ZRG Partners Names Financial Officer and Blockchain Practice Heads

July 17, 2018 – ZRG Partners has named Rahul Kapur as managing director and leader of the firm’s newly launched blockchain unit and Bruce J. Robertson as managing director and head of ZRG’s financial officer practice.

The new blockchain practice will help the firm’s financial services, fintech and healthcare clients as well as those in emerging blockchain-centric industries meet the emerging talent needs required to capitalize on opportunities in the distributed ledger/blockchain space, said ZRG Partners. Mr. Kapur is a key leader in the firm’s financial services practice and brings more than 27 years of consulting and executive search experience to the space.

With deep expertise in payments and financial technology, he is well positioned to lead ZRG in this key growth area, said the firm. Mr. Kapur previously held senior positions at PwC, Deloitte, Capgemini and MasterCard Advisors. He has also been recognized by clients for his expertise in emerging technologies within financial services.

A Growing Area  

“Blockchain continues to grow rapidly as a focus area for our clients,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “To capitalize effectively on the potential of distributed ledgers, our clients require a unique type of leader with a strong entrepreneurial capability, combined with a deep understanding of the underlying technology, operations, and regulatory issues that blockchain presents.”

Formalizing the blockchain practice is expected to enhance ZRG Partners’ ability to help financial institutions, fintech firms and investment firms seeking to grow and expand their portfolios with new, differentiating banking, lending and payments offerings. “We are seeing other industries, such as healthcare and consumer goods, also seeking talent who can create value from blockchain technology,” said Mr. Hartmann. “With an industry expert like Rahul leading our offering in blockchain, we will be able to continue to expand our service offering to this sector with a senior leader who has a vast knowledge and network in the blockchain space.”

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This is an area in which clients are seeking help, said Mr. Kapur. “Whether it be an individual to fill a specific need, a team of innovators to jump start an initiative, or a blockchain idea for incubation, our clients are all seeking the most innovative and knowledgeable talent in the space,” he said. “At the same time, they seek talent that seamlessly combine expertise in distributed ledger technology with the ability to build and grow businesses in a way that maximizes return on investment. I am excited to lead ZRG’s efforts across industries to help our clients sort through this next wave of transformative technology.”

Deep Experience

Mr. Robertson, the new head of the financial officer practice, is an experienced search professional who spent the past nine years with RSR partners. Before that, he was with Heidrick & Struggles, where he was a managing partner and senior member of the CFO practice. Prior to Heidrick, Mr. Robertson was a managing director at TMP and Norman Broadbent Associates.

“ZRG has been successfully growing our search work in the CFO and financial officer practice under the leadership of David Hart and Rich Herman for the past decade,” said Mr. Hartmann. “The addition of Bruce’s vast body of work with Fortune 500 financial officers as well as with global multinational CFO projects further strengthens our capabilities.”

Mr. Robertson said he was looking forward to his new role. “ZRG is delivering value with some great tools and technology that supplement the traditional search process that are specifically engineered to help clients make the best hiring decision using data and analytics,” he said. “I am pleased to reunite and partner with some past colleagues and continue to provide great domestic and global search work with ZRG.”

Further Expansion

ZRG Partners also expanded its global human resource officers practice, adding Wendy Murphy as managing director and global practice leader. She will also be engaged in ZRG’s healthcare practice, where she has deep experience in private equity healthcare searches.

Joining Ms. Murphy are several key leaders that have been working together for years, including Davonne Helmer, managing director, who will be working out of the firm’s Chicago office, and Allyson Hauck, principal, working out of ZRG’s Washington D.C. office.

Continued Growth

ZRG has experienced a wave of expansion in recent months. Here is an abridged overview of the firm’s growth from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Giovanni Lamarca was recently hired as a managing director and a consumer products sector leader within the firm’s growing consumer practice. Mr. Lamarca is of multiple nationalities and speaks six languages fluently, said ZRG. Previously, he was managing director with RSR Partners. 

Just recently, ZRG appointed Charles H. King as managing director and global board practice leader. Mr. King, who has completed more than 600 board mandates in his career, partners with clients to recruit executives to serve as directors of public and private companies. 

ZRG also recently acquired certain assets of the Epsen Fuller Group. As part of the asset acquisition agreement, Thomas Fuller, formerly the managing partner and CEO of Epsen Fuller Group, is joining ZRG as managing director & global practice leader for the firm’s consumer sector.

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