Our clients are focused on operational excellence, top line growth, financial infrastructure, and a strong C-suite. So are we. For our clients, this translates into speed and accuracy as we navigate known talent pools relevant to the client’s environment. From insights on how industry trends are affecting talent, to knowledge of top training academies by function, our functional and industry practice areas enable us to find the best leaders.
Functional expertise.
Proven recruiting results and depth of expertise.
Our clients operate in high-growth, transformational environments and need proven leaders to help scale their businesses. We partner with clients to find executives responsible for running organizations and business units that have achieved transformational growth. We also place leaders in critical corporate functions, knowing that the most successful candidates will bring more than functional expertise. Speed-to-ramp requires situational relevance. The software CHRO must be able to connect with engineers and a remote workforce. The industrial CIO must arrive with depth in ERP systems. In addition to functional and industry credentials, PierceGray consultants emphasize interpersonal fit – recruiting executives not only for their experience, but also for compatibility with a client’s team and unique culture.
Our firm has its roots in operations leadership. Before founding PierceGray, our leaders built, led, and served hundreds of operations and supply chain functions, from fast growing private equity-backed entities to the Fortune 500. And it’s no coincidence that our depth in operations led to our earliest private equity engagements, where the investment thesis often depends on finding the right executives to drive capability and cost transformations. Some of our first search engagements were for Chief Procurement Officers. Over the years, our work has become deeply intersected with the entire operations column, from Chief Operating Officers and Senior Vice Presidents of Manufacturing to heads of Engineering, Quality, and EH&S.
We are experts in supply chain roles. Our consultants have placed hundreds of supply chain roles across all applicable environments, from growth focused private equity-backed entities to efficiency-focused Fortune 500 companies. Our depth in supply chain continues to lead our expansion with private equity investors. We have the knowledge and expertise to place talent from Chief Supply Chain and Procurement Officers to Logistics and Distribution leaders to Category Managers. Today, we believe our network of supply chain operators is unrivaled.
We understand that commercial executives – Chief Commercial Officers, Chief Revenue Officers, Sales and Marketing leaders, P&L owners – must do more than connect with customers, inspire teams, and drive the top line; they must also bring the right strategic capabilities to ensure growth is profitable and sustained. Does the company have a data-driven view of core and adjacent markets? Has it optimized its coverage, productivity, and incentive models? Is pricing reactive or viewed as a capability? Because our clients are typically investor-backed entities intent on accelerating growth, PierceGray is continually in the market with leaders who have credible experience driving commercial transformations. When working with these profiles, our practitioner experience and role-specific assessment methodologies help to ensure the right leadership qualities for challenges at hand.
Now more than ever, finance leaders are increasingly true strategic partners to the CEO who work closely with internal and external stakeholders. PierceGray works with our clients to find finance professionals with proven track records to drive growth and transform financial and back-office teams. We know that in today’s changing environments, finance professionals must build the infrastructure to enable the business to scale successfully and adapt to changing regulations, technologies, and economic conditions. Successful professionals need both financial and business acumen, and we know how to find them. Our consultants understand that the most successful candidates have functional expertise and situational relevance, and we also match for compatibility with a client’s team and unique culture.
Transformation is the foundation to growth. We partner with our clients to place executives across a broad spectrum of roles that deliver strategic change to underpin growth. Because our clients are typically investor-backed entities focused on accelerating growth, PierceGray is continually in the market with leaders who have credible experience driving large scale improvement initiatives. Transformational leaders must be able to manage the organization through change while staying focused on the future. Objectives can be dynamic and elusive, requiring candidates that embrace ambiguity rather than run from it. Our process ensures that the identified candidates will succeed in the demanding environments they enter.
As the private equity sector evolves, PE firms look to all levers to create value. It is no surprise that private equity firms are investing in world-class operating talent at the center to drive improvements across their portfolios. PierceGray helps build the operating capabilities of private equity firms, supporting both Generalist and Specialist PE Operating Partner roles. Generalist PE Operating Partners drive comprehensive performance improvement programs in portfolio companies and often have a focus on a particular industry. Specialist PE operating partners bring expertise in a functional area – sales, manufacturing, procurement – and typically work across industries. While there are different models for PE operators, from a playbook approach to more customized engagements, there are many similarities in what the PE firms are seeking in their operating partners: industry repetitions, a track record of driving real change, a strategic mindset, analytical rigor, C-suite gravitas, and an ability to develop followership quickly within portfolio companies.
