Olivia Akin, Vice President, Talent – Alpine Investors

Olivia Akin is the Vice President of Talent at Alpine Investors, where she leads executive hiring across the firm’s portfolio. She partners with leadership teams to identify and place exceptional executives through Alpine’s executive search efforts, as well as its CEO-in-Residence, Investor-in-Residence, and CFO-in-Training programs. Olivia is passionate about Alpine’s people-first approach, believing that the right leaders don’t just drive business success—they shape cultures, build high-performing teams, and create lasting impact.

Olivia serves as Vice President of Talent at Alpine Investors, where her passion for people and building high-performing teams intersect. She leads executive hiring across Alpine’s portfolio, ensuring that great leaders are placed through the firm’s executive search efforts, CEO-in-Residence, Investor-in-Residence, and CFO-in-Training programs.

With over a decade of experience in executive search and venture, Olivia previously helped scale Oxeon, partnering with healthcare services and technology companies to build exceptional leadership teams. She began her career in international education, living in Bangkok and traveling across 14 countries before transitioning into talent and investing.

Olivia holds a BA in Global Studies from Loyola University Maryland.

Abby Babski, Global Head of Talent Acquisition – General Atlantic

Abby Babski has spent 20 years in Talent Acquisition, focused on talent selection and development.  In 2023, she joined General Atlantic as the Global Head of Talent Acquisition, overseeing the firm’s recruitment strategies, and ensuring alignment with its growth objectives and cultural values as it scales.

Prior to this role, Abby spent 17 years at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in multiple roles overseeing and growing its mid- to senior level hiring, campus efforts and Business Operations team in North America, where she scaled hiring during a period of intense growth for the firm across.  Her earlier career includes roles at Harvard Business School where she worked closely with financial services firms to recruit on-campus, and also providing programming to the students.  She also worked in Marketing and Sales at Nielsen Media Research, where she worked closely with advertising agencies to achieve their media buying goals.

Abby holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce with honors from the University of Virginia.

James Cherubim, Head of Talent Acquisition – The Carlyle Group

Jeremy Cohen, Co-Founder & CEO – The Talent Studios

Jeremy Cohen is a career-long executive search professional with expertise in organizational behavior and integrating key leaders into businesses amid scale, growth, and transformation. He leads The Talent Studios’ Executive Search Practice and was formerly the youngest Principal firmwide at DHR Global.

Jeremy is a talent contributor to Inc. Magazine, Mashable, and FastCompany and a thought leader within the new paradigm of business-to-consumer at the intersection of omnichannel commerce, iconic brands, content & technology, physical & digital consumer services, hospitality & experiences. Jeremy earned his B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh and his M.A. in Organizational Psychology at Columbia University.

Kit Cooper, Managing Partner – Newco Talent

A former PE-backed CEO and commercial leader, Kit brings deep expertise in talent strategy, outsourced services and private equity.  As co-founder of Hispanic Teleservices Corporation, he led the company’s growth to 3,000 employees before a successful exit to Carlyle Group.  He received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Business Services in recognition of his team’s achievements. Kit’s entrepreneurial spirit and operating experience has helped him build trusted relationships with leading PE investors and executives. His particular focus lies in services businesses, from field-based services to business services.  He received his BA from UCLA and MBA from Georgetown.

George Corrigan, Managing Partner – The Corrigan Group

George Corrigan is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Corrigan Group, LLC, a retained executive search firm based in New York City. With over 30 years of experience in the executive search industry, George established the firm in 2012 with a focus on transformational recruiting to build world-class management teams for founders, entrepreneurs, and private equity/venture capital investors, particularly within the retail and consumer products sectors.

Before founding The Corrigan Group, George served as Chief Talent Officer and Head of Talent Acquisition at Burch Creative Capital, where he played a key role in launching and building several successful brands. He also spent 12 years as a Partner at Korn/Ferry International, specializing in portfolio company leadership searches for private equity and venture capital clients.

George began his search career in 1988 at JM & Company and later worked at Howe & Associates, where he focused on private equity, consumer products, and manufacturing.

As an active investor, George continues to stay up to date with venture and industry trends. He holds a B.A. in History from Washington and Lee University.

