Shaping Leadership, One Search at a Time

July 24, 2025 – The executive search sector draws professionals from a wide array of backgrounds, each with unique motivations for entering the field. For some, it’s the intellectual challenge and strategic nature of identifying transformative leadership that captivates them. Others are inspired by the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of organizations, ranging from nimble startups to global enterprises, gaining exposure across industries while building powerful networks. Many are lured by the strong earning potential and clear pathways to advancement, making the career both financially and professionally rewarding. Still, among seasoned practitioners, a recurring theme emerges—what truly sustains their commitment is a deep passion for people and a genuine drive to align the right leaders with the right opportunities, fostering success on both individual and organizational levels.

Paul Sassa joined Hudson Gate Partners in 2013 and is the head of the marketing, fundraising and investor relations practice. He is also the co-head of the C-level executive search practice. Mr. Sassa has over 20 years of recruiting experience for clients in the traditional & alternative investment management industries.

Prior to his recruiting career, Mr. Sassa was a vice president and product specialist at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management (previously Bankers Trust) in New York. During this time, he assisted in the management of multi-asset class portfolios for U.S. high net worth, family office and trust clients. While at Deutsche Bank, he spent a year in the firm’s Singapore office supporting clients located in Asia with U.S. equity research and portfolio selection.

Mr. Sassa recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to discuss his approach to executive search, particularly within the specialized areas of marketing, fundraising, and investor relations. Drawing on over two decades of experience, he shared insights into aligning search strategies with client goals, evaluating top-tier talent, and staying ahead of evolving industry demands.

Paul, when partnering with clients, how do you tailor your search process to align with their strategic goals and organizational culture?

This comes into play mostly for senior level fundraising roles. Before I begin reaching out to my network, I set aside time with my client to learn more about their LP base and desire to target any specific LP channels for the next fundraising cycle. They may want to diversify their LP base into new channels or channels where they have not covered as much, but where they believe their strategy is a good fit. I will also discuss any territories where the firm may not have covered as much as they would have liked in the past. However, sometimes my clients will want to hire a generalist, someone with broad LP relationships and geographic coverage. I also do my best to focus on the candidate experience level that will best fit into the team. Depending on the IR manager’s management style, some senior level roles will have more autonomy than others with regards to daily work activities and LP coverage. I try to find candidates that will fit best into the manager’s style, hopefully ensuring that the successful candidate will be happy in their new role and fit into the team culture.

What key traits or competencies do you prioritize when evaluating candidates for senior-level marketing and investor relations roles?

There are many but these stick out as always important: friendly and collaborative, deep market knowledge of the investment strategy, great communication skills, humble but confident

How do you balance the needs and expectations of your clients with the career aspirations and fit of the candidates you represent?

I put my clients’ interests first, but I also pay very close attention to my candidates’ career aspirations. I am transparent with candidates about the role and career growth possibilities with my clients. For example, if a client tells me that a managing director level position cannot be promoted to partner, I make that clear to the candidates so they can make informed decisions that are best for their careers.

“I put my clients’ interests first, but I also pay very close attention to my candidates’ career aspirations.”

How do you assess intangible leadership qualities — like emotional intelligence and agility — when identifying top-tier marketing and IR executives?

This topic usually comes into play more with mid-level fundraising and IR candidates, who are still in the upward trajectory of their careers. I will ask candidates to describe how they handled difficult situations in the office and with clients. When times get tough, that’s when strong leadership skills stand out. I can also get a sense of leadership qualities with what types of projects the candidate is leading and if they have made any work processes better based on their own efforts.

Within marketing and investor relations, are there particular specialties or emerging skill sets that you are seeing increased demand for among your clients?

Besides the always-important requirement of having relevant LP relationships and experience of working through fundraising processes in good times and challenging times, I would say that clients appreciate candidates with strong financial market and investment strategy knowledge. Marketers who can effectively communicate fund investment strategies to audiences of all sophistication levels remain in high demand.

How do you stay ahead of evolving trends in marketing and investor relations to ensure that the talent you recommend can meet future business needs, not just today’s challenges?

The best way I have found to stay informed is by a combination of having conversations with clients, candidates, and other industry friends, and by reading relevant articles.

Related: Bridging Leadership Gaps: The Journey from Education to Executive Search

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media