Indhira Arrington, Partner and Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer – Ares Management

Indhira Arrington is a partner and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Ares management. In this capacity, Indhira partners with the firm’s DEI Council to advance Ares’ strategy to attract, develop, engage and advance diverse talent within an inclusive, welcoming environment. Indhira also serves as an advisor to support DEI initiatives at portfolio companies across Ares’ investment strategies.

Prior to joining Ares Management in 2021, she served as a senior vice president and head of targeted sourcing at Wells Fargo & Company, where she provided leadership in strategic planning and execution of diversity sourcing initiatives and programs for the firm. Previously, Indhira held several senior roles at The Bank of America Corporation within the global diversity and inclusion organization. In addition, she was an equity derivatives sales trader at Morgan Stanley. She began her career as a financial analyst at CIT Group. She serves on the board of directors of Poly Prep, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families and the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP).

Anish Batlaw, Managing Director – General Atlantic

Anish Batlaw is a managing director at General Atlantic and leads the firm’s human capital efforts (people, pay, and performance) in support of its global portfolio companies. His responsibilities include development of General Atlantic’s talent network, assessment and development of management teams, executive compensation, governance structures, and providing strategic human capital counsel to the firm and its portfolio companies.

Prior to joining General Atlantic in 2015, Anish worked at TPG Capital as an operating partner and head of human capital for Asia. Prior to TPG, he served Novartis in various leadership positions, including VP & head of HR for pharmaceuticals, U.S., and Europe, and as head of corporate talent management. He also served Microsoft as general manager of HR in Redmond, Washington. Early in his career, Anish worked at PepsiCo, in various markets including the U.S., India, China, and Vietnam.

Ian Blasco, Partner – Two Sigma Impact

Ian Blasco serves a partner at Two Sigma Impact. Ian comes to Two Sigma from Riverside Partners, where he served as a general partner for nine years. In this role, he co-led the firm’s technology practice with specific expertise in software, telecommunications and technology-enabled business services. He also oversaw several company-wide functions including deal sourcing, hiring and talent development, and led all diligence, structuring and day-to-day governance and oversight for deals in which he was involved.

Prior to Riverside, Ian spent 10 years at Bain Capital where he worked on technology and business service investments and served in a variety of roles ranging from associate to senior principal. He has served on the boards on several companies, including NDS Surgical Imaging, ADS, Sensata Technologies, Outback Steakhouse, Welocalize, Eliassen, Firstlight, ITC Global, Enovate Medical, Pilgrim Life Sciences, Revecore, AMCAD and Alarm Funding Associates.

Chasity Boyce, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer – Barings

Chasity Boyce is Barings’ chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer where she’s responsible for driving the firm’s diversity outcomes by leading the firm’s global DEI strategy that focuses on recruiting, developing, retaining and promoting diverse talent; advancing efforts that align with the company’s business strategy and ensuring the firm maintains equitable policies and procedures that foster an inclusive workplace. She is a member of Barings’ senior leadership team and serves on the firm’s social impact board.

She joined Barings from Heitman LLC, a real estate investment management firm, where she served as vice president, head of inclusion and diversity. Prior to Heitman, Chasity was a diversity and inclusion manager at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and was associate general counsel to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner overseeing legal matters related to public safety, child welfare and education. Before then, Chasity practiced premises and product liability at both a mid-size and boutique litigation firm.

Chasity is focused on and passionate about diversity in the finance and legal professions. As a testament to this, she co-founded and serves on the board of the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP), a non-profit organization committed to supporting and providing opportunities for first-year, women of color law students. She serves on a number of boards and councils, including SIFMA’s DEI Council. She is a past president and lifetime member of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. Chasity currently serves as president of the Howard University School of Law International Alumni Association and on the Howard University School of Law Board of Visitors. She also previously chaired the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission.

