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Kingsley Gate accelerates its Executive Search and Advisory leadership by acquiring Seeliger y Conde

The integration of Seeliger y Conde will allow Kingsley Gate to expand its global impact and propel the firm to 35% YoY growth in 2023. Through the acquisition, Kingsley Gate will be adding 12 partners across offices in Madrid and Barcelona

Kingsley Gate, a leading global, executive search and human capital advisory firm, today announced the continued strengthening of its international presence with the appointment of five new partners across key regions. Dan O’Donovan joins the firm’s Chicago office, Spencer Knibbe joins the New York office, Tatyana Freitas and Loreto Montoya strengthen the Latin American presence in São Paulo and Santiago respectively, while Alejandro Salazar-Simpson enhances the firm’s European capabilities from Madrid.

“These strategic appointments reflect our commitment to expanding our global footprint and delivering world-class executive search and advisory services to our clients across diverse markets,” said Andrew Holmes, CEO of Kingsley Gate. 
Andrew Holmes, CEO of Kingsley Gate
“Each of these accomplished professionals brings unique expertise and deep regional knowledge that will be invaluable as we continue to help organizations identify and secure high-impact decision makers. Their collective experience across technology, industrial, consumer goods, private equity, risk management, financial services and transformation initiatives significantly enhances our ability to serve clients with increasingly complex talent needs in today’s evolving business landscape.”

“Each of these accomplished professionals brings unique expertise and deep regional knowledge that will be invaluable as we continue to help organizations identify and secure high-impact decision makers. Their collective experience across technology, industrial, consumer goods, private equity, risk management, financial services and transformation initiatives significantly enhances our ability to serve clients with increasingly complex talent needs in today’s evolving business landscape.”

Global Executive Search leader Kingsley Gate announced today that it has acquired Seeliger y Conde the leading executive search and leadership advisory firm in Spain, in order to expand its client service offering and geographic reach. This strategic integration will allow clients of both firms to benefit from an injection of proprietary technology into the search process.

The Seeliger y Conde team, led by their president, Luis Conde, will form a crucial part of Kingsley Gate’s global operations. The two firms have unique and proven methodologies for conducting executive search that emphasize technological innovation and cultural alignment between candidates and the client organizations that hire them. The firms also share an entrepreneurial drive, commitment to continuous improvement, and agile ways of working.

35% YoY Growth in 2023

Kingsley Gate and Seeliger y Conde will have a team of over 100 consultants and approximately 350 professionals operating in more than 33 countries. Kingsley Gate anticipates closing 2023 with a 35% revenue growth year-over-year.

Since Seeliger y Conde was founded 33 years ago, and thanks to a Partner team comprised of experienced executives, the firm has engaged in the hiring of over one thousand executives and board members for top Spanish companies. For Luis Conde, the President of Seeliger y Conde, “the goal of this acquisition by Kingsley Gate is to reinforce our position in the European market, expanding the scope of our impact to Latin America and the United States as well.  We’re also going to be incorporating Kingsley Gate’s proprietary search approach, HELIA, which will help us improve the rigor, quality, and agility of our existing client service.”

For Kingsley Gate, Spain has always been a strategic focus to support and complement strong operations in Latin America, Europe, and the U.S.  As such, adding Seeliger y Conde’s strength in the Spanish market to its existing operations helps to reinforce Kingsley Gate’s global position.

“Despite the unquestionable importance of Spain as a key vertex of North American, European, and Latin American enterprise, this partnership goes beyond mere geographical strengths… at the end of the day, it’s a merging of the most prestigious Executive Talent brand in Spain with an innovative, future-ready, and disruptive firm… the birth of a new incumbent,” says Eduardo Antunovic, Chief Client Officer and Senior Partner, Kingsley Gate.

