Ward Howell International Adds Waverly Partners to Network
April 9, 2025 – Ward Howell International has added Waverly Partners as a member firm. “This strategic alignment significantly expands Ward Howell’s service offerings and market presence within the non-profit, chamber of commerce and economic development industries while providing Waverly Partners’ clients with additional board advisory and management appraisal services,” said Heidi Milosovic, a founding member of Waverly Partners. “With this merger, our firm will be known as Waverly Partners, a Ward Howell company. It’s a name change that represents our continued commitment to the highest level of executive search consulting services and capabilities to our client organizations with the addition of global resources synonymous with the Ward Howell name.”
Waverly Partners has led executive search assignments for CEO- and other senior-level leaders at Fortune 500 service and manufacturing corporations, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, nonprofit entities, professional service firms and hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide. Established in 2001, Waverly Partners has offices in Cleveland, OH, and Kansas City, MO.
In recent years, Waverly Partners has dedicated a majority of its time and resources serving non-profit organizations, including chambers and economic development organizations. Prior to joining Waverly Partners, Ms. Milosovic was a director for Stratford Group. She was also a consultant with the executive search division of ATKearney, Inc. Ms. Milosovic began her search career as research director for Korn Ferry, where she oversaw the administration of the research function, primary research, and candidate identification.
Ward Howell International is a global executive search firm with a network of more than 130 partners across 26 offices. As one of the pioneers in the search industry, the firm works with corporate boards and senior leadership to deliver immediate and impactful performance gains through better leaders, teams and organizations.
New Abu Dhabi Office
Ward Howell recently a new office in Abu Dhabi. The firm explained that the decision to establish a presence in Abu Dhabi underscores Ward Howell’s commitment to the Middle East and Africa region and reflects the capital’s strategic importance as a hub for business and innovation within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The firm’s expansion into the UAE is led by the appointment of Sevag Alexandrian and Gregory Nazaryan as managing partners for the Middle East and Africa region. “Both bring extensive experience and a deep understanding of the local and regional markets, making them ideally positioned to drive Ward Howell’s growth in this dynamic area,” the firm said.
Executive Search in 2024: Challenges, Trends, and Hopes for a Hiring Resurgence in 2025
For many search firms in almost all industry segments, 2024 has been a tough year. There are many reasons for the recent downturn, and some firms have experienced a dip in revenues for even longer, according to Tim Tolan, founder, chairman, and managing partner of The Tolan Group. “Lots of changes are on the horizon for 2025 on the hiring front, and search firms are waiting with bated breath while hiring decisions are on hold, and draft fee agreements are (still) sitting in DocuSign waiting to be signed,” he said. “Decisions are dragging, as are active search engagements, as hiring managers and leaders struggle to make hiring decisions in the environment, we are all trying to navigate.”
In the Hunt Scanlon 2024 Executive Recruiting State of the Industry Report, the numbers reflected a double-digit downturn in demand for executive recruiting, with the private equity sector being the most affected. “We’ve seen and experienced that firsthand, but we feel positive changes are on the horizon,” Mr. Tolan said.
“Our presence in Abu Dhabi aligns with our vision to be at the center of the Middle East’s thriving business ecosystem, with our new office strategically located in ADGM, we aim to further strengthen our relationships and expand our impact across the Middle East and Africa” said Sevag Alexandrian, managing partner. “The UAE is a strategic gateway to the region, and our strong network and proven expertise allow us to connect clients with world-class leadership talent. Ward Howell’s reputation for execution excellence is rooted in our ability to deliver tailored solutions that meet the unique challenges of our clients.”
“The opening of our Abu Dhabi office is a significant step in our global growth strategy,” said Bernd Prasuhn, chairman of Ward Howell. “This region holds immense potential for economic and business development, and we are excited to bring our decades of expertise to support organizations in achieving their leadership goals. With Sevag and Gregory at the helm, I am confident in our ability to make a substantial impact in the Middle East and Africa.”
Related: Ward Howell International Expands to Cleveland
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
