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So far Christina Claus has created 126 blog entries.

Adobe’s CEO Transition Signals a New Era for Succession in AI-Disrupted Industries

Adobe’s announcement that CEO Shantanu Narayen will step down once a successor is appointed is more than a notable leadership change at one of the world’s best-known software companies. It is a signal of how boards are navigating succession in a moment when AI disruption, investor scrutiny, and strategic transformation are converging at the top of the house.   For companies across sectors, Adobe’s move underscores a growing reality: CEO succession is no longer simply about continuity. It is about identifying the leader best equipped to guide the organization through technological change, market pressure, and shifting stakeholder expectations.  A Leadership Transition at a Strategic Inflection Point  Narayen has served as Adobe’s CEO for 18 years and will remain Chair of the Board after a successor is named. Adobe said its board has formed a special committee, chaired by Lead Independent Director Frank Calderoni, to consider both internal and external candidates.   The timing matters. Adobe announced the transition alongside strong quarterly results, including first-quarter revenue of $6.40 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $6.06, both above analyst expectations. Yet the market reaction was negative, with shares falling more than 7% in extended trading as investors weighed uncertainty around leadership and Adobe’s ability to sustain its position in an AI-shaped software landscape.   That [...]

By |2026-03-20T11:45:26-04:00March 20, 2026|Blog|0 Comments

Leadership Moves: January 16 – February 15, 2026

Bryant Group placed Holly Stanco as the Vice President, Campaign Manager at HonorHealth Foundation. Buffkin / Baker placed: Halim Genus as Chief Executive Officer at The Nashville Police + Public Safety Alliance. Search led by Roland Lundy and Britt Adams. Garret Jackowiec as Vice President of Sales at HeroWear. Search led by David Alexander and Evan Westcott. Coulter Partners placed: Thomas Durhuus as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Kaffe Bueno. Tom Ellison as CFO of Evondos Group. David Rosenbaum as Chief Development Officer of Syntis Bio. Dr. Hans T. Schambye as CEO of BOOST Pharma. Coulter Partners originally placed Dr. Schambye as a Board Member for BOOST Pharma. Johnson Partners placed: Ros Reeves as Chief People Officer at ARN. Rachel Banks as Chief People Officer at MinterEllison. Odgers placed Neil MacDonald as Chief Executive Officer at Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF). Pacific Talent Partners placed Matt Clifford as General Manager - Finance Systems & Data for News Corp Australia. PFM Executive Search placed Alana Martens as Chief Financial Officer of Woodtone. Sheffield placed: Jeremy Adamson as Chief Executive for Rangitata Diversion Race Management Limited. Symon Leggett as General Manager for Hospice South Canterbury. Watermark Search International placed Eleanor Debelle as [...]

By |2026-03-17T10:55:03-04:00March 17, 2026|Leadership Moves|0 Comments

Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants Welcomes Human Edge as New Regional (EMEA) Partner

New Regional (EMEA) partnership brings science-backed leadership assessment and development solutions to AESC Member firms across the region New York, March 17, 2026 – The Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), the global association representing the $20+ billion executive search and leadership consulting industry, is proud to welcome Human Edge as its newest Regional (EMEA) partner. Human Edge provides science-backed leadership assessment and development solutions designed to help organizations unlock potential, strengthen leadership capability, and build higher-performing teams “AESC is committed to partnering with organizations that understand and support the evolving work of executive search and leadership consulting,” said James Edmund Datri, President and CEO of AESC. “We’re excited to welcome Human Edge as a Regional (EMEA) partner. Their human-centric, data-driven approach to assessment and leadership development will bring meaningful value to our members across the region.” Founded in 2017, Human Edge was created to bring a more human-centric approach to leadership assessment and development. The company combines behavioral insight, psychometrics, and practical development solutions to help leaders, experts, and teams grow with authenticity, clarity, and purpose. Human Edge’s offerings span assessments, leadership development, team development, and training, with solutions designed to turn insight into action and performance [...]

