Our Philosophy and Approach

Pearson Partners International helps organizations find, develop and retain top talent through retained executive recruitment, assessment and leadership development for Fortune 1000, private equity and emerging businesses.

History

Founded in 2002 by executive search industry veterans Robert Pearson and Keith Pearson, Pearson Partners International is based in Dallas, Texas with offices in Fort Worth, Texas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We are a proud member of IIC Partners, one of the world’s top 10 global executive search organizations. With over 450 search consultants in 40 offices worldwide, we give our clients access to the highest caliber executive talent around the globe. As a member of the highly selective AESC (Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants), we actively shape our industry and its trends.

Pearson Partners has a long history of successful performance in retained executive search and leadership consulting. We serve clients globally across all industries and disciplines, from senior management to the boardroom. Our clients are broad and diverse, from leading corporations, municipal and government institutions, private equity and sponsored businesses, nonprofit agencies, healthcare, academia, research institutes, foundations and industry associations. We complement our executive search capabilities with a professional leadership development and executive coaching practice to ensure executives reach their highest possible performance.

Pearson Partners’ unwavering commitment to professionalism, client service and the highest ethical standards have earned our firm and our professionals prestigious industry accolades. Forbes has repeatedly named Pearson Partners one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms. Hunt Scanlon has twice ranked our firm among the Top 40 Executive Search Firms in the Americas and recently named IIC Partners to the Global 40 list of top recruitment providers in the world.

At Pearson Partners, we have a passion for what we do and how we do it—and it shows in our industry-leading search completion rates and deep client and candidate relationships. Our highly experienced, partner-led team personally conducts every engagement from start to finish and interfaces directly with every candidate, rather than handing off client work to junior associates. These key differentiators position Pearson Partners International at the forefront of the executive search industry, ensuring successful and long-lasting client partnerships.

Approach

Free from the “off-limits” restrictions imposed on large firms, our seasoned team of search experts offers unparalleled access to leading players across all industries and disciplines. We provide comprehensive, customized assessment and coaching services to help measure and develop existing talent and build high-performance management.

We limit our number of engagements to provide the focused, personal service of a boutique with the experience and reach of a global firm. Our successful results have built our business and grown our loyal following of clients who continue to rely on us for their most critical leadership needs. In fact, more than 70 percent of our business comes from previous clients, candidates and contacts.

We pride ourselves on helping our clients solve business problems, so we actively track industry trends and the state of global talent to provide the most innovative, value-added service to our clients. Our principals frequently author articles on talent acquisition, management and development, and our Spotlight Series^TM Breakfast and Pearson Partners HR Roundtable events provide a forum for experts to enlighten our clients on the ever-changing human capital challenges that face organizations.

Philosophy

At the heart of our practice is knowledge. The level of expertise and experience it takes to successfully fill critical positions and develop executive talent requires seasoned experts. That is why we don’t believe in leveraging work to junior associates—every search and consulting engagement is personally conducted by a partner with one goal in mind: giving you the talent you need to grow and succeed in a competitive marketplace.

Guarantee

We stand behind our searches and are committed to seeing them through to completion—so unlike many retained search firms, our fees are results-driven, not calendar-driven. Most of our clients pay three installments based on our attainment of specific, performance-based milestones.

Client Testimonials

"I realized I should probably start thinking about a potential career change. I had been friends with some of the Pearson Partners team for many years, and an occasional source on their search projects. I met with them to talk things through, and they told me about Pearson Partners' executive coaching services and introduced me to Lisa Thompson, Pearson's managing director of professional services. Lisa gave me some invaluable advice: It would be good to prepare and lay some groundwork, so if and when the time came, I'd be ready."

Mark Layton, COOVideoPlus

“Pearson Partners was terrific. I was absolutely convinced from the outset that they truly wanted to create a successful outcome for all parties. They invested a lot of highly productive time and understood the business challenges we were trying to meet. They had a real, genuine stake in this, and I think that’s probably the key differentiator that made this search a success.”

Rob Gurney, Chief Executive Officeroneworld Global Alliance

“When I reached out to Pearson Partners, Renee Arrington and Lisa Thompson were in my office within 48 hours. It was unbelievable. They put my mind at ease about what the process would look like. They were in constant communication with me, and they reached outside the [industry] chess game that other recruiters play, where people are just moved around from one organization to the next. They went beyond the usual suspects to recruit from other strategic areas, such as medicine and academics, which I was excited and surprised to see.”

Jan Edgar Langbein, Chief Executive OfficerGenesis Women's Shelter and Support

"Going into the second interview, I asked Pearson Partners for coaching and got some really good insight and valuable feedback. As an executive search firm, they know how to treat you."

Nicole Fontayne-Bárdowell, EVP AdministrationDallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

“The Pearson team was extremely responsive. They worked hard to understand what we needed in our HR department. Lisa and her team were always available and responsive, and they provided top candidates. They took the time to understand our needs and the strengths and weaknesses of our HR department. I don’t think the search could have been handled any better.”

C. Jedson Nau, SVP & General CounselThe Rosewood Corporation

"Pearson Partners stood out among the search firms we talked with. Renee showed the most ability to understand our needs and seemed most dedicated to crafting her approach to our needs. I think she very much understood the position the board was in. When we wanted to interview or review candidates, all of the materials were well organized and logistics were handled top to bottom. Every one of the candidates was well qualified."

Scott Karol, Board MemberCooperative Processing Resources

Featured Searches

View our featured searches, from chief officers and boards of directors to executive leaders in finance, technology and operations.

Principals
Savvy, insightful and experienced, our principals possess both the industry expertise and the instincts to find the ideal fit for our clients.

Global Offices
Our global partners allow our clients to seamlessly tap proven retained executive search consultants regardless of geography.

Board of Directors
We are guided by a board of directors and a board of advisors staffed with renowned external industry leaders.

Board of Advisors
We are grateful to our advisory board of leading thinkers for their business insight and assistance in making introductions and forging business relationships.