Spencer Stuart Expands CEO and Board Advisory Capabilities Around Succession and Value Creation
October 9, 2026 – Spencer Stuart has strengthened its global CEO and board advisory offering with the appointment of Colin Graham as global head of its board and CEO practice and with additions of Sandy Ogg and Chris Gagnon. “CEOs and boards face an increasingly complex leadership agenda where creating value depends on connecting the right leaders to the most critical roles, priorities and moments of impact in a systemic way,” said Jordan Brugg, CEO of Spencer Stuart. “Spencer Stuart has long been a leading advisor to CEOs and boards around the world and we look forward to enhancing the ways we support our clients under Colin’s leadership, and with the additional expertise that Sandy and Chris bring to our team.”
Mr. Graham previously led the firm’s global industrial practice and has been a core member of Spencer Stuart’s board, CEO and private equity practices. He has advised CEOs, boards and senior management teams for 25 years on their most consequential leadership priorities, including CEO and board succession, leadership assessment and development, and aligning leadership capabilities with business strategy. His industry expertise is centered around the industrial and industrial technology sectors and their adjacencies. Mr. Graham previously led Spencer Stuart’s global industrial practice through a period of record growth and has long been a core member of the firm’s CEO, board and private equity practices.
Before joining Spencer Stuart, Mr. Graham was a managing director at a board advisory and executive search firm, where he led its industrial technology practice and helped lead its CEO and private equity practices. He serves on the board of directors of The Opportunity Network, a national non-profit headquartered in New York City.
“CEO and board advisory is fundamental to who we are as a Firm and to the distinctive ways we support our clients,” said Mr. Graham. “Our opportunity now is to bring these long-standing capabilities together around the moments that matter most in a CEO’s journey—from succession and transition through performance acceleration, transformation and value creation.”
Mr. Ogg, founder of CEO.works, will join Spencer Stuart as a senior advisor, and Mr. Gagnon, will join the firm as a partner. They will extend the firm’s ability to connect leadership decisions more directly to business performance and value creation.
“The most successful CEOs understand that value creation starts with clarity about how it is created and where leadership makes a difference,” said Mr. Ogg. “I’m excited to partner with Spencer Stuart to enhance the ways we help our clients connect their top priorities to the roles, teams and capabilities that drive performance.”
Understanding Where Value is Created
“CEOs need an advisor who understands where value is created, which roles matter most and how to mobilize the organization,” said Mr. Gagnon. “Spencer Stuart combines deep leadership expertise with the trust of CEOs and boards and I’m excited to build on the firm’s established strengths to help CEOs achieve their biggest ambitions.”
Related: Spencer Stuart Appoints Leader of Global Real Estate Practice
Mr. Ogg has spent more than 30 years working with CEOs and leadership teams around the world. His work focuses on helping leaders identify the leadership practices, roles and organizational choices that generate value for stakeholders. From 2011 to 2016, he as an operating partner at Blackstone, working with the firm’s portfolio companies. Previously, Mr. Ogg was CHRO at Unilever, where he helped reshape the company’s operating framework and leadership system. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Motorola, Dove Associates, The VIA Consulting Group, which he founded, and The Center for Leadership Studies.
Spencer Stuart Acquires Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates
Spencer Stuart has acquired Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates, a Zurich-based, founder-led leadership advisory firm, through which Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates will be integrated into Spencer Stuart. “Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates is a highly respected market leader with deep relationships with many of the most iconic and important businesses and organizations in Switzerland and beyond,” said Jordan Brugg, CEO of Spencer Stuart. “We are excited to welcome Bjørn back to Spencer Stuart, where he began his illustrious career, as we continue to define a new category of client advisory at the intersection of leadership and strategy.”
Founded 33 years ago by Dr. Bjørn Johansson, the firm has built a reputation for advising leading organizations across healthcare, industry, luxury, and financial services. Its longstanding client relationships and deep local expertise complement Spencer Stuart’s established presence in Switzerland.
Mr. Gagnon brings extensive experience in private equity, management consulting and leadership advisory. His work focuses on helping organizations apply Talent to Value principles to accelerate performance, increase enterprise value and align leadership with the priorities that matter most. Before joining CEO.works, he was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he helped build and lead the firm’s OrgSolutions group and served as co-leader of its global organization practice. He has advised C-suite clients across private equity, finance and other sectors and has published in Harvard Business Review and McKinsey Quarterly.
New Officer Appointments
This past spring, Spencer Stuart named Bill Launder as chief communications officer, a newly created position with the firm. “We are delighted to welcome Bill to Spencer Stuart in this important role at a pivotal time for our firm,” Mr. Brugg said. “We operate at the intersection of talent and strategy, and how we communicate our insights and impact is increasingly important. Bill’s combination of in-house corporate communications experience, advisory perspective and newsroom instinct will be instrumental in strengthening how we tell our story, reinforcing our role as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and their organizations around the world.”
Mr. Launder, who is based in New York, joined Spencer Stuart from Prudential Financial, where he served as head of corporate communications, leading media relations, corporate reputation, executive messaging, crisis preparedness and financial communications for the multinational organization.
Related: Spencer Stuart Acquires Meyler Campbell
Earlier this year, Spencer Stuart appointed Clare Kennedy as its new chief financial officer. She succeeded Christine Laurens as part of a planned succession and in support of Laurens’ retirement from full-time executive work. “Clare is an accomplished finance leader and will be an exceptional addition to our global leadership team, with her deep experience and strong track record in strengthening operations, driving profitable growth and developing impactful teams,” said Mr. Brugg.
Ms. Kennedy, who is based in London, joined Spencer Stuart from Maples Group, an international advisory firm that provides legal, fiduciary and fund administration services, where she served as global chief operating officer. She joined Maples Group from Freshfields, an international law firm, where she served as its global CFO and held a seat on the global executive board.
Privately held since 1956, Spencer Stuart focuses on delivering knowledge, insight, and results through the collaborative efforts of a team of search professionals — now spanning 56 offices, 30 countries, and more than 50 practice specialties. The firm helps boards and leaders address their leadership needs in areas such as senior-level executive search, board recruitment, board effectiveness, succession planning, in-depth senior management assessment and many other facets of organizational effectiveness.
Related: Spencer Stuart Names Co-Leader of Board Advisory Practice
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