By |2026-03-16T10:35:21-04:00March 16, 2026|Press Release|0 Comments

Signium Expands Global Network with new offices in Argentina

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 13 March 2026 - Signium has announced the launch of Signium Argentina, expanding its global network and strengthening its presence in Latin America. The new office will operate from Buenos Aires starting 1 March 2026. Based in Buenos Aires and led by Managing Director Flavio Beretta, Signium Argentina will support organizations across the country and the wider region in identifying and developing senior leadership talent as Argentina undergoes significant economic transformation. With more than 35 years of executive search experience across Argentina and extensive work with national companies, multinationals, and family-owned enterprises, the team behind Signium Argentina brings deep knowledge of the nation’s diverse talent landscape. The firm operates with dual presence in Buenos Aires and Rosario, positioning it close to both the country’s primary corporate hub and one of its most dynamic productive regions. A changing business environment is redefining leadership in Argentina “The launch of Signium Argentina comes at a particularly promising moment for our country,” said Beretta. “Argentina is undergoing significant economic and regulatory changes that are reshaping how companies compete and grow. By combining deep local experience with the reach of Signium’s network, we believe we can deliver meaningful value to organizations seeking transformational leadership.” Argentina’s business [...]

By |2026-03-16T10:09:57-04:00March 16, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

IIC Partners Opens New Office in Bucharest Through Resolute Advisory

March 3, 2026 – New York, NY – IIC Partners (www.iicpartners.com), one of the world’s leading providers of executive search and leadership consulting services, is pleased to welcome Resolute Advisory into membership. Located in Bucharest, Resolute Advisory expands IIC Partners’ capabilities across Romania and Eastern Europe. Resolute Advisory is a premier executive search and leadership advisory firm that partners with organizations to build, transform, or redefine their leadership teams. The firm identifies senior executives who not only drive business strategy but also bring the vision and capabilities to shape organizational culture and create long-term value. Resolute Advisory has deep expertise across the vital industries driving Romania’s economy, including industrial and manufacturing, technology and telecommunications, energy and natural resources, financial services, consumer markets, and professional services. Service offerings beyond executive search include leadership assessment, career advisory, transition support, board search and assessment, market intelligence, and talent benchmarking. Founded and led by Managing Partners Filip Nemteanu and Mihai Bajan, the firm integrates global best practices with deep local insight and trusted relationships with industry-leading talent. With decades of combined senior experience from top-tier international search firms, the leadership team is known for a methodology grounded in rigorous market coverage, structured evaluation, and advanced [...]

By |2026-03-16T10:04:49-04:00March 16, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

How AI Is Strengthening Business Development in Executive Search

5 key learnings from AESC’s first member workshop on AI-enabled business developmentBusiness development in executive search is evolving. In a market defined by complexity, competition, and constant change, clients expect more than outreach — they expect insight. They want search partners who understand their business, anticipate leadership needs, and bring relevant perspective to every conversation.That was the focus of AESC’s first Member workshop on AI-enabled business development, delivered in partnership with Retrained. The session explored how artificial intelligence can help executive search professionals strengthen business development efforts not by increasing activity, but by improving the quality, relevance, and strategic value of every client interaction.AI should support a more advisory approachA central theme of the workshop was that AI should support a more advisory approach to business development. Rather than encouraging firms to cast a wider net, the opportunity is to go deeper: to prepare more thoroughly, identify more meaningful signals, and engage clients with greater context and precision.In this model, AI accelerates research and surfaces intelligence, while consultants apply the judgment, discretion, and relationship insight that remain essential to trusted advisory work.Better preparation leads to better conversationsThe workshop highlighted how AI can dramatically improve preparation. Tasks that once required hours [...]

