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So far Christina Claus has created 161 blog entries.

Heller Promotes Morgan Breschi to Senior Principal, Bolstering Firm’s Private Equity Capabilities

July 1, 2026 – Heller, a leading technology executive search firm, today announced the promotion of Morgan Breschi to Senior Principal. With a frictionless, consultative approach, Morgan runs highly successful searches across multiple verticals within both private equity - and for public companies. Morgan’s search work at Heller includes CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and recently, AI leadership. “Private equity and public companies continue to navigate AI and digital transformation, and their leadership must help drive operational excellence and future growth,” said Heller CEO Martha Heller. “Morgan consistently partners with our clients to deliver exactly what they need in today’s current marketplace: an expert who understands their business, brings true transformation capabilities, and creates long-term value.” Prior to Heller, Morgan held roles at several boutique executive search firms, where she specialized in placing senior executives, including CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and CHROs, across industries. “I’m thrilled to help Heller enhance its impact with clients navigating digital transformation,” said Morgan. “I look forward to deepening our client partnerships by helping organizations find the right transformative talent that they need to maximize value in today’s landscape.” About Heller Heller is a specialized technology executive search firm helping companies across industries find exceptional technology and AI leaders for [...]

By |2026-07-02T10:19:52-04:00July 2, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

Cornerstone Convenes Global Network in Warsaw for Its 2026 Global Conference

Cornerstone International Group brought together more than 60 leaders from across its global network in Warsaw, Poland, May 27-30, for its 2026 Global Conference, with sessions on leadership, succession planning, artificial intelligence, and the future of executive search. WARSAW, POLAND. Cornerstone International Group (CIG) gathered partners from across its worldwide network in Warsaw for the 2026 Cornerstone Global Conference, held May 27-30 at the historic Hotel Bristol. Convened under the theme “Come and See,” the four-day program brought together leaders from CIG offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia for sessions on leadership, executive search, talent management, and the forces reshaping the profession. The annual conference is the firm’s flagship gathering, combining industry-specific practice groups and regional working sessions with keynotes, fireside chats, and cross-border relationship-building that defines the network. This year’s host city was chosen deliberately: a capital destroyed and rebuilt in the last century, and a fitting backdrop for a network whose theme is resilience, trust, and long-term partnership. Video Overview of the Conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7iQpizeVno&t=120s A Network Gathered in a City of Resilience Castle Square and the Royal Castle, Warsaw. The conference was hosted by Cornerstone Warsaw’s Iwona Szybka and Joanna Kania, who guided colleagues through the city’s history and [...]

By |2026-07-01T17:18:40-04:00July 1, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

IIC Partners Celebrates 40 Years of Global Operations

Top-10 global executive search group celebrates four decades of cross-border collaboration and innovative leadership advisory. NEW YORK, NY — June 30, 2026 — IIC Partners, a leading provider of global executive search and leadership consulting services, is proudly celebrating its 40th anniversary. Founded in 1986 by four firms across Europe and North America, IIC Partners is now ranked among the top 10 retained executive search groups worldwide with 45 global offices. Recent office additions include Singapore, Auckland, and Bucharest, demonstrating continued expansion. This impressive growth over four decades is a testament to the network’s quality of service, deep local market expertise, and ability to design advanced, innovative talent strategies aligned with organizational and market contexts. Driven by Independence, United by a Global Vision IIC Partners is owned exclusively by its independent member firms and guided by a globally elected Board of Directors. This collaborative structure allows member firms to remain deeply embedded in their local markets while seamlessly leveraging the collective scale, history, and insight of a world-class global organization. Renee Arrington, Global Chair of IIC Partners, commented: “Celebrating 40 years of partnership across executive search and leadership advisory is a powerful validation of our collaborative model. Over the past [...]

By |2026-07-01T17:15:07-04:00July 1, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

2026 Board Diversity Index

The 2026 Board Diversity Index shows that Australian boards are nearing a milestone on gender representation, with women now holding 38% of ASX 300 board seats and only four all-male boards remaining. But that progress masks a much weaker picture across other dimensions of diversity, with cultural representation slipping and very low visible representation of LGBTQ+, First Nations, and disabled directors. The report suggests that board diversity is advancing unevenly, with gains in gender not yet translating into broader inclusion across the full board talent landscape. Its broader message is that real board effectiveness depends not just on representation gains, but on widening the range of perspectives present in boardrooms. Read the Report Connect with Watermark Search International

By |2026-06-18T14:46:25-04:00June 18, 2026|Member Thought Leadership|0 Comments

AltoPartners Expands in Brazil with the Appointment of DXE CONSULTING

São Paulo-based leadership advisory firm strengthens AltoPartners' executive search and board advisory capabilities across Latin America. 18 June 2026 – AltoPartners Global Group S.L, the international partnership of independently owned executive search and leadership consulting firms, today announced the appointment of DXE CONSULTING as its partner in São Paulo, significantly strengthening its leadership advisory and executive search capabilities in Brazil, Latin America's largest economy. This strategic move further strengthens AltoPartners across the Americas, creating broader coverage of one of the world's most important executive talent markets. The appointment further strengthens AltoPartners' presence across the Americas, where the partnership now provides clients with access to leading executive search and leadership advisory firms spanning Canada, the United States and Latin America, in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. "We are excited to collaborate with distinguished partner firms around the world, share best practices, and support organizations in identifying leaders capable of driving transformation, sustainable growth and long-term value creation. We sincerely thank AltoPartners and its members, many of them longtime professional colleagues, for the trust and warm welcome. This milestone deepens our international connectivity and our ability to support clients in Brazil and globally, without compromising what defines us: direct partner involvement [...]