Lauren Gambardella, Director, Talent & Development Strategy – Arsenal Capital Partners

Lauren Gambardella is the Director, Talent and Development Strategy of Arsenal where she focuses on human capital recruitment and development. In this capacity, she sets the human capital strategy and best practices for the Firm and its portfolio companies.  Prior to joining Arsenal in 2021, she was an Executive Recruiter and Leadership Advisor at Spencer Stuart.

Jessica Fiesta George, Head of Talent – Atlantic Street Capital Advisors

Jessica Fiesta George is a seasoned talent acquisition and HR leader with nearly 20 years of experience optimizing recruitment strategies and building workforce solutions for private equity-backed companies and SMBs. As the HR/Talent Operating Partner at Atlantic Street Capital Advisors, Jessica collaborates with portfolio companies to design scalable, people-focused talent programs that fuel growth and operational excellence.

Jessica’s career spans industries such as retail, technology, medical devices, energy, financial services, and direct-to-consumer services, where she has led transformative initiatives in both high-growth and turnaround environments. Her expertise includes high-volume recruiting, ATS/HRIS implementation, employer branding, recruitment marketing, and human capital strategy development. Her ability to navigate complex workforce challenges has made her a trusted advisor to executives and a recognized thought leader in the talent space.

Jessica is also the creator and host of Jess Get Hired, a top-rated podcast that explores workplace trends, talent strategies, and career development for professionals and business leaders.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and certifications in Predictive Index and DISC assessments.

Keith Giarman, Managing Partner, Global PE Practice – DHR Global

Keith Giarman serves as Managing Partner of the Private Equity Practice, based out of the San Francisco and New York offices. He is also a member of the firm’s North American Executive Committee driving overall strategy for the organization.

Keith led the launch and successful expansion of the Private Equity Practice over the past 10 years. Under his leadership, the practice manages approximately 100 board, C-level and senior search assignments per year working with management teams and top-tier investors. He is also a core member of the Board & CEO and CFO practice groups.

Prior to joining DHR, Keith built the CEO practice for one of the premiere boutique executive recruiting firms in Silicon Valley serving the venture capital community. Previously he worked extensively with VC and PE investors, most recently as President and CEO of Clarus Systems. He was also Vice President of Sales, Service and Marketing at Citizens Communications. He was one of five executives on the senior leadership team responsible for 800 employees, $1 billion in revenue and $200 million in operating income.

Keith earned his Bachelor of Arts at UC San Diego and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He serves as the Chairman of the Board at Mission Dolores Academy. He is the former Vice Chairman of the HBS Association of Northern California, former Trustee for Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, former Trustee and President of the Alumni Association at the Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn. and former Chairman of the Western Region Board of Jumpstart based in Boston, Mass.

Matt Hamlin, Managing Partner – 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.

Mar Hernandez, Partner & Co-Founder – NU Advisory Partners

Mar Hernandez is a Co-Founder and Partner at NU Advisory Partners, an AI- and tech-led search and advisory firm. She specializes in recruiting corporate officers—including CHROs, CFOs, and General Counsels—as well as addressing talent needs for boards, financial services, fintech, telecommunications, and hospitality organizations.

Before establishing NU, Mar spent 12 years in executive search at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she was a senior member of the Corporate Officers, DE&I, and Financial Services Practices. She also co-led the firm’s Hispanic Board Initiative, driving greater diversity in corporate leadership. Earlier in her career, Mar held senior sales and marketing roles at Amicorp, Mphasis-EDS, and TTech.

Jonathan Hill, Managing Partner – The Energists

Passionate about people, and building high performing teams, Jon leads The Energists while acting as player / coach for C-Suite, governmental, and advisory (M&A) mandates.

Jon spent the first 25 years of his career in energy solutions, accumulating a wealth of experience across North America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia. After starting his career in the technical domain, he grew through operations and line management to strategic leadership. In an A&D themed journey, Jon often found himself as the client of executive search on either side of integrations and new market entry initiatives.

Intimately acquainted with business challenges in all phases of the evolutionary cycle, and in businesses of disparate size, it was Jon’s exposure to the challenges in talent management that led him to executive search when he assumed control of The Energists in 2015 as part of an MBI/MBO.

Jon also functions as fractional head of people at EW Pumps, a 2020 carve out from publicly listed Weatherford.

