ON Partners Places Chief People Officer for Rent
August 4, 2022 – ON Partners has placed Sheila Dehdashti as chief people officer for Atlanta-based Rent, a provider of marketing software and rental management solutions. Partners Jake Espenlaub and Tindall (Sewell) Hein, and consultant Whitney Craigo spearheaded the assignment.
“Great news from our colleagues at Rent,” said ON partners in an online posting. “Sheila brings over two decades of experience in strategic global HR leadership and organizational effectiveness for companies including Fiserv, CH2M, and NCR Corp. Congratulations to Sheila and Rent.”
Ms. Dehdashti joins Rent from Fiserv where she served as vice president of human resources, providing HR leadership and strategy for one of the company’s largest growth businesses, and previously CH2M Hill (now part of Jacobs), Radiant Systems (now part of NCR), and other companies. She is recognized for her collaborative approach in developing people and team effectiveness across small and large organizations. Ms. Dehdashti earned her bachelor’s degree in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In June, RentPath announced the repositioning of the company to Rent and launched an expanded product suite for property managers and an improved search experience for renters. The company has simplified its brand name and renewed its focus on reducing friction for the property management community, signifying a new era for the brand–and setting a new standard for the industry.
Rent is a marketing and automation platform that engages prospective residents through the entire renter journey, maximizing leads and occupancies with a strong ROI. Through its broad network of rental listing sites including rent.com, ApartmentGuide.com, Rentals.com, and Redfin.com, the company connects property owners and managers with over 10 million high-intent, in-market renters per month. In addition, the platform powers a full suite of best-in-class digital marketing solutions across search advertising, social media, email marketing, web chat, resident communication, reputation management and more. Rent is owned by Seattle, WA-based real estate company Redfin.
Respected Recruiters
With a primary focus on technology, consumer, industrial and the life science sectors, ON Partners recruits C-level and board talent for public and private companies, as well as venture capital and private equity firms. Founded in 2006, the firm’s consultants work from offices in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Dallas; Menlo Park, CA; Minneapolis. MN; San Francisco; and New York. ON Partners was named one of the fastest growing search firms this year by Hunt Scanlon Media. The firm is now ranked as one of the 20 largest search firms in the nation.
Mr. Espenlaub serves the software, E-commerce, consumer, digital and retail industries. Organizations he serves include public, private equity, and growth equity organizations with a focus on digital transformation. The functions he serves include go-to-market, product, technology, digital, and customer experience. Previously, he ran technology the practice at the Benefits Advisory Group.
Ms. Hein builds executive leadership teams at growth equity, private equity, and Fortune 500 companies. She serves a range of positions across CEO, operating partner, and VP-level executive roles with strong focus on diversity placements with a concentration on industrial and technology sectors.
Ms. Craigo is responsible for the research and recruitment of candidates across several industries. She came to ON Partners from The Ashley Group, a leading benefits advisor in Northern Ohio. She worked as an account executive tailoring various employer groups’ benefits packages using comprehensive benefit solutions.
A Previous Placement
Earlier this year, ON Partners placed Kathy Neumann as chief marketing officer for RentPath. Mr. Espenlaub and Ms. Hein also led that assignment. Ms. Neumann formerly served as a vice president of marketing at Chewy as well as vice president of marketing at Carter’s Inc.
Related: ON Partners Recruits Chief Product Officer for Glassdoor
As CMO, Ms. Neumann oversees new initiatives that build connections with property teams to help them solve leasing challenges with smarter, data-driven marketing solutions She is also charged with helping develop more personalized consumer experiences. Ms. Neumann came to RentPath with a comprehensive background in leading all facets of marketing strategy, including brand, social media, search marketing, direct marketing, and market research.
Ms. Neumann brings experience from guiding integrated marketing teams and elevating the consumer shopping experience at online pet retailer, Chewy. At Carter’s, she oversaw the go-to-market strategy for Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, and SkipHop brands in North America. She also served in leadership roles at Land’s End, Victoria’s Secret Direct LLC, and Limited Brands.
Ms. Neumann is the recipient of 12 industry-associated awards including the 2019 OnCon Icon Top 50 Marketer Award as well as the 2015 AMA Atlanta Marketer of the Year Award for Integrated Marketing Campaign, Interactive Marketing & Social Media Campaign. She holds a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting and management from the University of Oklahoma.
Related: ON Partners Assists Unison Software in Chief Technology Officer Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media