Riviera Partners Appoints Chief Operating Officer
October 10, 2025 – San Francisco-based Riviera Partners, a recruitment provider specializing in C-level engineering, product, and design leader placements, has named Sandy Ma as chief operating officer. “Sandy has been at the heart of our growth—always bringing sharp strategy, a steady hand, and genuine care for the people she works with,” Riviera Partners said in a LinkedIn post. “In her new role, she’ll oversee shared services, search excellence, operations, finance, product, and HR, helping these teams do their best work for our clients and employees. You won’t find a more trusted or appreciated teammate. Over her 16 years at Riviera, Sandy has truly earned this moment.”
Ms. Ma joined Riviera Partners in 2009 and has held multiple positions with the firm. “We take pride in our clients’ successes as if they were our own,” the firm said. “Sandy’s leadership ensures that Riviera’s dedication and passion are reflected in the caliber of our execution and commitment to service.”
Riviera Partners is a global recruiting firm specializing in the technology industry. The firm provides clients with optimal placements by combining recruiter interactions and experience with data-driven findings about candidates. Riviera Partners has recruited for key executive roles at Pinterest, Postmates, Tinder, Twilio, Uber, Asana, Dropbox, GitHub, DoorDash, Hulu, and partnered with venture-backed concerns, including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, Benchmark, Accel, Menlo Ventures, KPCB, Greylock, and General Catalyst.
Through machine learning algorithms, Riviera Partners identifies specialized, highly qualified candidates that fit an organization’s needs from 600,000 professionals across tech geographies. Riviera can often provide a short list of candidates in 30 days and has a success rate of over 95 percent.
Riviera Partners also added Josh Narva as partner to lead talent advisory capabilities. His background spans the full lifecycle of technology companies: as an early employee at two Sequoia Capital–incubated startups, as head of talent at Sonos during its scale-up from 350 to nearly 1,800 employees and eventual IPO, and as a talent advisor in the office of the CEO at Google.
Related: Riviera Partners Expands with PE Veteran
Mr. Narva’s advisory focus includes leadership hiring strategy, succession planning, search firm selection and process management, executive coaching, org design, and candidate experience. “Josh brings a rare combination of operating depth and advisory perspective that will immediately benefit our clients,” said Michael Newcomer, CEO at Riviera Partners. “His experience inside high-growth and global technology companies allows him to provide practical, unfiltered guidance that complements Riviera’s search expertise. We’re thrilled to have him on board as we continue to broaden how we help companies build enduring leadership.”
Board and Technology (BaT) Acquisition
Riviera Partners also recently acquired Board and Technology (BaT). The firm’s founder Olof Pripp has joined Riviera as a partner. Board and Technology will continue to operate under its name, co-branded as “Board and Technology – Powered by Riviera Partners.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We are thrilled to welcome Olof to Riviera Partners,” said Mr. Newcomer. “His exceptional experience advising boards and leadership teams brings a new dimension to our work. With his expertise and our shared values of innovation, entrepreneurship, and diversity, we are uniquely positioned to deliver transformational leadership solutions for our clients around the globe — from the boardrooms of large public companies to the founders of the most promising startups.”
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Mr. Pripp brings decades of experience advising boards and C-suites, with a distinguished record in board governance, CEO succession, and executive leadership across Europe and the United States. As the founder of Board and Technology, he has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to some of the world’s largest corporations, as well as fast-growing technology companies. His work spans board reviews, governance advisory, and leadership succession, with a personal track record of guiding clients through the most critical transitions in the boardroom and beyond.
By joining Riviera, Mr. Pripp expands the firm’s capabilities in several key ways. BaT’s longstanding presence in public company boardrooms enhances Riviera’s ability to serve clients at global enterprises. His expertise expands Riviera’s leadership in technical executive search while his European heritage and multilingual, multicultural experience will accelerate Riviera’s growth across Continental Europe and EMEA.
Related: Riviera Partners Grows Public Practice
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
