Henry G. "Hank" Higdon, Chairman
Hank was the 2010 recipient of the "Gardner Heidrick Award," the single highest recognition given by the Association of Executive Search Consultants, for distinguished service in the executive search industry. Hank Higdon's experience in the executive recruiting industry spans close to 40 years, the first 15 of which were spent with Russell Reynolds Associates. At Russell Reynolds, Hank spent six years in New York before establishing and building the firm's Houston office. He then moved to Los Angeles to manage the firm's west coast operations that included offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Menlo Park. He served on the firm's five-person Executive Committee. In February 1986, Hank left to become Chairman and one of the founders of Higdon, Joys & Mingle, Inc., which evolved into Higdon Partners, and now into Higdon Partners. Hank is a graduate of Yale University, and has been recognized as one of the top 100 executive search professionals in America in the book, Career Makers, published by Harper Collins, and is also included in The Global 200 Executive Recruiters, published by Jossey-Bass. For The Career Navigation Handbook: America's top executive recruiters on choosing and changing your career path published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2004, Hank was selected to author the section on "Careers in Investment Management."
Maryann Bovich, Partner
Maryann Bovich has over 25 years of recruiting experience, the majority of which has been focused on senior level recruiting in the asset and wealth management fields. In addition to servicing traditional asset management clients, she has considerable experience working with alternative investment firms such as hedge funds, fund of funds, and private equity firms, in recruiting both investment and non-investment professionals. Maryann joined Higdon, Joys & Mingle in 1986, after having spent her earlier years overseeing the recruiting function in the Sales and Trading area at Bankers Trust Company in New York. Maryann is a graduate of the University of Connecticut.
Jane Bierwirth, Partner
Jane joined the firm in 2004 and has 12 years of executive search experience focused on the asset management industry. Jane recruits a range of investment and risk management professionals for institutional investors and family offices. She was previously a Managing Director at Korn/Ferry International in the Global Financial Markets practice. Prior to joining the search industry, Jane was an investor relations consultant for small-cap companies in the Northwest, and the Managing Editor of the Red Chip Review, a securities research publication. Jane began her career at the Chemical Banking Corporation, where she worked for more than 15 years, primarily in leveraged finance, private banking, and in the Chairman's office as his assistant for two years. Jane holds a B.A. from Lancaster University in England and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.
Edward Fowler, Partner
Ed Fowler re-joined the firm in 2007 having started his recruiting career with the firm over 17 years ago. He has conducted senior level searches throughout the investment management industry and has worked closely with the endowment and foundation community for over 15 years. Ed focuses primarily on investment and institutional sales & marketing professionals, but has also completed a number of general counsel, COO, and other senior management searches for a variety of asset management organizations. In addition to his recruiting experience, Ed co-founded and managed Referral Networks, a successful recruiting-related software start-up. He also spent three years at Wachtell Lipton, a leading New York law firm. Prior to re-joining Higdon Partners, Ed spent four years running his own search firm which also focused exclusively on asset management. Ed graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Political Science and later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. A native New Yorker, Ed currently lives in Charlottesville with his wife and daughter, and splits his time between New York and Virginia. He has been actively involved with the Boy Scouts, fund raising for The Taft School, and as a board member of a non-profit agency serving local children and families.
Christian T. Fabros, Vice President
Christian joined the firm as an Associate in 2011. Prior to this position, he worked for two and one-half years as a Recruiting Manager with the New York-based Solomon Page Group, LLC, an executive search and temporary placement agency, within the firm's accounting and finance division. Christian received his B.A. in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College in 2008.
Laurie Anne Eamma, Director of Research
Laurie Anne, who joined the firm in 2000, is involved in all phases of the search process, providing research on investment management firms (traditional and alternative), personnel movement, market/performance data, industry developments, etc. Prior to joining Higdon Partners, she served for six years as a real estate paralegal with several New York law firms, including Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, and has experience in the fields of social work and education. Laurie Anne is a cum laude graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University (TX), earning her B.A. degree in both English and Sociology.
Lorraine Brennan, Partner, Administration
Lorraine Brennan has been associated with the firm since 1989. She has oversight responsibility for all operations and administration. Earlier in her career, Lorraine served in the fields of education, insurance, travel, and community affairs. She earned a B.A. in English Literature from the College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, New York.
Eileen Cruz - Director of Office Services
Eileen Cruz joined the firm in 2001 and has responsibility for office administration, special projects, and employee relations, including training and development. Prior to her current role, she served as Director, Special Projects with the firm. Her previous experience includes roles at Russell Reynolds Associates and Heidrick & Struggles. Eileen earned her B.A. in Business Administration and Marketing, magna cum laude, from Felician College and an M.A. in Public and Organizational Relations, summa cum laude, from Montclair State University.