John Marshall

John Marshall founded JM Search in 1980 and has been helping companies build exceptional management teams for over 35 years. Under John’s leadership, JM Search has grown to become one of the 20 largest retained search firms in North America and the premier firm dedicated to serving private equity and venture capital investors and their portfolio companies.

John’s clients view him as a trusted advisor on a range of executive talent matters, including recruiting, management assessment, and succession planning. As a recruiter, John focuses on leading searches for CEOs, C-Level executives, and Board Directors for private equity and venture capital portfolio companies, select Fortune 1000s, and other growth-oriented organizations. Throughout his career, John has executed over 500 searches across many industries. Despite his responsibilities as CEO of the firm, John actively recruits on a select number of searches each year. His clients include Littlejohn & Co., Oaktree Capital Management, The Sterling Group, and WestRock (formerly RockTenn).

John is a noted speaker and writer on assessing, attracting, and retaining top talent, particularly in the private equity space. He has recently been featured in publications and media outlets that include Mergers & Acquisitions, Privcap, and ACG’s Middle Market Growth. Additionally, John is an LP in ten private equity funds and has directly invested in numerous startups and high-growth companies.

John is married with two children and lives in Wayne, PA. Outside of work, he enjoys golf and summer weekends in Cape May, NJ.