RSR Partners Combines Family-Owned and Family Office Practice
December 9, 2020 – Greenwich, Conn-based RSR Partners has combined the firm’s family-owned business and family office practices to jointly offer clients a full range of services related to governance, executive recruiting and succession planning. “The COVID pandemic has challenged many of our family-owned business clients to better plan for leadership succession,” said Thames Fulton, a member of the RSR’s board recruiting practice. “No one wants to wait for an emergency to begin succession. Whether the family needs to develop the next generation to manage the business or search externally, many are coming to us for governance advice and for the tools to transition smoothly and position for the future.”
“There is a link between the establishment of a family office and succession success,” said Jane Bierwirth, co-head of the firm’s asset management practice with more than 25 years of family office experience. “A family office provides security for the business while a transition occurs. It also provides families with a vehicle to grow and diversify their investments, leading to greater opportunities for the next generation.”
“We see a tremendous amount of talent attracted to family office opportunities and we are able to match families with investment professionals who appreciate the family’s long-term strategy,” she said.
RSR’s family-owned and family office practice is national in scope and brings together members of the firm’s board recruiting, board advisory, executive search and family office practices. The team specializes in guiding family-owned businesses towards longevity, from generation to generation.
An increasingly competitive market is also spurring an interest in RSR’s strategic talent advisory services for family-owned businesses. “We have been engaged to assess the culture of family-owned businesses in order to help the leaders we recruit adapt to the values and behaviors of the organization,” said Gretchen Crist, leader of the firm’s human capital and consumer goods and services practices. “Many of our clients are also partnering with us to coach internal leaders and prepare them for succession into C-suite roles.”
“Collaboration across practices is a hallmark of our firm,” said Brett Stephens, CEO of RSR. “This practice supplements the robust services we offer to board and CEOs and is another example of the integrated approach that our clients count on. Family-owned businesses are the heart and soul of America, and we are thrilled to bring together our expertise in these areas to serve the best interests of these important clients,” he said.
Veteran Recruiters
RSR Partners, founded by Russell S. Reynolds Jr. in 1993, is an executive, board and leadership recruiting firm with offices in Greenwich, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Its specialties include: consumer goods and services, hospitality, industrial, financial services, retail, board, CEOs, CFOs, CHROs, chief information officers, chief marketing officers, sport leadership, risk, board recruiting, board advisory, management consulting, technology, innovation, leadership, assessment, asset management, family office, fintech, investment technology, blockchain, cryptocurrency, leadership assessment, executive search, talent, talent advisory, healthcare, life sciences, human capital and corporate affairs.
RSR Partners recently launched a new board and CEO services practice. It was created to partner with CEOs and boards to understand issues, assess opportunities and strategically advise to ensure that sustainable growth strategies are optimized, according to the search firm. “Boards and CEOs today face complex challenges at an accelerating pace driven by the rapid evolution of digitization and globalization,” RSR Partners said. “There is also increasing pressure coming from regulators and shareholder activists. To meet the demands of the future and achieve success, it is critical that corporations focus on continuous improvement and innovation.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
