Successful Executive Placements H1 2021

Jul 23, 2021

ON Partners placements across venture, private and growth equity continue to rise in the first half of 2021

Named to the Hunt Scanlon Private Equity Recruiting Power 75 ranking of the most prominent executive search firms serving the sector, ON Partners brings deep experience in the space. In the past few years, ON consultants have placed over 500 C-level executives across venture, private, and growth equity-backed companies, partnering with organizations to build executive leadership teams. ON’s work and focus in these growth organizations have greatly contributed to the firm’s overall 89.3% growth over the previous three-year period.

As part of their work in the VC, growth, and private equity space, ON consultants routinely place operating partners (OPs), who tell ON that they’re working harder now than ever before, balancing the role of coach with being deep in the weeds of three or four companies in a hyper-competitive environment. ON Partners recently took a look at the OP role, the challenges of the current PE environment, the role of culture and diversity, and what the future holds. Download the article here.

According to San Francisco-based partner Jeff Hocking, who has helped appoint several OPs over the last few years, “In the past, financial skills and CEO leadership and advisory experience were sought after primarily from PE firms when prioritizing their recruiting efforts. These skills are still in demand, but many PE firms are increasingly hiring specialists such as sales leaders, sales ops leaders and chief technology officers to 1) further differentiate themselves and 2) many PE firms are focusing even more on the operational aspects of running their portfolio companies.”

According to ON’s Tindall Sewell, who builds executive leadership teams at growth equity, private equity, and Fortune 500 companies and recently published insights on the OP role, “It’s not just about your network of CEOs who can step into the OP role, it’s asking, ‘What’s your network as you’re tapping into new industries? Things are moving so fast with PE firms acquiring companies, it’s critical to have people lined up who are highly qualified and can immediately jump in.”

H1 2021 EXECUTIVE SUCCESSFUL PLACEMENTS

 

Highlights of ON’s 1H 2021 VC, PE, and growth equity placements include:

Abacusnext – CRO

AbacusNext is an industry-leading vertical SaaS provider for the compliance-focused Professional Services market. We provide purpose-built, cloud-based solutions for small and medium-sized Legal and Accounting firms to support a secure and cloud-enabled practice.

Arrowstream – CEO

ArrowStream’s foodservice supply chain technology is dedicated to helping clients improve supply chain management efficiency, strategic sourcing programs, food safety and food quality. Our unified platform and global network of operators, distributors, and suppliers powers safe and intelligent foodservice supply chain management by merging data, operations, and business relationships.

BetterCloud – multiple placements

BetterCloud is the leading SaaS Management Platform (SMP) that enables IT professionals to discover, manage, and secure their cloud applications in a best-of-breed world. The driving force behind our work is to ensure organizations get the transformative value and benefits of adopting SaaS applications while ensuring IT has complete control over their environment and can serve as an enabler for the business. Today, we’re proud to call thousands of companies across 60+ countries our customers — but we’re just getting started.

Blume Global – VP, Marketing

Blume Global delivers a unique approach to powering global supply chain networks, with a focus on providing logistics and supply chain solutions that help all participants in the ecosystem collaborate and meet customer service commitments, from logistics service providers to ocean carriers to BCOs and shippers to the vast global motor carrier network.

EarnUp – Head of Product and Technology

EarnUp’s award-winning financial technology provides enterprise clients with just-in-time data that identify borrowers who will benefit from interventions or new services.

Interplay Learning – VP, Product

Founded in 2016, Austin, Texas-based Interplay Learning is the leading global provider of online and VR training for essential skilled trades. The firm develops and delivers scalable, highly effective digital learning simulations for the HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Solar, Multi-family Maintenance and Facilities Maintenance workforce.

Marlin Equity Partners – Operating Partner

Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $7.6 billion of capital under management. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders, and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships, and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthen a company’s outlook and enhance value.

Nexa – CEO

Nexa is an industry-leading, 24/7 virtual receptionist service with operations across the United States. The company specializes in delivering exceptional customer experiences with tech-centered call answering solutions led by its industry-trained virtual receptionists.

Niche – multiple placements

Niche is the market leader in connecting colleges and schools with students and families. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, over 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search and data tools, Niche helps millions of students and families find and enroll in the right school for them. For schools, school districts, and communities, Niche’s platform, data, and services help thousands of schools recruit and enroll more best-fit students.

OpenKey – CEO

OpenKey powers digital key access for hotels worldwide. In 2014, the company set out to perfect mobile access. Since then, its dedicated team has helped hotels and resorts around the world develop a contactless guest experience they benefit from as much as their guests do.

OrderMyGear – VP, Sales

OrderMyGear is an industry-leading sales tool, empowering dealers, distributors, decorators, and brands to create custom online pop-up stores to sell branded products and apparel. Since 2008, OMG has been on a mission to simplify the process of selling customized merchandise to groups and improve the ordering experience.

ParkMobile – CTO

ParkMobile helps millions of people easily find and pay for parking on their mobile devices. People can use ParkMobile solutions to quickly pay for street and garage parking without having to use a meter or kiosk. Additionally, ParkMobile offers parking reservations for concerts, sporting events, airports, campuses, and more.

Passageways – CRO

Founded in 2003, Passageways is the parent company of OnBoard, a virtual board management solution that securely connects organizations and their directors to all their meeting materials, meeting agendas, minutes, approvals, eSignatures, calendars, policies, and procedures. OnBoard is trusted by more than 12,000 boards of directors and committees around the world, including public companies, private organizations, non-profit organizations and government bodies.

Reachdesk – CEO

Reachdesk enables companies to deliver moments that matter at scale, globally, throughout the entire customer lifecycle. Through Reachdesk companies can deliver gifts and direct mail that build deeper connections with customers, prospects, and employees at the click of a button.

Realwear – CPO

RealWear is the world’s leading provider of assisted reality wearable solutions that engage, empower, and elevate the modern frontline industrial worker to perform work tasks more safely, and with increased efficiency and precision. RealWear give these workers real-time access to information and expertise while keeping their hands and field of view free for work.

The Zebra – VP, Operations

The Zebra is the nation’s leading independent insurance comparison site. With its dynamic, real-time quote comparison tool, consumers can identify insurance companies with the coverage, service level, and pricing to suit their unique needs.

Zwift – SVP, Supply Chain

Zwift is a massively multiplayer online cycling and running physical training program that enables users to interact, train and compete in a virtual world.

View more results from ON Partners in the VC, PE, and growth equity sectors here.

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Find our related successful placements of leading executives here.

About ON Partners

Since 2006, ON Partners is the only pure-play executive search firm building diverse C-level and board leadership teams. We rebuilt the institution of executive search for the way you work. Our approach includes present partners who engage with their clients from the first brief to the final decision, individually crafted solutions that are unique to each client, and an easier experience all around. Named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms and to the Inc. 500/5000 Lists nine times, ON Partners is consistently ranked among the top 20 retained executive search firms in the U.S.

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