True Search Names New Leaders
June 9, 2021 – Haddonfield, NJ-based executive recruitment firm True Search has named new co-leaders to several specialized practices: the financial officers practice, the consumer practice and the financial services practice.
Managing director Matt Goldstein has joined partner Rhoda Longhenry as co-practice lead of the financial officers practice. It’s a homecoming for Mr. Goldstein, who launched the practice with Ms. Longhenry in 2017 before turning his focus to helping launch True Search’s EdTech and healthcare and life sciences practices. “Matt and Rhoda bring a unique but complementary approach to execution, mentoring and business development that will help build on the tremendous success of the practice,” said Brad Stadler, founder and co-CEO of True. “They are authorities in their field with long-standing reputations of excellence that our clients appreciate.”
Mr. Goldstein has more than 15 years of search, business development and marketing experience for high-growth technology companies across the U.S. and Europe. Based in Boston, he provides leadership support and search expertise for True’s East Coast clients and team members. His work focuses on critical CEO and CFO engagements for public and private software, SaaS, consumer internet, FinTech and healthcare IT companies. Mr. Goldstein also works with select venture and PE firms on placing investment professionals at the partner-level. Some notable clients include MongoDB, Compass, Oak HC/FT, and Compass.
The financial officers practice’s team members have deep connections to the competitive talent pool of finance professionals in core areas, including chief financial officer, controller, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, treasurer, audit and tax, and risk management.
Consumer Practice
Co-founder and partner Tim McDonald and partner Kristin Godfrey have joined partner Todd Zangrillo as co-leads of the consumer practice. The team has expertise in beauty, fashion and lifestyle, consumer digital, food tech, health and wellness, and new retail.
Mr. McDonald co-founded True in 2012 and has 15 years of executive search experience across a range of industries for venture capital and private equity-backed technology companies. His specialties include CEO and president/COO searches as well as go-to-market positions across North America. Some of his notable clients include Bumble, Ancestry and Bitly. He supports his team and clients from the True company headquarters in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
“Tim McDonald truly represents our culture through his humility and dedication to impeccable execution,” said Joe Riggione, co-CEO and fellow co-founder of True.
Ms. Godfrey leads board and C-suite searches across the consumer sector with a specialization in marketing and CEO/COO roles. She partners with high-growth businesses at all stages, from Series A start-ups through publicly traded companies. She brings her leadership to the West Coast team and clients from her home base in Los Angeles. Ms. Godfrey has worked with numerous top companies including Goop, Tonal, StitchFix and Weight Watchers Reimagined.
Related: True Search Recruits CEO for Ancestry
“Kristin Godfrey embodies the very spirit and culture of the firm, inspires and motivates those around her, and crushes every search,” said Mr. Riggione.
Financial Services Practice
In addition to appointing new practice leads, True has merged the investment professionals and FinTech practices to create the firm’s newest commercial practice – financial services. Partners Dan Miller and Caroline Lo have joined partner Jonathan Pomeranz as financial services co-leads. “Combining these practices reflects the reality of significant overlap between investment professionals and fintech and brings together two of the fastest growing areas of the firm,” True said. “Working together, the three co-leads represent a global team better positioned for increased collaboration, operational leverage, career growth and market opportunity.”
LLR Partners Makes Equity Investment in True
Private equity firms continue to pair up with executive recruiters at a blistering pace. High growth rates, new layers of incremental revenue streams, and AI-powered talent intelligence tools aimed at revolutionizing the sector are creating a perfect storm for PE investors who now view search firms as an investment of choice. Hunt Scanlon Ventures talked to True about their deal with LLR Partners.
Under the financial services umbrella, Mr. Miller will continue running the investment professionals sub-practice from San Francisco. Mr. Pomeranz will continue to lead FinTech, banking and payments sub-practice from New York with Ms. Lo heading up the international portion of the business from London. “Caroline, Dan and Jon have done incredible work individually and together,” said Mr. Stadler. “We’ll have a strong global presence across a growing area for our firm.”
Mr. Miller specializes in investment professionals and C-level portfolio company searches at True. Notable clients include Brookfield, Canaan and Bessemer Venture Partners. Ms. Lo is the co-head of the U.K. and Ireland regions as well as a new co-head of the financial services practice. She works with fintech clients, from early-stage VC through to listed businesses. Key clients include Algorand, Checkout.com, Tink, Ripjar, Raisin and Plus500.
Mr. Pomeranz is co-head of financial services practice and the head of FinTech, banking and payments practice. He works with fintech and financial services clients, from early-stage VC to public companies. Notable clients include: FIS, Northwestern Mutual, Etoro, Finastra, Pagaya, Green Dot and Yapstone.
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 Platform, a global portfolio of human capital services and products for high-growth tech and tech-enabled organizations.
Related: True Search Recruits New CFO for PE-Backed MikMak
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
