Onstott Group Keeps It a Family Affair With New Hire
January 26, 2017 – Executive search firm The Onstott Group has named Cullen Onstott as a vice president. Mr. Onstott joined the firm several months ago and will be based in Houston.
Prior to joining The Onstott Group, Mr. Onstott was an energy trader at DTE Energy Trading. Previously, he spent five years at Morgan Stanley in the firm’s institutional commodities division in New York. He started his career as an investment analyst after received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fairfield University.
“Pat Campbell and I are very pleased to have our son Cullen join the business,” said Joe Onstott, founder and managing director of the firm. “He brings a fresh perspective, a keen knowledge of digital media, strong analytical skills, and good executive presence.”
“Cullen complements Brian Kelly and Scott Tucker, and is working with them to further develop his skills,” Mr. Onstott added. “Through his undergraduate network at Fairfield University in Connecticut and his current MBA program at Rice University in Houston, Cullen is continuing to make good contacts. His intellectual curiosity and innate people skills are qualities that will translate well in our business.”
The Onstott Group serves the recruitment needs of businesses across a number of sectors, including aerospace / defense, technology, healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech, manufacturing, consumer, business services, non-profit, higher education, venture capital, private equity and high growth companies. Located in the greater Boston area and Greenwich, CT, the firm has filled senior level roles for clients including American Science & Engineering; MorphoTrust USA; Dyn; Paytronix Systems; Valore; Vicon Industries; Demandware; Welch’s; Bose Corporation; and Direct Energy, among a host of others.
The Millennial View
As Millennials continue to look at any number of industries for opportunities to work and gain knowledge, this particular generation seems enamored with considering executive search as a primary career path. Mr. Onstott, 30, recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to discuss why he decided to make this move now and examine the potential challenges he might face in his new endeavor.
Cullen, why did you choose search as a professional career path?
I spent the majority of my career in the institutional commodities business at Morgan Stanley. After more than eight years in analytical roles, including trading, deal valuation, and research, I felt that executive search would expose me to a variety of industries and corporate cultures, and improve my interpersonal and business development skills.
How have you prepared for your new role?
The majority of the training that I’ve received has come from my courses at Rice University, where I am currently enrolled in the professional MBA program. I’ve taken a number of courses on competitive strategy and corporate leadership. This has exposed me to a variety of industries. In reviewing case studies I thought it was interesting that a good management team in many cases was the determining factor in whether or not a company was successful in achieving its goals.
“Strong industry knowledge and curiosity about a broad range of industries are two of the key factors in becoming successful in this industry.”
Since joining The Onstott Group, I have been involved in every area of the business, including new client development, executing search work, and helping lead our new branding campaign. Strong industry knowledge and curiosity about a broad range of industries are two of the key factors in becoming successful in this industry. While my experience comes from the financial services and energy sectors, I learned that I must be well educated in all of the industries where our clients are involved.
What challenges do you face as an up-and-coming Millennial in the recruiting business?
The retained executive search business, like many others in our economy today, is rapidly changing due to innovation and new technologies. As a young professional joining this industry, I will have to keep up with this ever-changing environment and adapt our firm to meet these new challenges.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