Matthew Breitfelder, Partner, Global Head of Human Capital – Apollo Global Management

Matt Breitfelder is partner and global head of human capital at Apollo Global Management, a high-growth, alternative asset management and retirement services firm. He serves as a member of the firm’s management committee. Matt is responsible for Apollo’s talent management, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, learning, performance management, citizenship, compensation and benefits, and recruiting.

Before joining Apollo, Matt served as managing director and chief talent officer for BlackRock, where he also served as a member of the operating committee. Previously, he held talent and strategy roles at MasterCard, PwC, and the Corporate Executive Board. Matt began his career at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he focused on international trade and economic policy.

Matt serves as chair of the Advisory Group on AI, Analytics, and the Future of Work at Georgetown University and on the board of advisors of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. He also serves on the advisory board of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program. He has been recognized as a top chief human resources officer by N2Growth and Stanford Business School and has co-authored a number of Harvard Business School case studies and articles on human resources, leadership, and talent innovation.

Mercedes Chatfield-Taylor, CEO & Co-Founder – Artico Search

The go-to search partner for venture capital and growth equity firms and their portfolio companies, Mercedes Chatfield-Taylor co-founded Artico with Matt Comyns to lead the growth executive search team. Mercedes is passionate about diversity and inclusion across investor and operating roles.

Mercedes has deep expertise across consumer, fintech, security, SaaS and other transformative technologies. Mercedes has completed over 75 CEO searches as well as partner, principal, and other CXO level assignments. She led the venture capital practice at global firms including Caldwell Partners, Heidrick & Struggles, Highland Partners, and iCOM a boutique search firm she co-founded in 1999.

Michelle Domanico, COO – Modern Executive Solutions

Michelle Domanico serves as COO at Modern Executive Solutions. She has 12 years of global front-office financial investment experience specializing in evaluating corporate business models and underlying credit risks for high yield bonds and loans

Prior to co-founding Modern, Michelle was director of European capital markets for Shenkman Capital based in their London and New York offices. Prior to her role at Shenkman, Michelle was a principal on KKR’s credit team based out of San Francisco. She began her career as a leveraged finance analyst at UBS Investment Bank in New York.

Michelle was recognized within the Forbes 30 under 30 in Finance list, has been a member of the diversity & inclusion committees at both Shenkman Capital and KKR, leads a large woman in finance network based out of New York, was on the Northern California board of 100 Women in Finance, and volunteers as a mentor for transitioning military veterans to careers in the private sector through American Corporate Partners. Finally, she is mother to two amazing kids, Riley, and Archer, who despite her busy life, always come first.

Chuck Egoville, Partner – JM Search

Chuck Egoville is a partner at JM Search and co-leader of the firm’s healthcare and life sciences practice. Chuck joined JM Search in 1998 and is recognized as a leading executive search professional in the technology, healthcare, and life sciences sectors. Prior to his current role, Chuck was a founding member and co-leader of the firm’s technology practice.

Over the past two decades, he has conducted more than 300 searches and worked with leading private equity firms and their portfolio companies to recruit leadership teams. Chuck currently serves on the finance committee, the talent and culture committee, and the board of JM Search. He routinely consults with investors in his areas of expertise during investment and M&A due diligence processes to provide feedback on leadership teams, corporate structure, and leadership strategies that may drive the desired outcome. Prior to JM Search, Chuck held management positions in the consumer finance and credit divisions of Bank of America.

Matt Goldstein, Managing Director, Private Equity Practice – True Search

Matt Goldstein serves as managing director of the private equity practice at True. He has over 20 years of search, business development and marketing experience for high-growth technology companies across the U.S. and Europe.

Matt is a recognized leader in CFO and Board recruitment for public and private companies across multiple industries including enterprise software, healthcare, consumer and financial services/FinTech. He also works with select investment firms, placing senior investment professionals. Matt joined True from Korn Ferry as our second partner in the Boston office. At Korn Ferry, he was a member of their global technology and financial officer practices. Previous to his career in executive search, Matt was an executive at a number of venture-backed start-up companies across the globe, including vice president of corporate development for Cambridge-based Custommade.com and director of business development at London-based Vivastreet, one of the largest free classified engines in the world.

