ON Partners’ is recognizing the exceptional career of our partner, John Barrett, to drive awareness of lung cancer research

Our partner, John Barrett,  peacefully passed away on August 11, 2021, surrounded by his wife and two children, after a valiant struggle with lung cancer. ON Partners is celebrating his executive search career with our community of industry leaders and paying tribute to his memory by raising awareness of lung cancer research.

In November 2018, John was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. His only symptom was a small but persistent cough, so when he heard “advanced lung cancer,” it came as a total shock. He was a lifelong non-smoker with nine older siblings, all of whom enjoy excellent health, and his 95-year-old parents, nonsmokers themselves, are still going strong. Given that John lives near Boston, he immediately contacted Dana-Farber. For the past 2 ½ years, he’s been in continuous treatment there.

John loved his job and especially loved working at ON Partners. He enjoyed guiding his clients, helping to build their executive teams, and enabling them to deliver outstanding results. And he derived tremendous satisfaction from helping individuals reach for their dreams and further their own careers.

With 20+ years in executive search, he has completed hundreds of searches and is well known in the industry. John is respected for his integrity, candor, insight, and affability, endearing himself to clients, candidates, and colleagues alike.

John’s strength and optimism throughout his lung cancer battle inspired his colleagues to raise much-need awareness and funding for lung cancer research.

Although lung cancer is responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths, it receives less research funding than other forms of cancer. This is why John has chosen to raise money for the LUNGevity Foundation, an organization dedicated to identifying and funding cutting-edge lung cancer research. It is John’s hope that LUNGevity’s efforts will enable earlier detection, identify more effective treatment options, and someday soon, discover a cure that will save lives.

ON Partners invites our community to join in this fight. Visit John’s foundation page today. Read more about John and his lasting impact on his community of family, friends, and colleagues here.

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Find our related successful placements of leading executives here.