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Expert Topic

How to Revamp Your Team to Become Digitally Aware

The digital world is here and that means not just the Internet but social media, mobile technology, the cloud and big data. 

How does your board and leadership team prepare for new technologies and the requirements that they demand of your business model? 

Appointing digital natives to your board is a start. The next step is to bring such talent onto the executive team and then educate the workforce at large, transforming your digital DNA.

It is imperative: Everyone in your company must become a digital native or a digital adapter.
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Meet the Expert

Steve Potter

Consultant Steve Potter
Managing Partner, Odgers Berndtson, LLC
New York, New York
  • English
Expert Topic:

About Steve

  • 20 years experience in executive search with a special focus on financial services, conducting C-level and board of director search assignments in both the U.S. and overseas.
  • Founded Allyon Solutions to provide integrated operations in finance to emerging companies in underserved markets. Co-founded Sextant Search Partners, a boutique financial services executive search business based in New York City, and Axiom Consulting, a human capital and strategy consulting firm.
  • CEO of TMP Worldwide's executive search division following TMP's acquisition of Highland Search, an executive search group he set up in 1995.
  • 14 years at Russell Reynolds Associates, eventually heading its financial services practice and managing its Asia Pacific operation.

Experience

Managing Partner • Odgers Berndtson, LLC
May, 2011 — Present
  • Started this U.S. search firm as part of the Odgers Berndtson global search firm; now 13-plus partners and growing.
  • Specializes personally in private equity, investment banking and board recruiting.
  • Opened the firm's telecom, media, and technology practice based out of NYC and Dallas; asset management and life sciences in Boston; insurance in Chicago; and industrial, consumer, sports, and legal based out of New York.
Founder, CEO • Allyon Human Capital Solutions
Oct, 2007 — 2011
  • Founded New Hampshire- and New York-based executive search company that provided consulting services to clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies.
  • Also founded Allyon Solutions LLC, a specialty company focused on commercializing early-stage technologies emanating out of university research.
Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman • Sextant Search Partners
2001 — 2007
  • Over a four-year period, grew this boutique executive search firm from $1 million to $17 million in 2007 revenues (top 15 in U.S.).
  • Served as CEO from 2002-2007, recruited six new partners, created a recognized brand, and took head count from 4 to 50 with offices in NYC, Boston and San Francisco.
  • Sold firm to Whitehead Mann, a UK-based human capital firm.
CEO • TMP Worldwide Executive Search
Oct, 1999 — Oct, 2002
  • Took over TMPWorldwide's executive search division, which was comprised at the time of 12 separate acquisitions of small- to mid-sized firms that had been acquired in the preceding six months.
  • Hired new heads of marketing, human resources and finance and new heads of North America, Europe, the UK, Hong Kong and Canada.
  • Fired 150 people people in the first three months; added 70 new recruiters, recruited primarily from Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds Associates and Korn Ferry.
  • Grew revenues per partner from $325,000 to $925,000 in first 12 months and overall revenues from $140 million to $230 million. Took division from a $6 million loss to returning 15 percent of revenues to corporate, meeting corporate target.
  • Expanded from zero to the largest firm in Canada by hiring the head of Canada from Russell Reynolds Associates and then acquiring Illsley Bourbonnais.
  • Led two acquisitions: Illsley Bourbonnais and Rollo & Company.
Founder and CEO • The Highland Search Group
1995 — 1999
  • Founded this financial services boutique in 1995 and grew it to $24 million in revenues in four years, making it a top 10 firm in the U.S.
  • Revenues averaged $4 million dollars per partner and $1.3 million dollars per professional by 1999, which was 2-3 times the large firm average at the time.
  • Sold to TMP Worldwide, holder of Monster.com, for $48 million in TMP stock in 1999.
Head of Global Banking, Alternatives, and Asia • Russell Reynolds Associates
1982 — 1995
  • Took Asian business to 30 percent of the firm's revenue with only 13 managing directors. Recruited country head from Spencer Stuart to run Hong Kong.
  • Global banking practice was approximately 40 percent of firm's revenues; included all alternative investment management and all corporate, retail, investment banking and finance companies.
  • Member of firm's executive committee and compensation committee.
  • Leading business developer in the firm from 1987 until leaving, and leading executor in 1986 (top 10 thereafter).
  • One of youngest managing directors in the firm’s history; featured on cover of Institutional Investor Magazine in 1993 as the leading Wall Street headhunter.
  • From 1982-1985, served as assistant to Russell Reynolds, chief executive officer and founder.

Education

Yale University
BA, History, English, 1977

Boards

  • Board of trustees, National History Museum of the Adirondacks.
  • Board of directors, Pantheon International, a sports marketing and event management firm that owns event properties in California and Indiana.
  • Board of directors, Celdara Medical, which builds academic and early-stage innovations into high-potential medical companies .
  • Board of directors, ImmuRx, which develops adjuvant platforms for the treatment of cancers and infectious diseases.
  • Past board member, The Taft School, a private coeducational prep school in Watertown, CT.

Panels

  • Has served on numerous panels at some of the world’s top private equity conferences.
Packages with Steve starting from $500

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Pre-Meeting Discovery Process
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