Reflections on an Impactful Year
Dear Clients and Friends,
We appreciate your continued trust and support. Without the confidence of our valued, long-standing clients and friends, we would not be able to do what we love. As 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of RSR Partners, the new year presents an opportunity to share with you our reflections upon our firm and the marketplace.
In 1993, our Founder, Russ Reynolds, embarked on a journey to create a new firm that was distinct from his first, Russell Reynolds Associates. RSR Partners began as a small board advisory firm, initially well-regarded for its Directorship publication, which is now owned by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Over time, our firm has grown and evolved to become one of the premier board recruiting and executive search firms engaged by boards and CEOs to advise them on their most important and sensitive search needs. We are unique in our boardroom vantage point, our ability to be selective, and access to the wisdom of an industry icon who acts as our beacon regarding what makes great leaders.
2022 was another productive and impactful year for our firm and our clients and candidates. While our board search and advisory practices continue to be the backbone of the firm, our C-Suite search expertise was utilized across a myriad of industries and situations. Additionally, the firm marked an important milestone this summer when Todd Ruppert seamlessly transitioned into the role of our Chairman, succeeding Russ Reynolds, who continues to provide us with advice and counsel. We were also excited to have Eric Douglas Keene and Dick Hoag join the firm to continue to strengthen the board and CEO services we provide for industrial, consumer, and financial services clients.
As most of our client engagements are confidential, complex, and highly sensitive, we are unable to publicly promote the details around these successes. That said, we are seeing not only an increased demand for our services, but also a growing demand for boards to enhance their capabilities and effectiveness, and for CEOs to address specific gaps in their leadership team.
Some recent examples include:
- Guiding the board of a Fortune 500 consumer products company on Chairman succession and the recruitment of two new board members.
- Advising a large asset management business to identify, assess, and select two new mutual fund trustees.
- Partnering with the CEO and owners on the selection of a CFO for a private equity backed consumer products business.
- Helping the CEO of a Fortune 500 industrial technology company identify, assess, and select a transformational CHRO.
- Advising the CEO on the selection of new CMO for a large pre-IPO private equity backed data and analytics business.
- Providing external CEO succession candidates for a multibillion-dollar family owned industrial and consumer products company.
- Partnering with the board of directors on the recruitment and selection of a new Executive Chairman for a prominent and disruptive leader in the mobility and electrification industry.
- Consulting and recruiting for a prominent family office on the selection of a new CEO and CFO.
We see tremendous opportunity for leaders to rise to the occasion in these still uncertain times. Our society must continue to seek out and support individuals who have the potential to become great leaders, especially with an eye towards the diversity of thought that continues to shape our cultural fabric. Successful companies and communities are only created by having the right people, which continues to be our quest for our firm and for our clients.
We look forward to our anniversary this December with pride in our firm’s past and confidence in its future. In the event you have a sensitive board or executive search needs in the coming year, we would be happy to discuss the situation in confidence.
We wish you and your colleagues much success in 2023 and beyond.
—
Barrett J. Stephens
Chief Executive Officer
O: +1 (203) 618-7022
BStephens@RSRPartners.com