By |2026-06-18T14:40:29-04:00June 18, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

AESC | Cornell Executive Talent Essentials Case Study

AESC | Cornell Executive Talent Essentials For 15 years, AESC has partnered with Cornell University ILR School to deliver professional development designed specifically for experienced executive search and leadership consulting professionals, as well as in-house executive talent leaders. This case study explores how AESC | Cornell programs help participants broaden their perspective, strengthen their advisory capabilities and bring greater value to their firms, teams and clients. Complete the form to access the case study and learn how the AESC | Cornell partnership supports career growth, client value and professional connection across the global executive talent community.

By |2026-06-18T10:58:46-04:00June 18, 2026|Research & Guides|0 Comments

How to Stand Apart in a Crowded Executive Search Market

The executive search and leadership consulting profession has never been more important. Organizations are navigating leadership decisions shaped by transformation, succession, global complexity, new technologies, shifting workforce expectations, and heightened scrutiny from boards and stakeholders. They need trusted advisors who can help them identify, assess, and attract leaders capable of delivering lasting impact. At the same time, the market for executive search is increasingly crowded. Clients have more options than ever. Firms of varying sizes, models, specialties, and levels of experience all compete for attention. In an unregulated profession, it can be difficult for clients to distinguish between firms that simply offer executive search services and firms that demonstrate the standards, judgment, and professionalism the work requires. For executive search firms, standing apart is no longer just about reputation or relationships. It is about credibility, consistency, and the ability to demonstrate value at every stage of the client and candidate experience. Lead with Trust Executive search is built on trust. Clients share confidential information about strategy, leadership gaps, business challenges, compensation, succession, and organizational change. Candidates trust search consultants with sensitive career conversations, often before they have made any decision to consider a new opportunity. In this environment, trust is [...]

By |2026-06-15T21:55:18-04:00June 17, 2026|Blog|0 Comments

Beyond Red Flags: Interpreting Risk in Executive Hiring Decisions

In executive hiring, the most difficult questions often emerge after a potential concern has been uncovered. A resume discrepancy, litigation history, negative online comment, or ambiguous career transition may appear troubling at first glance. But the real challenge is not always discovery. It's interpretation. That was the central theme of a recent AESC and Mintz Group's webinar, Beyond Red Flags: Interpreting Risk in Executive Hiring Decisions, moderated by AESC's Lynne Murphy-Rivera and featuring Jennifer Johnson, CEO of Calibrate; Sherrie Barch, CEO of Furst Group; Laura Bennstrom, Principal at JM Search; and Morgan Taylor, Partner at Mintz Group. The panel explored how executive vetting has evolved from a largely compliance-oriented exercise into a broader assessment of people risk. Historically, diligence often centered on binary questions: Was there a criminal record? Were employment dates accurate? Was a degree verified? Those questions still matter. But today, boards, investors, and hiring committees are also evaluating judgment, values, integrity, reputation, and fit. As the panelists discussed, information itself is rarely the whole answer. A finding may be accurate and still require context. A candidate may appear “clean” on paper and still present reputational or leadership risk. Conversely, a concerning data point may be explainable when [...]

By |2026-06-16T17:58:21-04:00June 16, 2026|Blog|0 Comments

From FOMO to Frameworks: The Next Phase of AI Adoption in Executive Search

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant possibility for the executive search and leadership consulting profession. It’s already reshaping how firms conduct research, manage workflows, surface insights, support business development, and improve efficiency across the search process. But as AI becomes more accessible and more powerful, the conversation is shifting. The question is no longer whether executive search firms should use AI. The more urgent question is how firms can use AI responsibly, securely, and strategically while preserving the human judgment, discretion, and trusted relationships that define the profession. Recent insights from a meeting of AESC’s Technology & Security Leaders underscored this important transition. Across the profession, firms are moving from a period of rapid experimentation to a more mature phase of AI adoption, one that requires clear frameworks, thoughtful governance, and a shared commitment to responsible innovation. The FOMO Phase Created Momentum The rapid growth of AI tools has created both excitement and pressure. New platforms, applications, and capabilities are emerging constantly, prompting many professionals to ask whether they are moving fast enough. That sense of urgency has helped accelerate experimentation across the industry. This experimentation has value. AI can support faster research, automate routine tasks, improve knowledge management, [...]

By |2026-06-15T21:46:53-04:00June 16, 2026|Blog|0 Comments

The New Rules of Executive Talent Acquisition

The competition for executive talent has never been simple. But today, it is more complex, more visible, and more consequential than ever. Organizations are navigating shifting business priorities, accelerated transformation, rising candidate expectations, and a leadership landscape increasingly shaped by technology, AI, governance, and uncertainty. The leaders organizations need today must be able to guide strategy, build trust, adapt quickly, and make sound decisions in environments that rarely stand still. For executive search and leadership consulting professionals, this changes the work. Executive talent acquisition is no longer defined only by identifying qualified candidates. It requires a deeper understanding of business strategy, leadership risk, stakeholder dynamics, and the human factors that influence executive hiring decisions. The strongest advisors are those who can connect talent strategy to business outcomes. Rule 1: Start with the Business, Not the Role Every executive search begins with a position to fill. But the most effective executive talent strategies begin with a business question. What is the organization trying to achieve? What must change? What risks must be managed? What capabilities will be needed in the next three to five years? What leadership gaps could limit future growth? A role description may define responsibilities, but business context [...]

By |2026-06-15T21:35:41-04:00June 15, 2026|Blog|0 Comments
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