AESC Global Conference 2019

Mr. Benson focuses on construction and infrastructure clients, with particular emphasis on the growing U.K. and international construction and support services sectors. Within this market, he has undertaken a wide range of searches, which have included all levels of functional, technical and financial appointments, including chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, project management and project financing roles.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Benson was managing partner of the U.K. industrial practice of another leading search firm.

Previously, Mr. Benson worked at Deloitte & Touche and Arthur Andersen, where he was a cross-industry auditor before joining their energy & utilities group as industry development manager. During this time, he worked between London and Houston and managed the global energy & utilities knowledge management, marketing, PR, business development and account management teams in the U.K., European and global energy practices.

Mr. Benson holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Manchester, specializing in organizational and social psychology.

Karen Greenbaum is President and CEO of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), the global association representing the $14b profession worldwide. AESC serves as the voice of excellence for the executive search and leadership consulting profession globally. AESC’s rigorous Code of Professional Practice guides its members, spanning nearly 1,300 offices in 74 countries and beyond, to serve as strategic advisors on behalf of their clients. AESC members are best positioned to provide companies with a competitive advantage—the ability to find, attract and develop the best talent in the world and ensure that executives are successfully integrated.

Rodney is the managing partner of McKinsey’s Northeast office in the United States, including the New York, Boston, and Stamford locations. He serves clients on growth strategy, performance improvement, and value creation through M&A. He serves clients globally across a range of industries, with a concentration in healthcare, where he was previously the practice leader. In healthcare, Rodney works with clients in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and healthcare services, such as insurance, retail pharmacy, hospital systems, and laboratories. Beyond healthcare, Rodney leads McKinsey’s support for a number of private-equity clients and also other companies in consumer-facing industries.

Rodney is a recognized thought leader in the healthcare and general business community. He has authored articles in leading business publications, including Harvard Business Review and Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. Rodney is coauthor of the book Go Long: Why Long-Term Thinking Is Your Best Short-Term Strategy (Wharton Digital Press, 2018). He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and represents McKinsey at forums such as the National Association of Corporate Directors and CEO Academy.

Rodney serves on the shareholders council (governing board) of McKinsey & Company, and also as a board member of British American Business. He is passionate about the people mission of McKinsey, previously chairing the global recruiting board and currently serving as the sponsor for the black community within the firm.

Franz Gilbert is a Vice President with Bersin by Deloitte, and has been driving innovation in the HR profession for 2 decades. Franz has held a progressive number of executive roles in Human Resources in both Fortune 500 organizations, HR Technology firms and HR Service Providers. He has a unique background of driving Global HR, HR Technology, Quantitative Analysis, and Emerging technologies. Franz brings a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to his presentations, and his objective of his presentations is to make attendees proud to be part of the HR Profession and understand that this is an amazing time to be in Human Resources.

Madhu has served in the recruiting space for over 20 years, designing and implementing software and services to advance the industry. He is an entrepreneur with a track record for turning a business idea into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Currently serving as the founder and CEO of Leoforce, an AI recruiting technology company, he is passionate about helping recruiting organizations use AI to directly impact their growth and bring the focus back to what humans do best – connect and engage with the best candidates. Madhu serves as a mentor for technology startups across the globe and you can usually catch him doing yoga around the office or finding the best restaurants across Raleigh-Durham.

Erica is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. She evaluates emerging social, technological, economic, political, demographic and environmental trends – and identifies the strategic implications (the “So what?”) of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and public sector clients. Erica’s ability to connect-the-dots, spot patterns, think critically and analytically, and translate that into actionable strategies is what has made her an invaluable asset to clients.
Erica frequently speaks to a wide range of audiences about global trends that are shaping the landscape today. She has also authored numerous articles, book chapters, and industry white papers on cutting-edge, future-focused topics. Erica is recognized in the industry as having a unique, innovative and fresh perspective.

Cathy has over 25 years of executive and leadership search experience and is a Managing Director of the Stanton Chase Toronto office. The primary focus of Cathy’s search practice is senior leadership roles within the Technology, Financial Services/FinTech and Media & Communications sectors, however she has worked with clients across a broad range of industries. In 2017, she took on the role of Global Leader of the Stanton Chase CFO & Financial Executives Practice.

She has worked extensively with global publicly-traded companies as well as privately-held mid-market and private equity portfolio companies, and is a trusted partner to many long-standing clients. Cathy supports a global practice that includes functional appointments of CEO, COO, CFO as well as other key leadership positions across all areas of Finance, Operations, Management, Sales, Marketing, Technology, HR and Legal. She also utilizes her extensive finance background working with the Stanton Chase Private Equity Practice Group and is also very active in the Stanton Chase Diversity Practice.

Prior to her career in executive search, Cathy held financial leadership roles with Loblaw Companies and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She obtained her Chartered Accountant designation with Ernst & Young in Ottawa and graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Bishop’s University. Cathy is fluently bilingual (English and French) and welcomes the opportunity to work with clients in either language.

Cathy is very active in the Toronto business community as well as with a number of volunteer activities, serving as a Board Member & Treasurer of several local non-profit organizations and a Board Trustee for Africa Reads. She also sits on the Americas Council of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).