True Search Launches Dedicated Private Equity Practice

September 17, 2020 – Haddonfield, NJ-based executive recruitment firm True Search has expanded with a new official practice dedicated to private equity firms and their portfolio companies.
True Search partner Conor Leamy will serve as the PE practice lead in North America. To ensure continued global connectivity, he will also work closely with London-based partner Cosmo Lush, who co-leads True’s international CEO and board of directors practice.
The formation of True’s private equity practice is expected to bring greater business insights, executive talent networks and collective expertise to PE brands such as Warburg Pincus, Vista Equity, JMI Equity, Summit Partners, Susquehanna Growth Equity, L Catterton and others.
“Private equity is a $3 trillion industry that requires not only a mastery of knowledge of the space itself, but also a tailored outlook and a passion for creating value,” said Joe Riggione, co-CEO at True. “We’ve assembled an exceptional team of dedicated experts who will strengthen the existing strategic partnerships with our clients and candidates. This natural progression for us also enables us to reach even more firms seeking growth opportunities and quality executives to lead the charge,” he said.
Recently listed as one of the top 75 firms on Hunt Scanlon’s Power 75 Rankings for PE work, True’s PE experience spans growth equity, mid-market and large buyout firms. The firm’s team brings experience as a trusted advisor and strategic search partner in placing both operating partners in PE firms, and executives and board members in portfolio companies that have driven material transformation, measurable EBITDA improvements, and successful exits through acquisitions and IPOs.
Working in both the private and public sectors, True Search has offices throughout the U.S. as well as the EMEA and APAC regions. Since the late 1990s, the firm’s founders have refined their search process with a blend of data-centric insights, relationship-building and experience to produce a methodology that consistently improves hiring decisions and accelerates growth. Its clients include: Jet, Work Front and Summit Partners. True Search is a subsidiary of True Talent Advisory, a global portfolio of human capital services and products for high-growth tech and tech-enabled organizations.
Recent Expansion
True recently launched an edtech practice to support the rapidly evolving world of technology-supported education. True’s edtech specialists include: partners Matt Engel in Boston, Alex Gold in Singapore, Kevin Griffiths in Sydney, Alex Klein in Los Angeles, Kathleen Scheld in New York, Steve Tutelman in Philadelphia and Tessa Wehausen in San Francisco.
In July, True expanded its consumer practice with the addition of two partners: Diane Lavietes, New York beauty, fashion and lifestyle expert, and Matt Skiba, former head of executive recruiting at Snap. Operating globally from 15 offices, True’s consumer practice works with the most innovative consumer-facing brands within beauty, fashion, lifestyle, new retail, consumer digital, health, wellness and foodtech.
Most recently, Ms. Lavietes served as head of Odgers Berndtson’s consumer retail board in the U.S., where she worked with clients such as L’Oreal, Unilever, Shiseido, Lixil (Grohe and American Standard) and Sakura Art Products. Mr. Skiba joins True from Snap, where he was the head of global executive recruiting. He has completed 67 executive level and strategic searches globally, in tandem with leading Snap’s executive recruiting initiatives.
“Today’s companies must continuously find ways to evolve, especially in an environment that requires creative thinking to stay competitive,” Mr. Riggione said. “Our ability to place the talent that drives ‘what’s next’ is core to True’s service, and having Diane and Matt join the team further enhances our ability to keep consumer-focused companies moving forward.”
New Board of Directors
Earlier this year, True announced the formation of its board of directors. The board will help guide the organization’s next generation of industry-changing solutions across the talent lifecycle.
“Whether it’s executive search, strategic hiring, candidate sourcing, leadership development, or technology, we are constantly looking for ways to push the industry forward,” said Mr. Riggione. “We recognize our clients’ need for efficient people solutions that drive value and growth; our new board will make meaningful contributions to help us continue to innovate and reinvent the space.”
True’s board of directors includes: Jennifer Ceran, CFO of Smartsheet; Alex Shootman, president and CEO of Workfront; and, Evan Wittenberg, EVP and chief people officer at Ancestry and True co-founders and CEOs Brad Stadler and Mr. Riggione.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media