Don Zinn

Don Zinn serves as Senior Vice President – Executive Search at StevenDouglas, and is based out of the firm’s Westchester County (NY) office. He is a member of the firm’s Operations (Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance and HR) practice, and is focused on middle market and fast growing early stage companies where his prior operating experience can add significant value to the searches he runs.

A CEO and entrepreneur with over 30 years sales, management and hiring experience, Don is focused on helping organizations grow through people-focused management. He is a frequent speaker and author of many articles about turnover, employee selection and satisfaction, and entrepreneurship. He has founded 7 companies, raised over $25 million in private and venture equity, sold 3 companies and has been an Inc. 500 winner and a finalist in the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

In the world of search, Don is functionally focused on operational leadership that includes:
• CFO, VP Finance, Director FP&A and Controller searches in both the private and public sector, with a focus on family businesses and PE/VC funded companies.
• HR leadership – CHRO, CPO, VP HR, Director Labor Relations, Director Compensation searches, tapping into his alumni network from Cornell while applying his real-life experience leading the people part of organizations he has founded and run.
• The “go-to-market” side of client talent requirements: sales leadership, individual contributors, and sales support searches as well as a similar array on the marketing side – from digital and social media marketing to marketing leadership.
• The entire supply chain management side of operations up to the COO role.

Prior to joining StevenDouglas, Don was a top producing Partner at Jobplex, A DHR International Company. Don also previously served as co-founder and Managing Partner of Exigent Search Partners, a boutique search firm based in Tarrytown, NY. Don has over 15 years of executive, management and sales search experience with clients ranging from early stage entrepreneurial ventures, PE funded high growth companies, family business and Fortune 100 giants.

Don focuses on helping client companies to scale to the next level and successfully fill out their management teams with optimal talent and fit. His experience as CEO and COO, with a focus on building both the operational management (COO, CFO, CHRO etc.) and the go-to-market (sales and marketing) teams of several venture funded tech companies has aided in the development and success of his executive search career.

Don holds a BS in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University and an MBA from New York University. Don serves as VP/Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Cornell ILR Alumni Association, is a Board Member of the Mt Vernon Boys & Girls Club and is a volunteer and former long-term board member for the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Valhalla, New York.