Areas of expertise.
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Division President
- Business Unit President
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
Areas of expertise.
- Manufacturing
- Engineering
- Maintenance
- Continuous Improvement
- Quality
- Environmental, Health & Safety
- General Manager
Areas of expertise.
- Strategic Sourcing
- Procurement
- Integrated Business Planning
- Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Logistics & Transportation
Areas of expertise.
- Sales
- Marketing
- Business Development
- Customer Success
- Sales Operations & Enablement
- Research & Development
- Product Innovation
Areas of expertise.
- Chief Financial Officers
- Accounting
- FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)
- Treasury
- Corporate Development
Areas of expertise.
- Strategy
- Transformation Leadership
- Program Office
- Change Leadership
Areas of expertise.
- Operating Partner
- Strategic Advisor
Industry expertise.
Deep industry knowledge with a practitioner perspective.
PierceGray works with many of the world’s most iconic consumer companies and brands, helping find innovative, forward-looking executives to capitalize on market opportunities and navigate dramatic industry change. The next wave of consumers may not be close to headquarters. Fast fashion means nimble global supply chains. Omni-channel shoppers now evaluate sustainability and convenience. With so much change afoot, consumer-facing companies in every segment – from apparel to food to retail – are redefining themselves to better face evolving landscapes. In these environments, clients are seeking executives who are not only strategic, but who also have proven track records implementing and making change happen with speed and at scale.
In services, human capital decisions define brands and differentiate offerings. When PierceGray works with a services client, we understand just how important it is to find the right person. We work closely with a diverse group of innovative and industry-leading services firms – from specialized business process outsourcing and professional service firms, to category-defining security, environmental, and transportation providers. As these companies integrate new technologies and navigate emerging trends such as AI and automation, they are looking for exceptional, customer-centric executives who can redefine solutions and drive change.
PierceGray has strong roots in the energy industry, from the petroleum sector to power generation. Some of our first search projects were operations executives for one of the largest integrated oil companies in the world, and we quickly grew from there to serving a wide range of upstream, midstream, downstream, oilfield service and power generation clients. With asset-intensive energy companies facing new levels of market volatility, the need for strategic leadership and operational excellence is ongoing. Our practitioner experience in the sector allows us to partner deeply with energy clients on their evolving initiatives.
PierceGray works with leading companies across the healthcare industry, from the nation’s largest accountable care organizations and health systems to medical device manufacturers, electronic health record software companies and biotechnology start-ups. A significant portion of our work in the sector is with growing private equity-backed companies. In every corner, the call for innovative leadership is a constant. Our clients are building businesses around new payment models, aging populations, advancements in personal data, the consolidation of payers and providers, and coordination of care, among other trends. PierceGray helps clients find proven healthcare executives who know how to execute on growth opportunities and guide workforces through change.
PierceGray operates with distinctive expertise and connectivity in the industrial sector. Prior to executive search, our practice leaders were operations and commercial executives with manufacturing companies such as General Electric, Whirlpool, ExxonMobil and PPG. We have led P&Ls, built B2B sales teams, launched manufacturing lines, revamped sales and operations planning processes, managed labor relations, sourced overseas and driven Lean initiatives. When partnering with an industrial client – whether a Fortune 500 organization or a growing private equity-backed entity – our advisory work is grounded in practitioner experience.
PierceGray has strong roots in the software and hardware industries and serves a wide range of venture-backed and private equity-backed technology companies. Our technology practice is focused on growth. We help clients find proven executives who operate at speed to capture market opportunities and scale companies. A hallmark of our work in the sector is our focus on situational readiness – a build calls for a builder – to accelerate ramp to impact.
Areas of expertise.
- Apparel & Luxury
- Omni-Channel Retail
- Leisure & Entertainment
- Food & Beverage
- Consumer Packaged Goods
- Consumer Durables
Areas of expertise.
- Industrial Services
- Diversified Business Services
- Professional Services
- Financial Services
- Consumer & Social Impact
Areas of expertise.
- Upstream
- Midstream
- Downstream
- Oilfield Services
- Power Generation
- Renewable Energy
Areas of expertise.
- Healthcare Providers
- Healthcare Technology
- Insurance & Managed Care
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biotechnology
Areas of expertise.
- Aerospace & Aviation
- Automotive
- Chemicals & Process Industries
- Diversified Manufacturing
- Industrial Products
- Industrial Services
Areas of expertise.
- Software
- Hardware
- IT Services
- Telecommunications
