Ryna Young as partner and head of diversity. “We are proud to be a leader in our industry as we appoint Ryna Young as head of diversity,” said Carl Lovas, chair and chief executive officer of Odgers Berndtson Canada. “We are deeply committed to creating an equitable client and colleague experience. Ms. Young brings 25 years of experience in executive and interim executive search, leadership development and succession management. She is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. Having spent the majority of her career in recruitment, and navigating her own leadership journey, Ms. Young has witnessed firsthand how unconscious and systemic bias can affect the candidate and client experience, according to Odgers Berndtson.

Related: Odgers Berndtson Launches Health and Wellness Recruiting Practice

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

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