As I prepare for a speaking engagement set for today at the Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA), I can’t help to ponder what I have been asked to speak about.  The agenda is for me to speak about best practices for working with retained and contingent recruiters. So, I could not help to revisit… Read More

In a recent post, I discussed the basics of private equity terminology so I thought it would be helpful to drill further into Limited Partners (LPs), the LPs relationship with the private equity firm (GP) and how the relationship between the two works.  In order for the LP/GP relationship to be successful, they must be… Read More

In prior posts, I have discussed various topics related to corporate boards, such board recruitment, timing and compensation.  But, what if you have found yourself serving on your first corporate board?  How will you know the steps for effective board meeting preparation? Not only will it help you, but preparation before and between board meetings… Read More

Earlier today, I was speaking with a long-time friend and tremendously accomplished executive.  Our conversation turned to his interest in independent directorships with corporate boards. He exclaimed how difficult it has been to be considered for board opportunities.  He never thought it would be this arduous.  After all, he has served as an executive board… Read More

Over ten years ago, I flipped the retained search model on its head and launched Summit Executive Resources. The vision and mission for Summit at the time, and still is today –  to serve as an agent to executives to represent their interest in their next C-Suite role or independent directorship. Sports agents serve star… Read More

There is a scene from the animated film, Ratatouille, that is one of my favorite “take you back moments”.  The persnickety food critic, Anton Ego, requests a dish to critique with the belief that he already will be disappointed. The dish he tastes, ratatouille, ultimately takes him back to his childhood and he writes a… Read More

As we continue to examine the ingredients of a successful board of directors, another ingredient, board culture is tantamount to a board’s success. Board culture affects decision-making and the directors’ relationship with management, impacting their ability to advise executive management and provide the necessary oversight. Because of this, a board needs to understand its culture,… Read More

Given a lot of my time is spent in the lower and middle market private equity arena, I am currently getting a lot of questions about crowdfunding.  Many of our client executives are asking me – What is crowdfunding and how does it really work?  Whether you are a Summit Executive Resources executive client, or… Read More

Many of my clients aspire to be hired by a private equity firm and primarily for an executive role or independent directorship in one of the firm’s portfolio companies.  More so than the deal side, there is increasing interest in the role of operating partner.  In some initial discussions, I realize that although aspiring, some… Read More

Just after Labor Day and as we were approaching the end of Summer, I shared a post regarding “The Effects of Job Hopping” and suspected that there was a handful of you out there that were likely pondering where your career is headed.  Well, now that Summer fun has ended, the Labor Day Holiday has… Read More