PierceGray Expands Search Team
December 13, 2023 – Chicago-headquartered executive search firm PierceGray has expanded with the additions of Alyssa Quinn as managing director and chief commercial officer, and Matt Padberg as vice president. “PierceGray is excited to welcome two new senior hires to our team, Alyssa Quinn and Matt Padberg,” the search firm said. “We are looking forward to the unique experiences they each bring to the firm. Please help us welcome both Alyssa and Matt to the PierceGray family.” Ms. Quinn and Mr. Padberg will both be based in the firm’s Chicago office.
Ms. Quinn will be focused on new business development and growth strategy. Prior to joining PierceGray, she spent almost 20 years in various sales and business development roles across multiple industries where she led significant revenue generation and sales organization development. Ms. Quinn most recently served as head of global sales and account management with Coleman Research. In this role, she directed account management and new business development functions while overseeing top 20 global consulting firms, hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity firms, market research organizations, and corporates. Before that, Ms. Quinn served as VP of new business development, financial markets with Oxford Economics.
Mr. Padberg focuses on recruiting senior executives into investor-backed environments. He has worked extensively in technology, financial services, manufacturing, and life sciences industries. Prior to joining PierceGray, Mr. Padberg spent over 10 years in management consulting where he led and managed cross-functional global project teams in delivering world-class solutions for clients’ go-to-market sales strategy and operations issues. Most recently, he was a principal with Korn Ferry, where he led projects and supported business development activities that focused on helping clients across a variety of industries implement changes to selling models, develop commercial organizations, and lay the foundation for growth.
Related: Opportunities and Challenges in Private Equity Recruiting
PierceGray is a specialized, retained executive search firm focused on building leadership teams in investor-back environments. The firm is functionally-focused, hiring executives and building teams in the following disciplines: operations and supply chain, sales and marketing, finance and transformation, and general management.
How Private Equity Outfits are Keeping Recruiters Busy
Attracting and retaining top talent is a challenge given the specialized skills and experience required to be successful in a private equity-backed portfolio company. When seeking potential talent for leadership positions, PE firms are laser-focused on finding specific domains and industry expertise to fit the unique culture and environment of their investments, according to Rob Crawford, managing director with PierceGray. “On top of background and sector knowledge, identifying candidates with demonstrated flexibility and adaptability to operate in a fast-paced and dynamic environment shrinks an already limited pool of talent,” he said. “While past success can often predict future success in this sector, the number of potential candidates with previous successful private equity experience and expertise is even more constrained, creating a highly competitive search for top talent.”
“Organizations and PE firms often face challenges in retaining talent due to factors including limited career advancement opportunities, lack of work-life balance, or inadequate compensation,” he said. “Identifying the right candidate poses its own unique challenges; however, retaining talent is just as important as recruiting talent.”
PierceGray’s clients include private equity firms and portfolio companies as well as publicly-held companies across North America. PierceGray has been operating since 2006 and serves clients in nearly every industry sector in North America.
Using Referrals
PierceGray is led by industry practitioners, search professionals, and human capital specialists to ensure the right mix of real experience and talent acquisition expertise. More than 95 percent of the firm’s work is generated through referrals. PierceGray has served more than 90 private equity funds across their portfolios, ranging from founder-led, early-state investments to high-growth multi-national environments. The firm is focused on high-growth, investor-backed environments. More than 80 percent of PierceGray’s search volume is in private equity-backed portfolio companies.
Matt Hamlin is the managing partner of PierceGray. Based in New York, he leads the firm’s day-to-day operations as well as key client engagements, specializing in C-suite placements in high-growth transformational environments.
Related: Building the Best PE and VC Leadership Teams in 2023
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
