Pedersen & Partners Appoints Head of Private Equity Practice
January 24, 2020 – Dubai-headquartered executive search firm Pedersen & Partners named Alvaro Arias Echeverria as global head of the firm’s private equity practice group.
Mr. Arias Echeverria has been in charge of Iberia and Latin America at Pedersen & Partners for almost a decade and has co-headed the global private equity practice for over two years. With more than 15 years of executive search experience, he has completed private equity assignments across Europe and Latin America, with mandates ranging from succession planning and high-opportunity sectors to value creation and portfolio management strategies.
Mr. Arias Echeverria focuses on organizational and leadership effectiveness and advising clients on business and intrinsic talent-related aspects, informed by his lasting relationships with leading investment management firms, institutional investors, asset management, advisory, development and pension fund companies.
In addition to his PE focus, Mr. Arias Echeverria has a substantial track record of assignments in retail, industry and energy, financial services, healthcare, telecoms and IT, with a particular focus on due diligence processes and talent gap analysis. Prior to joining the firm, he held senior positions as a partner and member of the international executive committee of Neumann International and principal at Egon Zehnder.
“The global private equity industry has registered record-high results over the last few years, and our clients have consistently turned to our expert industry consultants for help in aligning their strategic investor plans with their leadership capabilities,” said Gary Williams, CEO of Pedersen & Partners. “Alvaro has led our global team into partnerships that help our clients to plan investment strategies which include a built-in C-level talent component to ensure the best match at every stage of the deal, from appointments and assessments to succession strategies and value creation plans.”
“Alvaro applies his core values-driven advisory and search expertise across the lifecycle of an investment, and his thorough understanding of the industry processes and talent requirements transcends geographical boundaries while factoring in local sensitivities,” he said. “I am certain that Alvaro’s appointment will be a steppingstone for the entire practice group’s accelerated growth.”
“As with many other industries, private equity has been greatly impacted by the abundance of opportunities brought on by the era of digitalization, among other global factors affecting its course,” Mr. Arias Echeverria said. “At Pedersen & Partners we are uniquely positioned to help clients achieve their transformative goals in unpredictable and rapidly changing operating environments. Our team of consultants encompasses a wide array of critical credentials that are essential to guiding and advising them on vital leadership aspects necessary to accomplish their business aspirations. I’m excited to take on full responsibility for the PE practice group, and to continue strengthening our position in this complex market in the years to come.”
Global Search Firm
Pedersen & Partners operates 54 wholly-owned offices in 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
This past July, Pedersen & Partners appointed Mr. Williams as its CEO replacing founder Poul Pedersen who assumed the role of executive chairman. Mr. Williams has over 17 years of executive search consulting experience. He joined Pedersen & Partners in 2014 as the head of South East Asia.
“Since the inception of the firm in 2001 it has been an exciting journey and a privilege to lead Pedersen & Partners,” said Mr. Pedersen. “My partners and I are confident that our new CEO, Gary Williams, will lead the firm in accordance with our values of trust, relationship and professionalism, and I have every belief in Gary’s ability to take over and drive Pedersen & Partners to our next phase of development.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
