Witt/Kieffer Promotes 14 Search Consultants
August 15, 2018 – Recruiters in the search industry continue to climb the executive ladder within their respective firms. Witt/Kieffer recently announced 14 promotions across its expanding search practices.
“This year has brought continued expansion for the firm, so that we may serve clients better in our markets in the U.S. and abroad,” said Andrew Chastain, president and CEO of Witt/Kieffer. “We are delighted to recognize these professionals, who each bring extensive knowledge and experience in their respective fields and put their unique skills to work for their clients daily. Their commitment to quality and integrity allows Witt/Kieffer to continue to grow and excel as a world-class search firm.”
Promotions
Lisa DeSimone Arthur, based in New York, is now a consultant in the firm’s healthcare practice. She leads executive searches and identifies candidates for healthcare, insurance, non-profit and university clients, including CEO, CFO, chief diversity officers and physician leadership positions. In addition to her core healthcare search experience, she has expertise in helping senior care, home and community-based organizations identify CEOs and other senior executives. Prior to her career in search, Ms. DeSimone Arthur held significant leadership roles in the insurance industry.
David Boggs, based in Louisville, KY, is now a senior partner and shareholder of Witt/Kieffer. As the practice leader of WK Advisors, a division of Witt/Kieffer, he identifies mid-tier and strategic management team leaders on behalf of hospitals, healthcare systems, academic medical centers, medical schools and managed care companies. Mr. Boggs previously spent several years running a hospital-owned physician network as well as working in human resources in a hospital and managed care company. Early in his career, he spent five years as a Witt/Kieffer search consultant.
Amy Crutchfield, based in Oak Brook, IL, is now a principal in the firm’s education practice. With 13 years of search experience, she has developed a deep understanding of the search process within higher education, and she skillfully supports the complete range of executive search services. Ms. Crutchfield is also leader of Witt/Kieffer’s enrollment sub-practice. Since joining the firm, she has participated in over 250 search assignments for presidents, provosts, deans, chief enrollment management officers and leaders in other administrative units.
John McFarland, based in Atlanta, is now a consultant in the firm’s healthcare practice. He identifies C-suite and executive leaders in several areas of healthcare, including hospitals, health systems, hospital and health-related associations, foundations and other not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining Witt/Kieffer, Mr. McFarland worked for Ernst & Young, and held leadership positions in the U.S. Army.
Hillary Ross, based in Oak Brook, IL, is now a senior partner and shareholder with the firm. As leader of the firm’s information technology practice, she specializes in the recruitment of CIOs and chief medical information officers, as well as leaders in security, data science, analytics, biomedical informatics, research informatics, innovation and quality, and personalized medicine. Her clients include healthcare delivery systems, hospitals, academic medical centers, healthcare start-ups, technology vendors and consulting firms across the country. Prior to joining Witt/Kieffer in 2008, Ms. Ross worked as a consultant for a boutique IT search firm where she focused on the recruitment of IT physicians and IT leadership positions.
Jeffrey Schroetlin, based in Oak Brook, IL, is now a principal in the firm’s academic medicine and health sciences practice. Bringing nearly 20 years of executive search experience, Mr. Schroetlin has partnered with the nation’s leading institutions devoted to education, patient care and research. He recruits executives, academic officers, clinician leaders and senior scientists on behalf of academic medical centers, research institutes, health professions schools, faculty group practices, children’s hospitals, health sciences universities, public health institutes and medical education organizations.
Diane Tanking, based in Houston, is now a principal with Witt/Kieffer’s healthcare practice, in addition to her role as leader of the firm’s senior care, home care and hospice practice. Ms. Tanking brings over 30 years of experience in healthcare management consulting to her role. She is well-versed in organizational analysis and design to create high performing, collaborative executive teams. She previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, V4, Ernst & Young and Hermann Affiliated Hospital Systems.
Daniel Young, based in Nashville, is now a consultant in the firm’s healthcare practice. He has more than 10 years of senior-level recruiting experience in healthcare systems and hospitals. Prior to joining Witt/Kieffer, Mr. Young held roles in leadership capacities with the human resources and talent acquisition teams at Memorial Hermann Health System and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Sarah Zielke, based in Oak Brook, IL, is now a principal in the firm’s healthcare practice. As leader of this practice, she identifies key C-suite and senior leaders in integrated health systems, academic medical centers, community hospitals, physician groups and other healthcare service organizations. She brings over 20 years of recruiting and consulting experience in the healthcare, education and nonprofit industries. Ms. Zielke previously held key roles at Spencer Stuart, A.T. Kearney, Accenture and Saxton Bampflyde Hever.
The firm also recently promoted Randy Dietrich, Vineeth Gossain, Hans Henson, Tammy Jackson and Sophie Stava to senior associates.
Firm Leader Discusses Growth
Mr. Chastain, who assumed the CEO role at Witt/Kieffer in July of last year, has more than 20 years of healthcare leadership and executive search experience. He partners with health systems, major hospitals, academic medical centers and other healthcare clients to identify CEOs and senior executive leaders. He recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to discuss his first year on the job. Following are excerpts from that discussion.
Andrew, what’s new in terms of growth and expansion at your firm?
We continue on a path to serve our clients better in healthcare, education, academic medicine and health sciences, life sciences and the broader nonprofit sector – organizations that are committed to improving the quality of life. It so happens that these are all pretty dynamic sectors, and so we are always looking to expand our team (including consultants as well as research and administrative staff) and services to meet clients’ needs. We’ve expanded our capabilities overseas as well, with the full acquisition earlier this year of Witt/Kieffer International. And we’ll have some announcements coming later this year about additional ways we’ll help clients. These dynamic industries are changing the way they view talent and accessing talent. It is our responsibility to anticipate these changes and serve as a partner to clients in creating solutions.
Witt/Kieffer Names Andrew Chastain As CEO
Witt/ Kieffer named Andrew P. Chastain as its new CEO taking over from Charles “Chuck” W.B. Wardell who remains a senior advisor to the firm. Mr. Chastain has been with the firm since 1997 and previously served as managing partner and chairman of its healthcare practice. He assumed the CEO role in July, and plans to remain active in healthcare.
Give us your thoughts on the state of executive recruiting at the moment.
Executive recruiting is still a great and rewarding business for those firms that focus on client needs, provide exceptional and broad services, and can move quickly and adapt if need be. We are in an era of accelerating change, as Thomas Friedman has written, so firms have to not just change with the times but change more quickly if need be. From the client perspective, they want search firms that will pivot with them and counsel them creatively through organizational and market shifts.
“Executive recruiting is still a great and rewarding business for those firms that focus on client needs, provide exceptional and broad services, and can move quickly and adapt if need be.”
How was your first year as company CEO?
Stimulating and rewarding. The firm put a great deal of planning into our transition and for this, I am very grateful. However, you never know what it will be like in the chair until you are in the chair. Luckily, the surprises have been good ones. We finished our fiscal year in June showing growth in revenue as well as a very strong financial performance. We rallied around articulating our culture, implemented a new customer experience program, and launched offices globally. I am extremely proud of the consulting and leadership teams at Witt/Kieffer. It is a privilege to serve them.
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