Courtney Hagen, Chief Talent Officer – Littlejohn

Courtney Hagen serves as chief talent officer at Littlejohn, where she works across the firm’s portfolio companies, partnering with the organization’s investment and management teams to acquire, coach and develop high-performing talent.

Previously, as SVP of human resources for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc., Courtney worked across LVMH’s portfolio of 70+ luxury brands to create and execute strategic HR programs to support talent needs for LVMH in North America. Prior to this, Courtney led global executive talent acquisition for PepsiCo across sectors, functions and geographies. Courtney joined PepsiCo from a career in executive search and management consulting, most recently with Russell Reynolds Associates, where she led searches for marketing, sales and HR executives.

Earlier, Courtney led business development and marketing strategy for cobranded card partnerships at American Express. She started her career with management consulting firm Bridge Strategy Group/Renaissance Worldwide, where she led strategy consulting engagements for Fortune 1000 companies in the US, Europe and South Africa.

Matt Hamlin, Managing Director – PierceGray

Matt Hamlin is the managing partner of PierceGray, the retained search firm with a focus on private equity. Matt leads the firm’s day-to-day operations as well as key client engagements, specializing in C-suite supply chain and operations, sales and marketing, and select operating partner placements. Matt moved into executive search from management consulting 2016, initially to launch the firm’s New York office.

Prior to joining PierceGray, Matt was with Alvarez and Marsal, supporting private equity clients on pre and post-deal projects including cost-out, network strategy, salesforce effectiveness, diligence and post-merger integration.

Lisa Hooker, Managing Director – ZRG Partners

Lisa Hooker is a managing director at ZRG Partners and serves as global technology practice leader and a member of the organization’s board practice. She is also an active member of the firm’s private equity practice and its diversity, equity, & inclusion practice. She brings a career spanning more than 20 years of executive search consulting and has delivered board and leadership projects for Fortune 500, mid-cap, and SMEs as well as private equity, pre-IPO, and venture-backed clients in the technology sector. Lisa serves as a trusted advisor to the C-suite and boards of directors on topics including CEO succession, board efficiency, director onboarding, and leadership assessment and development.

Prior to joining ZRG Partners, Lisa was a partner at Odgers Berndtson and was a founding partner of BridgeStreet Partners executive search. She also served as the vice president and North American technology practice leader for A.T. Kearney Executive Search and managing partner, technology practice leader, and member of the board of directors for Ray & Berndtson. Lisa began her career at MCI Telecommunications, where she held numerous sales and marketing roles. She lived in Los Angeles for nearly a decade and New York for 20 years prior to moving to Austin.

Passionate about diversity as well as connecting businesses with exceptional talent, Lisa brings dedicated expertise in communications, AI/machine learning, MarTech, cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, and SaaS. A strategic and collaborative business leader with extensive, broad-based experience aligning talent to achieve organizational goals, Lisa is focused on delivering superior business results to her clients.

Helen Hua, Senior Vice President, Executive Talent – Insight Partners

Helen Hua joined Insight Partners in 2017 and serves as senior vice president, executive talent. She is Insight’s first executive talent specialist to advise, support and scale portfolio companies as they grow their executive teams. Helen built Insight’s executive talent program from the ground up, and over the course of the program, has owned executive networking and executive hiring advisory, covering issues such as organizational design, compensation, recruiting firm management and referrals, and best practice evangelism. She has managed, tracked and supported 1K+ executive searches, covering North America, Israel, Asia and Europe with Insight’s portfolio of 500+ software-enabled companies.

Prior to Insight, Helen was one of the first 30 hires at True Search, and one of the first five people hired in True’s San Francisco office when the business was less than two years old. She executive recruited all the senior functions at high-growth, VC-backed startups across the US and Europe—CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CPO, CHRO, CROs etc. Helen also worked on operating partner, investment partner and talent partner searches for various VC and PE firms during her tenure at True.

