Odgers Berndtson Names President in Canada
March 5, 2021 – Odgers Berndtson has appointed Brad Beveridge as president of its Canadian business, responsible for leading the firm’s continued expansion and the growth of its executive search, executive interim and leadership advisory services. “Brad’s extensive experience as a search professional and business leader will be key to helping us continue to anticipate and support our client’s emerging leadership and talent needs,” said Carl Lovas, chairman and CEO of Odgers Berndtson in Canada. “He brings a deep understanding of all aspects of our business and a strong track record of developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing organizations across the human capital spectrum. This is a very important step in our firm’s evolution.”
Mr. Beveridge has joined Odgers Berndtson at a time when every industry is being disrupted and where having the right leadership in place is essential for organizations to successfully compete and win. Mr. Beveridge stressed that there has never been a more challenging time for leaders. “Talent is now the No.1 issue on the minds of boards and CEOs and the key to every organization’s ability to adapt and transform to our ever-changing world,” he said. “I am thrilled to be joining a firm with such a respected brand and talented team. I believe Odgers Berndtson is uniquely positioned to build on its national and global scope, deep industry and functional expertise and integrated approach to talent management. I look forward to leading the continued growth of the business as a top provider of end-to-end leadership solutions.”
Mr. Beveridge was formerly an executive vice president with Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge, a global human capital management firm, where he led a large team across several lines of business. He has served on executive committees for global and Canadian operations. Prior to this role, he was a client partner at Korn Ferry International’s Toronto office. He also served as the managing director of business development for Canada for Korn/Ferry Futurestep. For almost 20 years, Mr. Beveridge has conducted searches in the following industry sectors: financial services, real estate, professional services, industrial/ manufacturing and not-for-profit. He is an experienced recruiter at the C-suite and general management levels. His clients have included banks, pension funds, stock exchanges, investment management firms, insurance companies and real estate organizations.
For more than a half century, Odgers Berndtson has delivered 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 is one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. Odgers Berndtson has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Expansion Wave
Odgers Berndtson has experienced a wave of recent growth. The firm recently expanded with the addition of Tonya Muse as partner in the U.S. corporate and government affairs practice based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. “We are delighted to welcome Tonya Muse to the firm,” said Steve Potter, CEO of U.S. Odgers Berndtson. “As a seasoned corporate and government affairs executive, Tonya brings a deep background in industry and trade association leadership initiatives as well as non-profit experience to Odgers Berndtson. Tonya will work closely with Conrad Woody to continue to grow our search work in this area, helping advise clients on government affairs, corporate communications and public affairs, and trade association CEO and leadership roles.”
Odgers Berndtson Names Head of U.S. Professional Services and Human Capital Practices
Odgers Berndtson has appointed Sayed Sadjady as partner and head of its U.S. professional services and human capital practices. Mr. Sadjady most recently served as a senior partner with Ernst & Young leading the firm’s people advisory services practice in the technology, media and entertainment, and telecom industry.
The firm also hired Darin DeWitt as partner and head of the firm’s U.S. healthcare services practice. He will be based out of the Los Angeles office. Mr. DeWitt has more than 20 years of experience in executive search, most recently as a leader of the life sciences and healthcare practice and as a member of the financial services practice at Caldwell Partners where he focused on building senior management teams for leading and emerging companies and for private equity and venture capital groups.
In addition, Odgers Berndtson also opened a new office Bogotá, Colombia to help meet a growing demand from organizations in the Andean region for executive search expertise. In conjunction, Odgers Berndtson will also launch its interim executive arm, Odgers Interim, in Colombia. Odgers Berndtson Colombia will be led by managing partner Roberto Hall, a veteran of the Colombian executive search industry. “The Colombian launch will enable us to draw upon Odgers Berndtson’s global network and combine it with our experience of local markets across all the major cities in Colombia,” said Mr. Hall. “With Odgers Interim we will also have a critical differentiator to most of our competitors, providing us with the ability to meet the full spectrum of client talent demands, whether those are permanent or interim leadership.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
