StevenDouglas Appoints CEO

July 15, 2022 – Executive search firm StevenDouglas has named Matt Shore as CEO, succeeding Steve Sadaka, who will assume the role of chairman and founder. “Matt truly embodies the core values that StevenDouglas was founded on. He is always committed to doing what’s best for our employees, clients, and candidates, as well as his community,” said Mr. Sadaka. “I couldn’t think of a better partner as we continue to expand StevenDouglas while keeping our amazing culture intact.”

“I am honored and humbled to officially take on the CEO role, and extremely proud of the incredible team we have built here at StevenDouglas,” said Mr. Shore. “Steve is really the soul of this firm, and without his vision and influence we’d never be in this amazing position. I am so grateful for the opportunity, and truly committed to maintaining our exceptional culture while helping guide our teams to create successful outcomes for our clients and candidates.”

Mr. Shore joined StevenDouglas in 2006, playing an integral role in the firm’s expansion. He initially joined the firm to launch the interim resources practice and after one year was promoted to president to help scale the search business as well. Since then, Mr. Shore has helped the firm opportunistically expand from one office and 15 employees when he joined, into a national firm with 22 offices and 150 professionals.

“Over the years, I would describe our hiring strategy to being one of situational opportunists,” said Mr. Shore. “We do not typically go after a market and try to find someone in that market. Our approach is typically to find great people and then add them to an existing team or build a team around them in a market or practice area. As I think about where I want to invest of our money in human capital, we want to focus first in geographies where we already have a footprint to build off of and we want to continue to add talent in practices where we are already a strong player and want to add more capability.”

Established in 1984, StevenDouglas is a boutique executive search and interim resources firm. Its client base is industry agnostic and ranges from start-ups and emerging middle-market to Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms. StevenDouglas has experience in a variety of key areas of expertise, as well as rapid-growth, highly competitive practices, such as IT staffing and consulting. The firm is headquartered in Miami.

Leadership Appointments Rising at Recruiting Firms

Top leadership appointments, of men and women, have been gaining traction at executive search firms over the past year. Here’s a look at several examples taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Global search firm H.I. Executive Consulting (HIEC) has named Stacey Mainiero as its CEO, based in New York. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Stacey to HIEC during an exciting period for the firm,” said chairman Michael Bornhaeusser. “We are a fast-growing organization focused on delivering transformational leaders for our digital focused clients and Stacey’s skills and experience will prove invaluable as HIEC enters the next phase of its growth acceleration journey with expansion into new markets and territories. I wish Stacey every success in her new role.” Ms. Mainiero joins HIEC from ZRG Partners where she held the role of COO, managing and overseeing the firm’s global corporate activity of retained executive search and talent management across the firm’s global offices. In this role, Ms. Mainiero provided leadership and direction across the operational functions of the firm including finance, IT, HR, recruitment, and research. During her time at ZRG, she obtained private equity investment to fuel the ongoing growth of the firm.

Russell Reynolds Associates appointed Constantine Alexandrakis, currently head of the firm’s Americas region, as its new CEO succeeding Clarke Murphy, who will remain with the firm, transitioning back to full-time client work. “Constantine is a demonstrated leader who has an inspiring vision,” said Mr. Murphy. “With his global orientation, collaborative leadership, inclusive mindset, and passion for the business, I am confident that he will lead this organization forward with tremendous success. I am proud to be a part of the firm’s legacy and am looking forward to continuing to work with Constantine as he positions us for the future.” Mr. Alexandrakis served on the firm’s executive committee between 2015 and 2018 and in 2018 was appointed head of the Americas – including the U.S., Canada, and Latin America – overseeing the firm’s growth and expansion in the region.

Diversified Search Group (DSG), a leading search firm backed by private equity firm ShoreView Industries, appointed vice chairman Aileen K. Alexander to chief executive officer, reporting to Judith M. von Seldeneck, founder and chair. Ms. Alexander’s accession comes following Dale E. Jones’ recent decision to step down after nine years as CEO. Under Mr. Jones’s leadership, the firm’s revenue grew from $27 million to more than $100 million. Mr. Jones will remain with the firm as a senior adviser, serving clients in its corporate board and CEO practice. “I would like to thank Dale for his leadership and the significant contributions he’s made to this firm. He has cemented his legacy as a pioneer in this industry and as a transformative leader in the growth of Diversified Search Group,” said Ms. Seldeneck. “The board and our management team believe that Aileen Alexander is the ideal leader to position our company for even greater growth and success in the future as we focus on cultivating new leaders for this changing world.”