Simon Holland, Senior Partner – Modern Executive Solutions

A seasoned strategist and transformation leader, Simon brings over three decades of experience at the forefront of organizational change, talent innovation, and leadership evolution. His career spans executive and practice leadership roles at Accenture, HSBC, Deloitte, Korn Ferry, and Oliver Wyman, where he shaped next-generation talent strategies for global firms, experimenting with future-focused solutions, scaling what works, and driving meaningful, measurable change.

Simon’s hallmark is his ability to weave talent, leadership, and organizational strategy into a cohesive narrative, one that fuels enterprise agility, accelerates performance, and reshapes cultures at scale. He is known for partnering closely with CEOs, Boards, and executive teams to enhance top team effectiveness, strengthen board impact, and embed strategy through people—ensuring strategy adoption and cultural alignment at scale.

Renowned for his engaging and energizing presence, Simon is a sought-after keynote speaker, expert facilitator, and designer of high-impact workshops. Whether on stage, in the boardroom, or with leadership teams in transformation, he creates the space for bold thinking, honest dialogue, and accelerated action—helping modern leaders lead with clarity, purpose, and impact.

Rich Krause, Private Equity Board Chairman

Rich Krause is a seasoned consumer products private equity executive. He has created significant value for private equity investors in both CEO and independent board roles. He has extensive experience in several consumer categories including sporting goods, housewares, small electric appliances, lifestyle products and home products.

Rich has driven successful exits as a CEO with both FeraDyne Outdoors and Capital Brands. Capital Brands was named “Turnaround Deal of the Year” by Buyoutsinsider.com in 2020. He has also been a part of three highly successful exits as an independent director.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Lenox Corporation, Instant Pot Brands and 1880 Hospitality. He is also an active independent director for The Step2 Company and Backyard Discovery.

Rich has a passion for mentoring and collaborating with his management teams, developing and optimizing brands, developing and executing relevant strategic plans, assisting management teams in driving superior financial results and positioning businesses for growth and, ultimately, successful liquidity events.

Jon Levitt, Chief Strategy Officer – BrainWorks

Jon Levitt joined BrainWorks as its Chief Strategy Officer in 2020.

Jon started his career in the 1990s as the Placement Officer for the then Academy of Professional Development, a Jobs Training and Placement Act school achieving unprecedented results in moving former executives off of long-term unemployment and welfare.

He went on to Merrill Lynch for over a decade as a Registered Principal, licensed Series 4, 7, 8, 24 and 63 leading diverse teams and achieving results in infrastructure, operations, tax, brokerage, banking, customer service and IT integration.

Jon has invested the last 15 years as a executive coach, consultant, catalyst, developer, facilitator, speaker and serial entrepreneur. Throughout his leadership and consultancy, Jon has often embraced what was set aside as impossible or too difficult, at scales and with complexities that were previously avoided.

Michael Meehan, Operating Partner – ARCHIMED

Michael Meehan is an Operating Partner at ARCHIMED. He is a Life Science Executive with 25 years’ experience focused in Biotech (Danaher, Cytiva, and Pall), Medical Devices (Stryker and Beckon Dickinson) and Private Equity (ARCHIMED). He has held leadership roles in Business Development, Strategy, and M&A (Corporate and Private Equity). Michael has an extensive Professional Network with key areas of expertise in Business Development, Corporate Development, Strategic Planning, Product Innovation Roadmap, and Commercial Lead (P&L) in environments ranging from startups to large global corporations.

Andy Miller, President & CEO – Brainworks

Andy founded BrainWorks in 1991, and he has led our Consumer Products practice for
three decades. He’s a stickler for process and he has been the driving force behind our proprietary Talent Acquisition Profile and Talent Evaluation Process.

Andy received a master’s degree at Temple University in Counseling Psychology and spent
three years in social services settings. After transitioning to business, Andy spent 10 years
in the telecommunications field, winning numerous sales awards, including five consecutive years in the Gold Club and Salesman of the Year. He is currently a member of the prestigious Pinnacle Society – a consortium of the top 75 recruitment professionals in the country.

Andy’s passion and experience from competitive sports combined with his psychology background provide a unique blend of competitiveness and people skills, which has influenced how he works with both clients and candidates. This unique mix of talents is the basis of Andy’s philosophy — to help clients win the competitive war for talent by assessing, training, and developing people toward greater productivity.