Jamie Jacobs, Chief Talent Officer – Oak Hill Capital

Jamie Jacobs serves as the chief talent officer to the Oak Hill funds focusing across all aspects of human capital with specialties in talent management, talent acquisition, organization design and assessment, and HRIS, compensation and benefits. For eight years prior to partnering with Oak Hill, Jamie was the director of human capital at American Securities where she worked with portfolio companies’ leadership teams on all aspects of human resources.

Previously, Jamie was with Morgan Stanley for nearly 11 years where she held a number of leadership positions within the firm, including heading HR project, program and data management for the wealth management division, restructuring and strategy for the firm’s recruiting function, senior HR business partner for the private wealth management business, head of business management for the international private wealth management business and head of business management and COO for the global talent management organization. Earlier in her career, Jamie worked in management consulting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers focusing on technology, business process, and strategy consulting.

Thaddeus Jones, Founder and Managing Partner – Nexus Search Partners

Thaddeus Jones is the founder and managing partner of Nexus Search Partners, an executive search and advisory firm based in Charlotte, NC. He built Nexus to reimagine the executive search process by introducing diverse talent networks, conducting in-depth cultural assessments, and providing executive coaching services.

Over the past two decades, Thadd has led global talent for Fortune 50 companies like AWS, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Target. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief talent officer at Red Ventures—a multi-billion dollar private equity firm with over 21 companies in its portfolio, including CNET, Bankrate, Lonely Planet, and The Points Guy.

His experience as a former C-level HR executive gives him a unique line of sight into the role search firms should play in recruiting top talent.

Anthony Keizner, Managing Partner – Odyssey Search Partners

Anthony Keizner is a managing partner at Odyssey Search Partners, the premier, alternative investment-focused executive search firm. Anthony has been finding talent for the buy-side for over fifteen years, and has helped Odyssey’s clients make over 1,000 investment professional hires. He leads the firm’s editorial, compensation, and consulting work, and manages the relationships with many leading private equity firms. Along with his co-founder, Adam Kahn, Anthony has helped to steer Odyssey to become the go-to retained, search firm for leading players in the investment management world.

Before turning to executive search, Anthony was a vice president at GLG, the networking platform, after studying for an MBA at Harvard Business school. He started his career as analyst at Citibank/ Salomon Smith Barney after graduating Oxford University.

Ahmed Nassef, Vice President, Talent & Partnerships – RevelOne

Ahmed is an accomplished marketer and business builder with over 25 years of experience in startups as well as large corporate environments, both in the US and internationally. Ahmed serves as vice president of talent & partnerships at RevelOne and oversees partner relationships with venture capital and private equity firms and other partners, and to lead select senior executive searches. Prior to RevelOne, his career includes being a founder, VP of marketing, and GM in several direct-to-consumer and digital media startups, including Maktoob, which was acquired by Yahoo! for $164 million in 2009. After the sale, Ahmed joined Yahoo! as its vice president and managing director for the MEA region, leading double-digit audience and revenue growth during his tenure.

Pam Noble, President, Managing Director, CSD President, & COO – The Christopher Group

Pamela Noble joined The Christopher Group in 2020 and serves as the consulting services division president, managing director, and chief operating officer. She brings over 20+ years of comprehensive human resources leadership to The Christopher Group. Former CHRO and talent succession lead, she has built human resources departments as a true strategic business partner, strengthened corporate-wide employee engagement, led diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and become a trusted advisor with a reputation of high personal integrity.

Her perspective plays a key role in defining and implementing new people policies, processes, and training at TCG while working directly with clients on their executive coaching and consulting project initiatives.

Before joining TCG, she was senior vice president of human resources and chief engagement officer at Asurint. She was responsible for designing and delivering the company’s human capital strategy focused on energizing the employee experience and driving business outcomes. During her tenure at Asurint, she helped position the company to win the NorthCoast99 Award, which recognizes great places to work for top talent. She also brings previous executive experience as global director of organizational development and internal communications at Lincoln Electric, global vice president of human resources at AkzoNobel, senior vice president of talent, succession, and performance management at National City Bank, director of human resources at Agilysis, and vice president of strategic staffing, training, and management at Citibank.