About Seeliger y Conde

Seeliger y Conde, founded in 1990, has over 33 years of experience in the Executive Search sector. Their team has helped leading global and Spanish organizations find, hire, and develop leaders whose strategic decisions generate enormous value for those organizations’ stakeholders and for society. The company achieved 12% YoY growth in 2022, results that showcase the high quality of their service and their methodology.

For more information, please visit: https://www.syc.es/es/inicio

 

About the Consultants

Spencer

Vice President

Dan joins Kingsley Gate as a Partner specializing in advising private equity firms and family offices on executive talent acquisition for their portfolio companies. With a consultative approach characterized by curiosity, candor, and the relentless pursuit to add value, Dan has successfully led over one hundred searches across various functions and industries including manufacturing, distribution, business services, food & beverage, consumer, and healthcare services. Prior to Kingsley Gate, he served as a Partner at Randall Partners and previously consulted with organizations from startups to Fortune 500 companies on payroll, HR, insurance, and recruiting. Dan holds a Biology degree from Marquette University and is based in Chicago.

“I decided to join Kingsley Gate because of their innovative approach to leveraging technology to transform the executive search industry,” said O’Donovan. “Their commitment to creating exceptional client experiences aligns perfectly with my vision for delivering unparalleled value through strategic talent acquisition.”

David O’Brien

Vice President

Spencer joins Kingsley Gate as a Partner specializing in executive search for risk, compliance, and audit leadership roles for Financial Services firms. With over 20 years of hands-on industry experience in governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC), Spencer founded MBK Search to establish a specialized practice focused on GRC recruiting after organizations sought his expertise in building high-performing teams. Prior to his executive search career, Spencer held senior leadership positions including Head of Operational Risk Management at Bridgewater Associates and Head of Risk – Americas at ICAP, Plc. His client-centric approach spans multiple sectors including banking, asset management, insurance, fintech, and corporate environments, specializing in C-suite placements such as Chief Risk Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, and Heads of Audit. Spencer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government, Cum Laude, from Harvard University. Spencer is based in New York.

“I chose Kingsley Gate for their exceptional global platform spanning multiple industries and their team of highly driven professionals,” said Knibbe. “Their collaborative culture and commitment to excellence made this the perfect place to leverage my risk and compliance expertise in executive search.”

Tatyana Freitas

Vice President

Tatyana joins as a Senior Partner bringing nearly two decades of experience in executive search and leadership assessment to Kingsley Gate, with particular expertise in the Technology, Consumer, Professional and Financial Services sectors. Based in São Paulo, she previously co-led the Technology & Digital practice in Latin America at Russell Reynolds Associates and headed the DE&I practice for the region. Her career includes leadership roles at Caccuri Consultores, Korn Ferry, and Interbrand, where she led Brand Strategy & Valuation projects across Latin America and Europe. Earlier in her career, she held positions at General Electric and Procter & Gamble. Tatyana holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of São Paulo and a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, and is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

“Kingsley Gate offers a unique combination of an extensive international network and global capabilities with a boutique approach,” Freitas commented. “The team is both experienced and entrepreneurial—a rare combination that creates a distinctive market positioning. The firm’s growth mindset and collaborative culture embedded in its DNA were key factors in my decision to join.”

About Kingsley Gate

Kingsley Gate is a global executive search firm born with native AI and people at its core. Founded in 2015 to disrupt a recruitment model that hadn’t evolved in nearly a century, the firm combines seasoned human expertise with a proprietary AI platform purpose-built for executive search.

By embedding artificial intelligence into every stage of the process, Kingsley Gate helps organizations hire leaders who fit their specific strategy, culture, and ambition – rather than just a job description.

Operating as one unified global firm, Kingsley Gate serves more than 2,000 clients across 50+ countries, partnering with Global 2000 organizations, private equity–backed companies, and high-growth VC firms to deliver leaders who perform, adapt, and endure in their roles.
The firm is backed by private equity firm Crescent Cove Advisors.

For more information, please visit www.kingsleygate.com

Editorial contact:

Justin Goldstein
Email: [email protected]
516-578-8623
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