Renée Motley, Associate Partner – The Talent Studios

Renée leads The Talent Studios’ Talent & Performance Management Practice.  Recognized by the International Coaching Federation as a Newfield Certified Executive Coach, Renée specializes in partnering with high-performing leaders to reach the next level on their personal and professional development journey.  Renée began her career in investing at J.P. Morgan and worked in growth consumer investing before joining fintech platform, Robinhood Markets ($24B market cap), leading internal business and operational efficiencies efforts prior to its IPO in July 2021. Renée earned her B.A. at Harvard University and her MBA at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Francisco Prat, Managing Director, Global Head of Talent Management – Apollo Global Management

Francisco Prat is a Managing Director and Global Head of Talent Management at Apollo, where he has overseen a cultural transformation as the firm has evolved into a modern high-performance culture. He has over 20 years of experience in human capital and strategy, working at top firms like McKinsey & Company and UBS. Prior to Apollo, he spent 6 years at Bridgewater Associates in various People roles and previously co-founded two tech startups. Francisco holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering.

Mike Quigley, Group Vice President, US Medium Enterprise – Workday

Mike joined Workday in 2014 and has built Workday’s Medium Enterprise group into a thriving business unit. He is responsible for the strategy, go-to-market approach, and client acquisition for his team of account executives. Prior to joining Workday, Mike spent five years at ADP in leadership roles and is a proud graduate of Purdue University.

Christine Sobhani, Senior Partner – Kingsley Gate

Christine Sobhani is a Senior Partner at Kingsley Gate.

Christine brings over 25 years of recruitment experience to Kingsley Gate. She is a leader in the talent acquisition and talent management space, with a focus on leadership roles across industries.

Before her last role as Partner at August Leadership, Christine served as a Managing Director in Allegis Partners’ New York office, where she focused on identifying talented executives to lead organizations’ HR teams and leadership functions. She previously served as the Vice President of Global Client Solutions at Korn Ferry, where she was responsible for the client management and service delivery leadership of global recruitment accounts, as well as the management of a team of seven global account managers. Her clients were primarily in the technology, manufacturing, private equity, life sciences, and financial services sectors.

Prior to this, Christine was Financial Services Practice Director with Pontoon Solutions, a division of Adecco, where she led the growth and management of the Financial Services Practice and oversaw a staff of more than 80 recruiting professionals and a multimillion-dollar budget. She also has been the head of talent acquisition at BNP Paribas and WestLB.

Christine has a B.A. in Political Science from San Francisco State University and is fluent in Farsi. She currently sits on the Board of the United Way New York City involved with the Community Impact and Public Policy Committee.  Christine is also an Advisory Council Member at Samudra Group, an Advisor / Mentor for the Iranian American Women Foundation, and on the Advisory Board for Haven Kids Rock.

Andy Thompson, CEO & Founder – Notch Partners

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. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA, magna cum laude, in Government.

Nigel Williams, Managing Director, Global Head of Talent Acquisition – BlackRock

Nigel Williams is a seasoned talent acquisition leader with a proven track record of driving innovative workforce strategies at global organizations. Currently serving as Managing Director and Global Head of Talent Acquisition at BlackRock, Nigel focuses on attracting top talent, fostering inclusion, and promoting career growth. Before joining BlackRock in 2022, he held leadership roles at Moody’s Corporation and Invesco Ltd., where he led global teams in executing strategic talent initiatives across multiple regions.

A graduate of Rollins College, Nigel combines his academic foundation with over two decades of professional experience to design impactful talent management, employer branding, and retention strategies. Known for his creativity and passion, he continues to elevate talent acquisition while enabling extraordinary careers worldwide.

Max Woolger, Head of Growth – Ezekia

Max Woolger leads growth for Ezekia. Having spent 12+ years in executive search running Bd, Data and CRM for the founders of 3 global search firms, using a range of CRMs, he is well placed to advise and assist prospective clients as they make their CRM choice. He also spent 3 years prior to joining Ezekia in a B2B relationship technology business selling in to search firms, law firms, consultancies and insurance brokers and underwriters so he has a broad grasp of the challenges for in-house exec recruiting teams.