Optimum Talent Expands Montreal Office
September 25, 2018 – Toronto-headquartered Optimum Talent has continued its recent expansion with the additions of Robert Racine, Nathalie Dallaire, Claudia Pascu and Bruno Ouellette to its Montreal office.
“It is with great pride that we have been growing our team on a continual basis, integrating players whose talent, creativity and high standards of excellence enable us to meet the exciting and complex challenges unique to each client,” said Marie Pinsonneault, president, eastern region. “These additions are an example of our sustained commitment to deliver a highly exclusive integrated approach to talent management.”
Mr. Racine, who joins the firm as vice president of team management, has been in executive search for more than 17 years. He has experience in a range of industries including the public sector and is known for his strategic vision, knowledge of change management in the context of mergers, acquisitions and disinvestment, and his ability to assess the business challenges facing organizations of all sizes. Mr. Racine previously was founding partner of Kenniff & Racine.
Ms. Dallaire, who becomes VP of executive search, has 20 years’ experience in politics and with financial markets. She has built her success on her ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with professionals from business, cultural, community and university sectors, said the search firm. Ms. Dallaire also joins Optimum Talent from Kenniff & Racine.
Ms. Pascu who has been appointed VP of executive search and content, is a member of the Ordre des CRHA and has 12 years’ experience recruiting executives on the national and international scenes. She is known for her ability to deliver in-depth analysis and to understand complex challenges, said the firm. She focuses on sectors associated with artificial intelligence, biotechnology, health, retail, entertainment, marketing and technologies, among others. Ms. Pascu most recently served as a senior consultant with Boyden.
Mr. Ouellette, who joins the firm as VP, executive coach, has built a strong reputation as an expert in fields involving the transformation of human potential, resilience, team development and leadership development. “He carries out organization development mandates for international firms and develops customized leadership programs,” the firm said. Mr. Ouellette is the president of One Percent Consultation.
Growing Search Firm
Optimum Talent’s Canadian team is comprised of more than 260 colleagues in 13 offices nationwide, from Vancouver to Halifax. Internationally, the firm has a strategic partnership with Career Star Group to deliver coaching, career transition and change management solutions.
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Optimum Talent is a provider of human resources consulting services with expertise in career management, career transition, coaching, executive search and organizational psychology. With origins dating back over 40 years, the company has grown to over 260 colleagues operating in 13 offices.
In June, Optimum Talent acquired Vézina Nadeau Labre (VNL), an organizational development, coaching and career transition firm. “This acquisition is an opportunity for Optimum Talent to enrich our expertise and offer our clients greater agility in an increasingly complex business world,” said Ronald Dahms, executive chair of Optimum Talent. “We’re very excited at the prospect of bolstering our Canadian presence and further contributing to the success of OTI and VNL clients with our complementary services and solutions.”
This spring, the firm added recruitment professionals Ryna Young, Chris Heselton and Angus McComb to its executive search practice. “Attracting established executive search professionals like Ryna, Chris, and Angus to Optimum Talent says a lot about our firm’s growing reputation,” said Peter Zukow, the firm’s president for the central region. “Our origins date back four decades, but we’ve experienced a real increase in momentum in the last few years.”
Earlier this year, the firm appointed Samantha Wood as vice president and market leader of executive search and recruitment solutions in central Canada. Ms. Wood has 12 years of executive search and recruitment experience throughout North America, with expertise across multiple functions including sales, administration, marketing, operations and engineering in the public and private sectors. Her expertise spans multiple functions in both public and private sector including sales, administration, marketing, operations and engineering at the director level through to the C-suite.
Late last year, Optimum Talent launched a new bilingual career management portal designed to reduce the average length of an employee transition, minimize the emotional impact of the role departure and equip users with the skills to manage their careers. The portal, which is a cloud-based platform, features a new twist on standard tools such as resume development and interview preparation. What makes it unique, according to Optimum Talent, is how the portal has incorporated its neuro-management expertise to help clients manage the emotional impact of a transition and increase personal awareness. By helping clients effectively deal with the emotional component of their transition, they’re able to move on faster, which ultimately makes them more effective in their job search, said the firm.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media