by Matthew Ayers and David Portney
Stiles Associates

It’s no secret Q1 was an uncharacteristically slow time in private equity, as Pitchbook estimated a 14.4 percent drop in exits compare d to Q4 2022 – accounting for a combined value of $55.9 billion (the lowest total since Q2 2020). Is this a warning of what’s to come or just a blip on the radar? What does this mean for retaining, recruiting or potentially letting go of executives in PE firms and their portfolio companies? These are all questions being asked in the PE community, and executive recruiters like Stiles Associates often have the first insights of what to expect due to our close proximity to hiring trends.

Stiles Associates placed a number of A-level leaders in mission-critical roles located across the country in the first quarter of 2023. In order to better inform the marketplace on the latest compensation data, we added first-year bonus numbers and whether or not the placed candidate received a sign-on bonus. 

by David Portney, Marketing Manager
Stiles Associates

Finding and bringing in the industry’s top leadership talent is one of the most important responsibilities companies have, yet they often struggle to define the best methods to secure those individuals. Many turn to their own internal human resources departments to spearhead the searches, but they can easily overwhelm a staff and prevent them from performing their many other responsibilities. If companies even have specialized talent acquisition employees, they often don’t have the network that’s required to truly access the A-players.

The following is a sample of Interim Management searches Stiles Associates filled on behalf of client organizations. In each example, our dedicated executive recruiters worked with the client to craft a custom search strategy, tapping into our proprietary network of proven executives for each client’s mission-critical temporary need.

by Ken Plasz and David Portney
Stiles Associates

Relocation is as big a headache as ever for employers seeking top talent, especially in the manufacturing and operations spaces. There are a multitude of reasons for this, many having been exasperated by the recent pandemic combined with inflation rates; low unemployment; and more broadly, shifting attitudes about work.

by Ted Stiles, Partner
Stiles Associates

It’s well understood that the tools, concepts and management system practices we know as “Lean” are rooted in the Toyota Production System, but the last three decades have shown us that Lean’s applicability extends well beyond automotive manufacturing. Today, these tools and concepts are used in nearly every type of manufacturing process in existence including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, building materials, industrial materials and much more.

Stiles Associates Founder Lin Stiles sits down with one of the world’s most respected Lean executives and the former CEO of Wiremold Company, Art Byrne.

by Sara Nichols and David Portney
Stiles Associates

Once you move on to the interview stage of the hiring process, it’s easy to get excited about meeting your potential new colleagues and joining a new organization, but you need to focus on making sure the videoconference goes off without a hitch. Putting aside the content of the interview itself, having the right “presentation” on a video interviewing platform like Zoom, Teams or Meet could end up being the difference between landing the role or the company moving on without you.

To ensure you maximize the opportunity to explain why you think you’re the perfect person for the role, ace the aspects of a video call you might not think much about:

New London, N.H. (September 27, 2022) – Jake Stiles, CEO of executive recruiting firm Stiles Associates, was recently featured on the “Lean Blog Interviews” podcast hosted by renowned Lean consultant, author and professional speaker Mark Graban. In this hourlong podcast, Stiles tapped into his nearly 30 years of executive recruiting experience to offer unique insights to the Lean community.

by Matthew Ayers, Jen Gomez and David Portney
Stiles Associates

Now that the summer season has come to a close and the fourth quarter is around the corner, private equity is making a comeback after a modest dip in the first half of the year. According to Bain Capital’s Midyear Private Equity Report, Q2 PE deals slowed as increased uncertainty about inflation and geopolitics took hold around the globe. However, while these external reasons certainly played a role, it doesn’t tell the whole story – and we don’t believe the slowdown will last into the fourth quarter.