When a portfolio company should call me.

When to call

1. The leader who built the company may not be the one for what comes next.

   Many growth-stage companies were built for a different operating environment than the one they face now. Before a company replaces a leader, adds one above them or restructures the function, I work with the CEO and board to define what the next stage requires. That work decides whether the answer is a search, and if it is, what the search is for.

2. A company wants to hire an "AI-native" leader.

   Call before the job description is written. The label usually stands in for a more specific need: someone who can redesign how a function operates and bring the existing team along. I define that need in operating terms and assess for it directly, including what candidates have built themselves.

3. The role has no precedent.

   A function is being rebuilt to produce more with fewer people, or a leader will run a team of people and automated workflows together. There is no playbook and no obvious candidate pool. I map the market from the problem the role has to solve rather than from matching titles.

4. A recent executive hire is not working.

   Before running the same search again, find out why the first hire failed. The cause is often the organization the person walked into rather than the person. I diagnose that first so the second search does not repeat the mistake.

5. A new executive is about to start.

   The first 90 days decide whether the existing team follows the new leader. I build a 30-60-90 plan with the CEO and the incoming executive, with named owners for each item. It is included in every search I run, and I also do it for executives hired without me.

6. The hire crosses borders.

   A company is hiring its first leader for a new market, or a leader who will run teams in several countries. Candidates are often assessed through the lens of the home market. A leader who looks right on paper can fail because the team they inherit works on different norms. I led go-to-market expansion across six markets (Canada, the UK, France, Thailand, India and Brazil) and assess for the operating context the leader will actually face.

When the answer is more than a search

I am a member of Bearington Alliance, an operating group of former operating partners, executives, consultants and founders who work alongside private investors on their portfolio companies. When a situation needs more than a hire, I can bring in Bearington for:

• Interim or fractional leadershipWhile a permanent search runs, so the seat is not empty during the transition.
• Leadership assessment and developmentAcross one company or a whole portfolio: which existing leaders can step up to how the business needs to operate now.
• Operational advisoryOn a specific value-creation problem, such as redesigning how a function works before adding headcount.
• Full team deploymentsFor turnarounds, rollups and carveouts.

Bearington works as one coordinated team, and is open to performance-based fees, co-investment and equity arrangements where they fit. When I bring Bearington in, I stay your point of contact.