Raines International Furthers Team Growth and Capabilities, Adds Managing Director to Drive Innovation Work

Raines International Inc., continuing its move to address the challenges facing organizations in the disruptive Digital era, has hired John J. Keller to lead its Innovation Practice and assist clients in identifying and bringing innovative, transformational leaders to their organizations.

A veteran recruiter and former journalist, Keller brings to Raines over two decades of search and advisory experience, recruiting transformational leaders to clients in the Technology, Telecommunications, Digital/Data, and Media industries. Keller foretold as a journalist the Tech-Digital revolution that is forcing companies and organizations today to reevaluate their strategies, leadership, finances, and structures to ensure sustained growth, value creation, and engagement.

“John is a true leader in executive search, and we are thrilled to have him as part of our team,” says Dan Smith, CEO of Raines International. “He is someone I’ve always admired, not only as an expert in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications space, but because of how he embraces what it truly means to be an advisor to his clients. It’s why global leaders have always turned to John for CEO, C-Suite, and Board leaders to guide them through eras of change, whether it be IPOs, bankruptcy, or rapid growth, and why he will be an invaluable asset for our clients.”

“I am very proud and excited to be joining Dan and the Raines team as they continue to scale Raines’s capabilities as a world-class client-focused search and leadership consulting business,” Keller says. “This era requires a fresh approach to client service and the examination of leadership. We find leaders who exhibit strong innovation competence; who can manage well not only in good times, but also in more challenging scenarios that demand a fresh context to ensure growth and value creation.”

Keller spent nearly a dozen years as a Senior Partner and Practice Leader at Spencer Stuart for which he helped to build the firm’s Tech, Media, and Telecommunications Practice, as well as its Assessment and business/leadership intelligence units. He also spent over a decade doing impactful TMT leadership and search and advisory work for Korn/Ferry, CTPartners, and others. Keller’s search career came after many years as an award-winning senior editor, investigative reporter, and television business journalist for The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, CNBC, and others.