Focus Search Partners, the retained executive search subsidiary of talent and solutions firm Vaco, has launched a new interim executive services practice focusing on the private equity sector.
The practice will provide organizations with high-caliber C-suite executives who can amplify business performance at pivotal moments, such as leadership transitions, mergers, or periods of corporate distress or underperformance. The interim executive practice will draw on the firm’s extensive network of experienced operational leaders.
Focus Search has added Monica Foster, an experienced executive search professional, to lead the practice.
“As we’ve grown, we’ve realized the need in the marketplace – especially with our firm’s private equity clients – for exceptional leadership talent to lead at critical transitional moments,” said Paul Frankenberg, founder of Focus Search Partners. “We are excited and fortunate to have Monica join our team to launch and lead this new initiative. Her extensive experience placing interim executives as well as her leadership roles with multi-billion-dollar private equity funds instantly provide our clients with experience and perspective in securing high-quality executive talent in transformational times of need.”
Foster brings 15 years of talent search experience to her new role as managing director, where she will oversee origination, talent acquisition, client service delivery, and operations. She previously supported senior-level recruiting for the tech sector portfolio companies of Vista Equity Partners. Before that, she was national managing partner at Tatum, a project-based CFO solutions firm, where she led national recruiting and service delivery teams.
“As we continue to recognize the increasing complexity of business operations, I am excited to join Focus Search Partners to launch its interim executive services practice,” Foster said. “We have already established a solid roster of experienced executives ready to provide their expertise and leadership, at a moment’s notice, to private equity firms that need strategic support with their portfolio companies.”
Focus Search was founded in 2001, and has more than 35 employees and 14 partners across offices in Nashville, Dallas, Houston, Raleigh, and San Francisco.
The company was acquired by Nashville-based Vaco in 2014. Vaco delivers talent solutions and business consulting to a range of industries. The consulting firm has 1,200 employees across 40 offices in the US, Canada, and India.
Vaco last year added a business consulting arm with the acquisition of DC-area-based MorganFranklin Consulting.