Raines International Appoints CEO
March 15, 2019 – Executive recruitment firms have made a number of top leadership appointments over the past year, many focused on strategy, growth, branding efforts and operations. The latest: New York-headquartered Raines International named COO Daniel R. Smith as its new president and CEO. Founder and current CEO Bruce R. Raines will continue with the firm as senior managing director, focusing his full-time efforts on client and search management.
“The past year has been enormously rewarding for me on both personal and professional levels,” said Mr. Raines. “While I shall remain fully active going forward, these milestones suggest it is the right time to transition the leadership of our firm to the next generation.”
“Our firm brings a strong focus on succession planning in serving our clients as well as ourselves. I have worked closely with Dan in preparing him to assume the roles of president and CEO, which ensures a seamless transition within this important leadership position for our company,” Mr. Raines said. “Dan brings the required client focus and deep search expertise of our business to lead the firm into the future.”
Mr. Raines has positioned the firm for long-term success, said Mr. Smith. “My 14 years here have been the greatest adventure of my life, and I am honored to now lead one of the best brands and teams in the industry,” he said. “Serving the most dynamic group of clients, colleagues, and dear friends, I’m excited to lead Raines International into 2020 and beyond.”
Mr. Smith, who joined the firm in 2005, has held a series of positions of increasing responsibility, including serving as managing director since 2011 and COO since 2013. In addition to his role at Raines International, he is on the board of directors of America Needs You, a careers-focused national non-profit that serves ambitious, low-income, first-generation college students.
Mr. Smith has worked with clients in 13 different industries on assignments spanning North America and Europe. He has served clients in the technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer goods and industrial manufacturing industries. The roles he has recruited for include: board members, C-suite leaders, general managers, and functional heads for multi-billion dollar businesses and leading private equity firms.
Founded in 1969, Raines International conducts global searches for C-suite executives and their direct reports. With expertise in all major industry sectors and functional areas, its client base includes privately held companies, publicly held corporations, leading private equity and venture capital firms, and not-for-profits. The firm currently operates in New York City, Bentonville, AR, Boston, MA, and San Francisco, CA, with a new office opening in Buenos Aires in summer of 2019.
Leadership Appointments Rising at Search Firms
Top leadership appointments have been gaining traction at executive search firms over the past year. Here’s a look at several examples taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
U.K.-headquartered executive search firm VMAGROUP has appointed Andrew Harvey as CEO. He succeeds Julia Meighan, who moves into the role of chair. Mr. Harvey came to the firm in 2013, and for the last two years has been U.K. executive director, responsible for the growth and development of all aspects of the U.K. business.
Waltham, MA-based WinterWyman appointed Scott Ragusa as president, succeeding Bob Boudreau, who had been CEO since 2002. Mr. Ragusa was previously president of WinterWyman’s contract staffing and contingency search businesses. He will now be the executive in charge of companywide operations as the firm shifts away from retained recruiting to contingency and interim work.
Egon Zehnder appointed Edilson Camara as its new CEO. He took over from Rajeev Vasudeva, who stepped down in October after holding the position since 2014. Based in Toronto, Mr. Camara assumed the role immediately, becoming the sixth CEO in the firm’s 55-year history.
Perth, Australia-based executive search firm Gerard Daniels appointed Alison Gaines as the company’s global CEO. Following a 12-year tenure as the head of its board consulting practice and recently as managing partner of Gerard Daniels’ Asia Pacific practice, Ms. Gaines will now lead the firm to continue to drive growth across all regions and offices.
Spencer Stuart appointed Ben Williams as its new CEO, succeeding Kevin Connelly, who served two three-year terms as the firm’s leader after previously serving six years as its chairman. Mr. Williams previously led Spencer Stuart’s North American business and, before that, led its financial services practice in the region.
The RSA Group, which is based in London and focuses on the life sciences sector, has appointed executive chairman Nick Stephens as its CEO. Alex Bennett recently stepped down from the top post. Mr. Stephens has been with RSA since 1986 and leads the firm’s board services practice, handling about five or six C-level assignments each year.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
