Award-winning top-5 retained executive search firm announces series of key promotions, including naming seven new partners, a chief operating officer & chief human resources officer
January 25, 2024 (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) —JM Search, the leading retained executive search firm for private equity, and other growth-oriented private and public organizations, announces key promotions across the firm. Seven highly experienced recruiting professionals were elevated to partner, and JM Search promoted Seth Gillespie to chief operating officer and Ashley Jaspersen to chief human resources officer.
This announcement follows another year of impressive organic growth for the firm, which has more than doubled in revenue and size over the past three years. These promotions will empower this collective group to play a significant role in supporting the firm and its clients during the next phase of growth.
“Each of these individuals has earned this new level of leadership and having these roles in place will allow us to continue to deliver exceptional client service and award-winning results,” stated John Marshall, CEO of JM Search.
Andy Siravo was promoted to partner to support the firm’s dedicated team of search experts focused on placing CFO & Financial Executives. JM Search has placed more than 500 financial executives in the last three years and the CFO role is expected to continue to be the firm’s top role recruited. Andy will continue to play an instrumental role in identifying top financial leaders who will drive the value creation process for clients.
In the Consumer sector, Jim Ipema was promoted to partner. With more than 15 years of executive search experience, Jim brings an exemplary track record of identifying talented executives within merchandising, supply chain, ecommerce, marketing, product development, finance, and human resources for consumer retail, direct-to-consumer, and food distribution businesses.
Bruce MacLane was promoted to partner and co-leads the newly launched team dedicated to serving the Aviation, Aerospace, and Defense (AA&D) sector. Prior to joining JM Search, Bruce led Global Talent Acquisition for several large companies including GE Aviation, Newell Brands, and Novelis. Bruce brings clients true niche AA&D industry specialization during a time where there is notable growing client demand.
Across the Technology sector, Doug Bower, Ryan Gilligan, Brent Lamb, and Jeff Slade were promoted to partner. Doug Bower specializes in recruiting C-suite and go-to-market executives for private equity-backed cybersecurity, SaaS, and tech-enabled services businesses. Ryan Gilligan has an impressive track record of recruiting key IT executive roles, including CIO, CTO, CISO, Chief Digital Officer, and Chief Data Officer, among others. Brent Lamb specializes in recruiting finance and accounting executives for private and investor-backed SaaS, technology, and services companies. Jeff Slade focuses exclusively on placing leaders within the education technology and services sectors, representing investors and companies that span across Early Childhood, K-12, Higher Education, and Workforce Development/Corporate Learning.
To further strengthen JM Search’s corporate infrastructure and empower the firm during its next phase of growth, Seth Gillespie was promoted to COO and will be responsible for leading the firm’s growth and operational efforts. Seth brings significant experience in transformation to his role, which will be an integral part of the firm’s future. Newly appointed CHRO, Ashley Jaspersen joined the firm in 2018 to develop and execute a scalable human resources strategy and has since leveraged her nearly 20 years of progressive HR experience to guide the firm through the most recent period of tremendous growth.
In 2023, JM Search was recognized with notable industry awards and rankings, including being named in the top 5 on the list of America’s Top 49 Retained Executive Search Firms published by C-Suite CV Secure, Hunt Scanlon’s Top 50 Recruiters ranking, Forbes America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, and the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list.