Mark Oppenheimer, Chief Executive Officer – Modern Executive Solutions

Mark Oppenheimer serves as chief executive officer at Modern Executive Solutions. He has 20 years’ experience in executive search, consulting, assessment, and talent intelligence having built two global search and advisory organizations.

Modern launched in February 2021 and has quickly scaled, now approaching 100 search and advisory experts. Mark created the firm along with his wife, Michelle, to improve lives for diverse candidates, clients, and the underserved community. They have tangibly enhanced the search process, created an integrated set of talent solutions, while giving back to the underserved community. Mark is passionate about helping those in need. He created The Modern Giving Foundation to provide support for underserved youth through educational means and pediatric care for life-threatening illnesses.

Mark started his career working for Marlin Hawk, where he became the CEO, Americas before leaving in 2020. He lives in Atlanta with Michelle and with a young family, counting their blessings every day.

Wes Pringle, Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Operations – Onex

Wes Pringle, managing director and head of portfolio operations at Onex, is responsible for the organization’s portfolio operations. He plays a key role in identifying, creating and driving value across Onex Partners’ portfolio companies as well as the firm’s due diligence processes. He oversees the implementation, monitoring and effective measurement of key value creation initiatives and best practices across the platform’s portfolio. Wes is also a member of the Onex Partners Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Onex, Wes was a senior vice president at Fortive, where he was responsible for the firm’s Intelligent Operating Solutions segment. This segment consisted of numerous leading companies including Fluke, Industrial Scientific, Intelex and Gordian. Previously, he was the president of Fluke, a subsidiary operating company of Danaher, and then Fortive. During his time with Danaher and Fortive, Wes had significant merger and acquisition experience, leading over a dozen deals for those firms. Earlier in his career, Wes advanced through a series of sales, marketing and general management roles at Whirlpool Corporation, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson, creating value in well-known brands such as Maytag, KitchenAid, Neosporin, Band-Aid and Listerine. Wes is a long-standing supporter of the United Way and has served on the board of his local chapter for several years.

Smooch Repovich Rosenberg, Founder & CEO – SmoochUnplugged

Smooch Repovich Rosenberg is the founder & CEO of SmoochUnplugged. Smooch’s work is more than just a career — headhunting is in her DNA. She defines her success by the achievements of her clients and the candidates whom she has placed. “I have spent my life focused on doing the right things, which is vastly different from those who do things right. In the recent decade alone, by placing the right IRO talent, our client companies’ valuations have increased by more than $750 billion.”

After more than 25 years as a globally recognized executive search consultant, Smooch has her finger on the pulse of the global investor relations officer profession and has had tremendous success leveraging human capital strategies to create high-octane, superior performing investor relations functions. She has the unique ability to see around corners and readily identify solutions to human capital challenges that advance company valuation. Her work spans pre-IPO companies to the mega-cap entities across all industry sectors.

A true innovator in her field, Smooch effectively pioneered investor relations executive search when she was catapulted into the field by a former CEO for whom she worked at an international IR and communications consultancy. Now she is considered a key catalyst in evolving the profession to the level of respect it commands today. She is known as a leading authority on the intangible leadership traits that define the top 20% of Investor Relations Officers globally.

Smooch is the only executive search consultant in the world who exclusively solves investment community challenges through IRO talent placement and addresses corporate brand dilemmas through chief communications officer talent advisement and placement. Her specialization in this field results in a competitive advantage for clients and candidates that cannot be found elsewhere.

Today, she utilizes her sharp business acumen to serve clients ranging in size from pre-IPO startups to Fortune 100 corporations, and companies around the world, as a C-suite executive search consultant, talent acquisition strategist, and leadership coach.

Ann Ruble, Operating Partner – Two Sigma Impact

Ann Ruble is an operating partner at Two Sigma Impact and joined the firm in 2001. She has spent her career focused on building human capital capabilities across high-growth finance and technology companies.

