Dale Zupsansky

As President Joseph R. Biden Jr. orders every U.S. agency to appoint a chief AI officer within 60 days, Hunt Scanlon Ventures managing director, Cody Crook, examines how the role, and the technology, will play out across private equity and M&A in the coming decade.

Leadership is the key to sustained value creation. But according to AlixPartners, the PE industry is not taking steps to produce sustained leadership excellence. Hunt Scanlon Ventures managing director, Drew Seaman, takes a look at why PE still manages talent in transactional ways.

Looking for a new position? Russ Riendeau of New Frontier Search Company recently joined Hunt Scanlon Media to offer the top reasons candidates either lose out on securing a first or even second interview or are not able to secure the best offer if they go to the final interview.

May 3, 2024 – Employment rose by 175,000 in April as the U.S. unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.9 percent, according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The number of unemployed persons was 6.5 million in April. Job gains occurred in healthcare, in social assistance, and in transportation and warehousing.

Join Ezekia on Thursday, May 9th for an exclusive webinar, presented in partnership with Hunt Scanlon Media, that delves into the nuanced world of global executive search strategies. This session, moderated by Anthony Harling, founding partner at Harlschon, features a panel of seasoned industry leaders: Franz Rois of Stanton Chase, Gemma Van Rooyen of Horton

May 9, 2024 – After a six-month national search, Macon, GA-based Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting has placed Tommy Gregory as the seventh president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF). Kenny Daugherty, the search firm’s president, led the assignment, along with Jessica Thompson

May 10, 2024 – Global talent provider True has placed Cynthia Williams as the new CEO of NASDAQ-traded Funko, Inc. in Everett, WA. Todd Zangrillo, Ben O’Reilly, Gail Tifford, and Elizabeth Tyler led the assignment. Michael Lunsford is serving as the company’s interim CEO until Ms. Williams joins the company. “There’s a next level of innovation happening in collectibles category,” said Mr. Zangrillo. “Cynthia’s experience launching leading brands in pop culture, ecommerce, retail, and consumer products. align perfectly with Funko’s current and future business strategy”

John Moon and Han Liou have launched executive search firm Miner Lake Partners. “I’m proud to announce Miner Lake Partners, an executive search firm focused on the building products and industrial industries,” Mr. Moon said in a LinkedIn post. “My business partner Han Liou and I are building this firm on a foundation rooted in execution and industry expertise. I’ve worked closely with Han in various capacities over the last 20 years. Our values have always been consistent – we have an unwavering commitment to our clients and are dedicated to being masters of our craft. We bring a unique, business-centric perspective to clients with a relentless commitment to quality, innovation, and results.”

May 15, 2024 – Scaling a business is an important milestone that many companies hope to accomplish. However, the common misconception is that it takes an experienced CEO at the helm to successfully navigate this crucial phase. In reality, scaling has more to do with readiness, purpose, and a specific set of required leadership traits and skills that often shift as the company grows and matures. Understanding the evolving competencies required for scaling and ensuring the right leadership and skill sets are in place are what truly determines a company’s success.

Vangst, the cannabis-focused hiring platform, has acquired CannabizTemp, the temporary staffing division of CannabizTeam. The acquisition was 50 percent cash, 50 percent stock, and is the first acquisition in the cannabis HR space. Vangst launched Vangst GIGS, an on-demand hiring platform, in 2018 to address the cannabis industry’s hiring needs. Since launching Vangst GIGS Vangst has filled over 200,000 cannabis roles across 19 States. The acquisition of CannabizTemp brings Vangst’s total customer count to over 1,700, and Vangst now services 90 percent of all U.S. multi-state cannabis operators.