By |2026-03-13T16:02:12-04:00March 13, 2026|Blog|0 Comments

Lindauer Unveils a New Look

For nearly three decades, Lindauer has been guiding mission-driven organizations through leadership transitions to achieve transformational results. From education, healthcare, and the arts to advocacy, public policy, and community impact, we have evolved alongside the sectors we serve. In that time, we have expanded our geographic scope and functional expertise to provide our clients with a greater range of executive search and talent solutions. Throughout this period of growth, we have maintained our singular focus: to support people and organizations in the workplace so they can activate their values in the world. This has been a hallmark of Lindauer since our founding. Today, we’re excited to unveil an updated brand identity that reflects our evolution while celebrating the clients and candidates we’re honored to partner with every day. Anchoring this new look is a new tagline: “Bringing the Future into Focus.” Tagline “Bringing the Future into Focus” means turning intention into action and translating mission into impact. It honors the profound difference that mission-driven organizations make every day. It also captures the essence of what we strive to create for both clients and candidates: a clear, thoughtful recruiting experience that is grounded in purpose and driven by long-term results. As [...]

By |2026-03-11T10:50:27-04:00March 11, 2026|Member News|0 Comments

Closing the Gender Leadership Gap: A Review of Legislative and Real-World Outcomes

Despite decades of progress in gender equality, women remain significantly underrepresented in corporate leadership. While many countries have introduced board gender quotas and diversity targets, the impact on executive leadership has been far more limited. The AltoPartners International Women’s Day 2026 report — Closing the Gender Leadership Gap : A Review of Legislative and Real-World Outcomes — examines whether these policies have translated into meaningful progress for women in senior leadership roles. Read the full report Connect with AltoPartners

By |2026-03-10T15:20:58-04:00March 10, 2026|Member Thought Leadership|0 Comments

Boutique vs Large Executive Search Firms: Which Is Right for Your Business?

When a leadership hire matters (and they almost always do), the “right” executive search partner isn’t about who’s better—it’s about who’s best matched to your role, timeline, market, and internal bandwidth. Boutique and large (often global) executive search firms can both deliver excellent outcomes, but they tend to do it in different ways. Below is a practical framework to help you decide which model fits your business, plus how to get the best of either option. What typically defines a boutique vs a large firm? Boutique firms are generally smaller, more specialized, and often partner-led in day-to-day execution. They may focus on a specific industry (e.g., life sciences, industrial, fintech), function (e.g., HR, CFO, GTM), or leadership segment (e.g., board, PE-backed growth leaders). Their value often shows up in depth of market knowledge and hands-on attention. Large firms typically operate across many industries and geographies, with larger teams, broader infrastructure, and established processes. Their value often shows up in scale, global reach, and robust research/assessment resources. Why some organizations prefer boutique executive search firms A boutique firm can be a strong fit when you want: A highly personal, hands-on search experience. Many boutiques emphasize partner-level involvement, tight communication loops, and [...]

By |2026-04-01T18:26:31-04:00March 9, 2026|Blog|0 Comments

AESC Welcomes RSAcademics into its Global Membership of Top Executive Search and Leadership Consulting Firms

New York, NY, March 10, 2026 — The Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), the global association representing the firms that place and advise the world’s leaders, is pleased to welcome RSAcademics as a new Member. The firm’s acceptance follows a rigorous vetting process to ensure quality standards. Based in London, UK, RSAcademics is a global executive search and consultancy firm working exclusively with schools. For more than 20 years, the firm has combined its first-hand experience in schools with specialist expertise in strategy, research, marketing, and finance to support governors and leaders with their most important leadership decisions. RSAcademics employs dual services – leadership recruitment and consultancy and research – to ensure a lasting impact on schools and their communities. RSAcademics Chief Executive Officer Heather Styche-Patel said: “Joining AESC marks an important step in RSAcademics’ continued growth as an international executive search and leadership consultancy focused solely on schools. Our work sits at the intersection of leadership recruitment, research and strategic advisory, giving us a distinctive perspective on how leadership shapes organisational success over time. We are proud to meet AESC’s global standards and look forward to collaborating with fellow member firms as we continue supporting schools [...]

By |2026-03-16T10:43:02-04:00March 9, 2026|Press Release|0 Comments
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