Options Group Appoints Head of Its Classified Strategic Initiative
July 26, 2016 – Global financial recruiting specialist Options Group has named Debbie Freer as head of OGNext, the firm’s classified strategic initiative.
Ms. Freer will be establishing the career transformation organization as a new company within the larger organization of Options Group. Her focus will be on executive leadership as well as building a world class career transformation firm.
In his new role as chief growth officer, Richard Stein will be working closely with Ms. Freer to ensure the correct positioning of the business and the internal alignment of resources to support it.
Most recently, Ms. Freer was global chief transformation officer of UBS AG where she was accountable for transformation within the firm’s corporate center. Before that, she served as U.S. chief operating officer of RBC Capital Markets, and chief executive officer of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, the firm’s U.S. broker-dealer. She was responsible for the day-to-day management of capital markets technology, operations and functions and head of the firm’s U.S. management committee.
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Prior to joining RBC in 2009, she was a managing director and head of client transition at Citigroup Global Markets. Previously, she spent over 20 years at Merrill Lynch, where she held a number of senior roles, including managing director and global head of client services for capital markets and head of product development.
Ms. Freer is an avid supporter of diversity and inclusion efforts within the organizations which she leads as well as supports. She is a senior advisor to OUT Leadership, a global leader of LGBT efforts. Among her affiliations with non-profit organizations, she is vice chair of the board of associates for the Ronald MacDonald House of New York.
“We are taking a major step forward as a firm by naming Debbie Freer head of OGNext,” said Mike Karp, chief executive officer. “We are excited to launch this new initiative in the fall under her leadership.”
Options Group currently operates from more than a dozen locations outside of its New York headquarters, including London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Frankfurt, Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich.
OG iQ will provide solutions in the following areas:
Business strategies — strategic planning and goals, and forecasting of human capital needs.
Executive leadership — professional development, leadership identification, coaching, and onboarding.
Corporate culture — culture assessments.
Performance management — competency assessment, metrics, identification of key talent, and benchmarking.
Hunt Scanlon Media recently reported on other search firms offering more than just traditional recruiting services. Here’s a closer look at just a few of them and what they offer:
- Executive search firm The Overture Group launched a compensation consulting practice and added Mark Reilly to lead it as managing director. He has expertise in compensation, including short term and long term incentive compensation plan design, expert testimony, and performance measurement to a wide range of companies from start-ups to the Fortune 500;
- Eg.1 opened a new office in New York City earlier this year to support its continued growth in the U.S. The firm’s expanded team and new office will enable it to provide improved business intelligence and local, on-the-ground executive search support services to its clients;
- Ryan Search & Consulting formed a partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) a few months ago to provide clients with a deeper array of leadership development resources. A global provider of leadership development, CCL works with individuals, teams, organizations and companies to help them achieve their objectives through leadership development & organizational guidance, coaching, change leadership, culture transformation and succession planning. For over 40 years, the firm has worked with more than one million leaders at all levels in more than 130 countries worldwide;
- In February, Heidrick & Struggles acquired Decision Strategies International (DSI), a Philadelphia-based strategy and leadership advisory firm. Founded in 1990 by Paul Schoemaker, DSI has advised some of the world’s best-known organizations; it specializes in strategic planning and decision making in uncertain operating environments, leadership development, and talent strategy. This acquisition comes on the heels of Heidrick’s acquisition of Co Company, a London-based advisory boutique specializing in leadership services that accelerate organizational performance. Both firms have now been merged into Heidrick’s leadership consulting business;
- Executive search firm Conroy Ross recently partnered with Optimum Talent, a privately owned integrated talent management firm. Together, they provide clients with a full offering of leadership solutions including executive search, leadership development, coaching, organizational psychology and career transition;
- Several months ago, Korn Ferry finalized its acquisition of Hay Group for $452 million. Hay Group now includes Korn Ferry’s former Leadership and Talent Consulting segment. Hay Group, founded 72 years ago, is a global leader in people strategy and organizational performance and is sure to give Korn Ferry the heft it was seeking to service clients well beyond its executive search core offering.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
