TillmanPartners Recruits CIO for American Woodmark
May 22, 2019 – Scottsdale, AZ-based search firm TillmanPartners has recruited Bill Waszak as chief information officer for NASDAQ-traded American Woodmark in Winchester, VA.
“American Woodmark is a well-established industry leader with a strong company culture and a commitment to invest in technology and drive continued innovation in the business,” said Rob Tillman, CEO, who handled the search. “Bill is an accomplished leader with deep experience in supply chain and manufacturing and proven expertise as a CIO in similar businesses. In addition, he has the strength of character and personal qualities to be a positive force in the company.”
Mr. Waszak served as chief information officer of the AZEK Company, where he led information technology and supply chain for this private equity-owned residential and commercial building products company. Earlier, he served as vice president of supply chain and business transformation of the Chamberlain Group from 2011 through 2017, and the CIO of the Scots MiracleGrow Co. for nearly six years. Mr. Waszak also served in a series of IT leadership roles with L Brands, Nalco and Moen, and spent nearly 10 years with Ernst & Young.
American Woodmark is one of the leading cabinet manufacturers in the world with over 15 brands, 30 locations, and 10,000 employees. The company manufactures and distributes kitchen, bath and home organization products for the remodeling and new home construction markets, and it sells its products on a national basis directly to home centers, builders and through a network of independent dealers and distributors.
Recruiting CFOs and CIOs
TillmanPartners was launched in March to provide executive search, integrated coaching and one-on-one coaching specializing in CFOs and CIOs. “I’ve been blessed to serve hundreds of leaders over the last three decades, and my focus on recruiting and coaching CFOs and CIOs is totally unique in the market today,” said Mr. Tillman. “Launching TillmanPartners allows me to serve an exclusive group of clients with no off-limits conflicts, a vibrant network and the added capabilities to assist in onboarding and coaching key leaders.”
Mr. Tillman previously founded the executive search boutique TillmanCarlson. He served as CEO of the Chicago-based firm for 16 years, recruiting over 200 CFOs and CIOs and achieving impressive completion and stick rates of 95 percent and 98 percent, respectively. He began his career in search with Russell Reynolds Associates and then served as managing partner of Crist Partners, leading the firm through its successful sale to Korn Ferry. Mr. Tillman is also a certified executive coach, having completed his certification at the Hudson Institute of Coaching. He is also certified in the Hogan Assessments.
CIO Recruiting
The chief information officer is considered among the most strategic roles in any organization. Executive search consultants who specialize in recruiting for the position say that the best CIOs can dramatically differentiate a company in the market, while a poorly performing one can be an organization’s weakest link. Still, headhunting within the function remains challenging, and skilled C-suite IT professionals are among the toughest to find.
It only makes sense that CIO hiring and recruiting information technology teams are on the rise. Nearly a quarter (22 percent) of U.S. CIOs plan to expand their IT teams, according to the Robert Half Technology “IT Hiring Forecast Trend Report.” It represents a three-point rise from the beginning of last year and an eight percentage-point jump from one year ago.
In recent months, a number of organizations have turned to executive search firms to help them find top flight CIOs. Here are a few of the top assignments tracked by Hunt Scanlon Media:
Chicago-headquartered PearlCare Search Group placed Melvin Masula as CIO of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. Geoff Zodda, chief solutions officer, IT search, led the assignment for PearlCare. Mr. Masula has 28 years of professional service in the IT industry. Previously, he was director of IT at WellLife Network.
Harris Search Associates, based in Dublin, OH, is considered one of the top search boutiques in this thriving area. The firm recently placed Amy Belew as chief information officer for the University of Tennessee at Martin. Managing partner Jeffrey Harris led the assignment.
Following a nationwide search, global search firm Odgers Berndtson recently placed Stan Waddell as the new associate vice president and chief information officer of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Partners Jennifer Biehn, Monica Burton and Kathy Ulrich led the assignment.
Save the Children has retained Boyden to lead its search for a chief information officer. The incoming leader will be responsible for delivering technological change over the next two to three years. U.K. managing partner Nick Robeson is leading the assignment.
New Zealand-based executive recruiting firm Ichor Leadership Search placed Alastair Turrell into the position of CIO at the Department of Corrections. Mr. Turrell was most recently director of the software division at Datacom, a strategic leadership role he held over a decade.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
