Sep 01 2022 33 mins
Jeff Hauswirth Vice Chairman at Ferguson Partners Corporate Talent Management Canada, speaks with Howard about the traits of great leaders, the importance of truly connecting with people, and his passion for working with Second Harvest food rescue.
Jeff has gained over 25 years of experience advising clients in boardrooms around the world and developing lasting relationships with leaders in many sectors. He is driven by purpose, naturally cultivates followership, and has demonstrated the ability to turn around and grow professional services businesses globally. Clients describe him as a creative, trusted advisor and his colleagues and teams are inspired by his ability to convey the upside in any given situation.
Jeff joined Ferguson Partners, a boutique Chicago-headquartered global real estate and infrastructure firm in 2018. He serves as Vice Chairman and head of the North American business, based in the firm’s Toronto office. Jeff was recruited to work closely with the founder and leadership team to build the Canadian platform and to expand the firm’s global brand and footprint through refining and implementing new business strategies and service offerings and recruiting and mentoring consultants globally. He also leads the firm’s CEO Succession Practice and participates in both the Board Recruitment & Advisory Practice and the PE/REIM Practice.
Prior, Jeff spent 25 years with Spencer Stuart, conducting over 100 CEO searches globally, over 50 board director searches and developing specialized expertise in the telecommunications and real estate sectors. He also held progressively more complex leadership roles alongside his client work. He joined SSI as a consultant in the Toronto office and was soon appointed Toronto Office Manager, then Country Manager Canada with P&L and national strategy for 10 years, including openingaCalgaryofficeandrebuildingMontreal. Revenuesgrewfromthetimehejoined,from$5M to $25M. Concurrent to this leadership role, he helped establish offices in Mumbai and Delhi where he spent 6 months, all the while still carrying a full search load with Canadian clients. Jeff was elected to the Spencer Stuart Board of Directors twice: in 2005 and 2008, and chaired its Compensation Committee. Jeff stepped off the Board at the start of his third term when asked by the CEO to relocate to Asia (Australia) to co-lead, along with a partner based in Hong Kong, the firm’s Asia Pacific
Region. Different from his prior leadership experience establishing and growing the business across Canada and India, this mandate involved significant turnaround efforts and a deep understanding of the diverse business cultures in India, Japan, and Australia. Jeffbeganhiscareerbylaunchingseveral businesses in the retail and distribution sectors, gaining a firsthand understanding of the demands facing CEOs, boards, and senior executives.