Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Westveld.
Brad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started in Executive Search in 1999 after an early career at Motorola in Austin, Texas. After 7 years working at the largest and best known firms in the Executive Search industry (Korn Ferry(KFI), Heidrick & Struggles), and after being promoted to Senior Partner (youngest in firm history at KFI – 32), I decided there was a better, more personalized way of doing search. In 2006, along with the help of 2 other friends/former colleagues, we started ON Partners. We affectionately called ourselves ‘3 men & admin” (after 2 Menand a Truck) and focused on the technology space of executive search. Now 12 years old, we have 8 US offices, 18 partners, and are humbled to have some of the best and most well-known clients in the tech space. (Amazon, Intel, Airbnb, Uber, Tesla, Rackspace, Red Hat, Akamai, etc.) ON Partners is now a top 20 firm in the US, and top 5 in technology.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It wasn’t always a smooth ride. In 2008-2009, during the financial services and home loan crises, we were still very young, and not well-known. We worked incredibly hard, made our services uniquely personal, and stayed afloat. While the big firms were down, in some cases by 60%, we managed to control the downturn, losing only 10-15%.
ON Partners – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
ON Partners is a retained executive search firm. The firm specializes in Board, CEO, and senior-level search. We help our clients build their management teams. We are best known for our work in the technology space, but work across all industries. Our clients are among the ‘who’s who’. We’re proud that our business has been built on trust, 80% of our work is referred. People trust our process, judgement, and ability to land top talent. Our firm is fast, nimble, and creative….but not at the expense of being personal. Every search matters – no one is just a ‘number’ to us.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for me/us is a marathon approach. We don’t do anything at ON Partners on a whim. We are thoughtful, assess the market, and work in growth sectors. Success is reflected in repeat clients, success is a standout placement that lasts at the company we place them…who makes an impact. The cost of a ‘wrong’ hire for a company is detrimental. Obviously along the way we have grown, our revenue has doubled, tripled, etc., this wouldn’t be possible without the long-term approach mentioned above.
Contact Info:
- Address: 101 West Renner Road
Suite 330 - Website: www.onpartners.com
- Phone: 214-989-6140
- Email: brad@onpartners.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ONSearchPartners
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ONSearchPartner
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