Julie Ford

Julie founded Ventura Partners in 2010 and brings over twenty years of relevant business experience to her work in executive search. Her expertise extends to the Retail and Apparel segments of the Consumer Industry as well as lifestyle-oriented businesses including the action-sports, outdoors, and entertainment categories. She has recruited CEOs, COOs, Presidents, and General Managers, as well as having executed successful searches to recruit senior leadership into critical leadership areas, including marketing, sales, merchandising, finance, human resources, and operations. In her career, she has placed over 200 senior executives. She has had successful placements in a number of Fortune 1000 companies as well as in several smaller (yet often world-renowned) high-growth branded businesses. A significant amount of her time is also spent recruiting uniquely talented executives into private equity-sponsored companies, as well as into diverse and owner/founder run businesses. Finally, Julie has completed numerous high-profile searches for Gen-X, Gen-Y and Gen-Z genre companies. Prior to establishing Ventura Partners in 2010, Julie was a Partner with Heidrick & Struggles and prior to that, with Korn/Ferry International in Los Angeles. With both firms, she played leading roles in the firms’ Action Sports, Lifestyle, and Outdoor Industry sectors within their respective Consumer Markets practices. Earlier in her career, she worked at a law firm owned by her father. Julie earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the California State University, Northridge. She is an avid snowboarder, motocross rider and surfer and an overall action-sports and outdoor enthusiast.