Prior to her current role, Ann served as an operating partner for Two Sigma Ventures. In that role, she has helped design and build both leadership and talent capabilities to accelerate the growth and success of portfolio companies. Prior to Two Sigma Ventures, Ann served as a managing director at Two Sigma and the founding head of human resources. She played a key role in shaping Two Sigma’s organization as it grew from a start up to the business it is today. Ann began her career at D. E. Shaw & Co.

Tim Russell, Managing Partner – The Tolan Group

Having started his recruitment career in 1997, Tim Russell has worked for two of the nation’s leading healthcare staffing firms which culminated in his co-owning an Atlanta based physician recruitment firm for five years prior to joining The Tolan Group team, where today he serves as a managing partner. Tim is an expert in all facets of the healthcare ecosystem in both the provider and hospital sector and has always had a focus on new business development and client acquisition.

Today, Tim is an equity owner and leads all business development activities for The Tolan Group, with a primary responsibility in private equity growth and procurement for the firm.

Kristin Schroeder, Operating Partner Talent – Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe

Kristin Schroeder is an operating partner on the WCAS Technology Talent Team, having joined in 2021. Kristin has 15 years of talent experience spanning executive search, corporate recruiting, and talent advisory. Most recently, she served as a senior director at Bain & Company, where she led the private equity and financial services verticals in the Americas for the Bain Executive Network. Over the last two years, she was a key architect of Bain’s LeadershipLink solution which translates portfolio company value creation plans into leadership talent strategies.

Andrew Thompson, CEO and Founder – Notch Partners

Andrew Thompson is the CEO and founder of Notch Partners, a preeminent provider of CEO-level talent to private equity firms seeking competitive advantage through proprietary deal flow, industry insight, and superior management teams.

Prior to founding Notch Partners, Andy was managing director of Primedia Ventures, where he co-managed two private equity investment funds. In that capacity, he served on several boards of directors, providing strategic oversight and helping to build top-caliber management teams for the portfolio companies. Previously, he was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and has been involved as an executive, board member, and/or investor in a number of private companies.

Andy serves on the board of trustees for New Jersey SEEDS, an academic and leadership program for high-achieving, low-income youth.

Bill Vlaad, Chief Executive Officer – Vlaad and Company

Bill Vlaad serves as chief executive officer at Vlaad and Company. He is a reformed investment banker, serving time in corporate development, and dabbling as an entrepreneur. He has been fired twice and gone through the process of negotiating severance, dealing with lawyers, and the anxiety of looking for new career directions. He has been sold a bill of goods from headhunters in the past and has had to deal with the dilemma of handing over job search control to recruiting firms.

With all that experience, he has used what he learned as a father of four and with an MBA from a school formerly called Western to encourage a strong group of people to lead Vlaad and Company into one of the best financial services recruitment firm in North America. Vlaad and Company work with a diverse range of clients across investment banking, corporate banking, capital markets, private equity and venture capital, advisory, project and structured finance, asset/wealth management, and corporate development. Vlaad and Company’s team of experienced recruiters are connoisseurs in the space. They know who is moving where, what expertise they bring to the table, and who the up-and-comers are.

Geoff Votta, Partner – Acertitude

Geoff brings over 15 years of executive search experience to his role as partner at Acertitude, discovering, engaging, and placing C-level and senior executive talent. He is known for delivering results quickly and keeping client needs front and center.

Geoff has a proven track record hiring talent to lead the design and change management associated with digital transformation or process improvement initiatives as well as building leadership teams for businesses in a state of transition, such as a startup, high growth, turnaround, IPO, or restructuring situations.

Prior to joining Acertitude, Geoff was managing director at O’Neill Consulting, an Acertitude company. He spent the preceding two years as executive recruiting leader at Red Hat, where he built the internal executive search function. His introduction to retained executive search began earlier in his career at O’Neill Consulting, an Acertitude company, following a role with Robert Half International.