Vantage Leadership Consulting Names New Marketing Leader

May 11, 2022 – Vantage Leadership Consulting has appointed Sara Nelson as director of marketing. “As our firm has grown, so have the needs of our clients,” said managing partner Keith Goudy. “We are excited to have Sara on the team as she helps guide our firm into new markets, optimize client experience, and enhance our branding.” Ms. Nelson brings over 20 years of marketing management experience to Vantage. Most recently, she ran her own consultancy from 2014 until 2022. She was a marketing adviser to non-profit organizations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, where she provided strategic planning, brand development, product marketing, and marketing communications. Prior to consulting, Ms. Nelson was the chief marketing officer of Mercer Advisors, a privately-owned, $50 million wealth management firm, from 2010 until 2014. She was responsible for brand strategy, product and channel marketing, communications, and client experience. Previous positions also include VP of marketing roles with Trust Company of America, a $33 million financial services company, and Fujitsu PC Corp., a $250 million computer division of Fujitsu Ltd.

In her new position, Ms. Nelson is responsible for all marketing initiatives, communications, and public relations. In addition, she assists Vantage’s partners and consultants with business development efforts, enhancing the client experience, and introducing new services to the market. Her plans include strengthening the Vantage online brand presence and streamlining messaging across all platforms.

“As Vantage’s new director of marketing, I manage the evolution of the firm’s brand, help drive new client acquisition efforts, and heighten client engagement,” said Ms. Nelson. “Vantage is comprised of a truly exceptional group of individuals collectively driven by one goal: to help clients succeed. I’m thrilled to be a part of the team.”

Vantage Leadership Consulting is a global executive search firm founded in 1976 and located in Chicago. From executive assessments and succession planning to leader development, executive coaching, and high-performance team development, Vantage has spent over four decades focused on a single mission: “ensuring their clients have the leadership required to win in their marketplace.”

Ms. Nelson represents the sixth high-level personnel decision for the firm in the last three years. In April of last year, the firm named Beau River to the partnership group; Eileen Linnabery and Stefanie Mockler were promoted at the beginning of 2021 to practice leader, new products for client success and practice leader, leadership development solutions, respectively. Other recent additions include Mary Becker, formerly of Lee Hecht Harrison, who joined the Vantage network as client partner, business development in 2020, and David Binkley, former chief human resources officer at Whirlpool, who was named a senior advisor to the firm in 2019.

Marketing Leaders

A handful of executive search firms have hired marketing professionals to guide them into the future. Here is a sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Vanderbloemen Search Group, which finds leaders for churches and ministries, has expanded with the addition of Michael Buckingham as vice president of marketing and business development. “I am excited by the leadership Michael will bring to our story,” said William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO. “For over a decade, we have helped Christian organizations of all sizes and types find their key staff. But we won’t rest on the past. Rather, we are reaching farther than ever before,” Mr. Vanderbloemen said. “Adding Michael to the team will take our work to a new level of excellence and service. As we look to the future we want to connect and inspire a wide range of audiences and advance our mission of serving teams with greater purpose, Michael and the team will develop and build the tip of the spear in that effort.”

Life sciences search specialist Coulter Partners has expanded with the addition of Christelle Kerouedan as marketing director. “We are delighted to welcome Christelle to the team and are looking forward to working with her on the next phase of development of Coulter Partners,” said CEO Bianca Coulter. Her extensive experience as a life sciences communications specialist will further support the mission we are engaged in with our pioneering clients – helping them realize their worthwhile objectives. Christelle’s expertise will also help us with our continuing global growth and the evolution of our leadership, board and executive search services.”

Daversa Partners, which helps build leadership teams for growth and venture-backed companies, named Nicole Daversa as VP of marketing and communications after leading the firm through a three-year global rebrand and creative overhaul. “Even though Daversa Partners has been in business for 25-plus years, some of the most impactful additions to our team have happened over the last few years,” said Bill Beer, partner. “One of the best examples of that impact has been with the work Nicole has done for this firm. Nicole is the perfect combination of skill, will, intuition and selflessness. Daversa Partners was somewhat of a blank slate from a marketing and communications standpoint when Nicole joined us. She has delivered so much value in so many ways and completely changed the way we think about brand, content, communications and the story we tell in the tech ecosystem.”