Succession planning for Trina Gordon’s retirement, led by Chairman Craig Stevens, results in marquee hire Chad Hesters
NEW YORK, February 1, 2023 – Boyden, a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 70 offices in over 45 countries, is delighted to announce the appointment of Chad Hesters as President & CEO, effective immediately. He takes the reins from Trina Gordon, who retires after 12 years as CEO, 3 years as Chair, and 30+ years as a Managing Partner in the firm.
“I am honored to be appointed President & CEO of Boyden,” commented Chad Hesters. “I have long admired Trina Gordon for her leadership and her custodianship of one of the oldest, global heritage brands in our industry. Boyden has a unique, collaborative culture that puts clients at the heart of their business. This collegial community is distinctive and aligns well with my style of engagement in the market. Through a shared vision and strong values, I look forward to enabling excellence for clients and nurturing the firm’s current and aspiring partners”.
Chad Hesters was previously a Managing Partner at Korn Ferry, where he held geographic and business line leadership roles in addition to being a Senior Client Partner in the global industrial practice. He has over 15 years of experience in executive search and organizational consulting, leveraging his global perspectives and expertise to deliver leadership consulting solutions for clients. Prior to executive search, Mr. Hesters held corporate finance roles at Hunt Oil and Shell following his early career as an Intelligence Officer with the US Navy. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Colorado.
Craig Stevens, Boyden Chair, added, “Our global search for a leader to succeed our highly successful retiring CEO, Trina Gordon, has led us to another global executive, Chad Hesters. He has worked in over 20 countries and brings a comprehensive track record leading a complex leadership advisory business. His hallmark is a keen understanding of strategy while remaining close to clients and their evolving needs.
He continues, “I would like to pay tribute to Trina Gordon for her inspirational, values-driven leadership. As the first female CEO of a global executive search firm, Trina blazed the way for women leaders in our industry. While other professional services firms have taken a top-down corporate approach to strategy, Trina has remained committed to a governing structure of a true partnership, keeping the consultants who serve our clients at the center of our approach to the market. Trina established Boyden’s leadership consulting Centre of Excellence, deepened our sector expertise and delivered innovations to all three lines of business. The board of directors thanks her for her exceptional performance and unwavering dedication to the partnership.”
Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 70 offices in over 45 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions. Boyden is ranked amongst the top companies on Forbes’ Americas Best Executive Recruiting Firms for 2021. For further information, visit www.boyden.com.
Chris Swee, Boyden
Chief Marketing Officer
E: cswee@boyden.com