Is Your CEO Built for the Next Credit Cycle?
Cowen Partners Executive Search President and Founding Partner Shawn Cole published his latest article in Credit Union Times, offering credit union boards a pointed framework for evaluating whether their CEO is equipped for what’s coming next in the credit cycle. The article cuts through the noise of recent performance metrics to ask a more revealing
Read More
The Recruiting Ecosystem: How Elite Companies Match The Right Model To Each Role
Cowen Partners Executive Search President and Founding Partner Shawn Cole published his latest article in Forbes, breaking down the three-tier recruiting ecosystem that Fortune 100 companies have quietly institutionalized while mid-market companies continue making the same costly mistake. The article centers on a deceptively simple question: which search model actually belongs on which role? Staffing
Read More
Why First-Time Retained Search Engagements Fail: A Partner’s Perspective
By Shawn Cole, Executive Recruiter & Cowen Partners Co-Founder — Shawn Cole is a trusted thought leader and premier authority on executive recruitment, visionary leadership, turnarounds, culture fit, C-suite assessment, executive compensation, and more across all industries. As President & Co-Founder of Cowen Partners, Shawn Cole is a pioneering leader and visionary thinker in C-Suite
Read More
CFO Salary Guide for 2026
Chief financial officers (CFOs) remain indispensable to shaping, executing, and safeguarding companies’ financial strategies and long-term health. In 2026, the modern CFO role continues to expand in scope and complexity, commanding compensation packages that reflect this elevated responsibility. This guide delivers critical, up-to-date insights on CFO compensation in 2026, covering: Developed by the expert CFO
Read More
Executive Recruiting in Alaska: Why This Market Breaks the Mainland Playbook
By Ash Wendt, Executive Recruiter & Cowen Partners Co-Founder — Ash Wendt is a trusted thought leader and premier authority on executive recruitment, visionary leadership, turnarounds, culture fit, C-suite assessment, executive compensation, and more across all industries. As President & Co-Founder of Cowen Partners, Ash Wendt is a pioneering leader and visionary thinker in C-Suite
Read More
Supermicro’s 14-Month CFO Search Exposes the Brutal Reality of Hiring Finance Leaders in Crisis
Shawn Cole, President and Founding Partner of Cowen Partners, was recently quoted in Fortune on one of the most closely watched executive searches in the AI infrastructure space. Supermicro pledged to find a new CFO immediately following its special investigation in December 2024. Fourteen months and four straight quarters later, the seat remains filled by
Read MoreCowen Partners President Cited in Fortune on the New CFO Mandate
Shawn Cole, President and Founding Partner of Cowen Partners Executive Search, was recently quoted in Fortune on the rapidly evolving expectations boards have for CFOs. The piece, which spotlights Citi’s newly appointed CFO Gonzalo Luchetti as a case study, underscores a fundamental shift in the finance chief profile. As Cole told Fortune, the CFO mandate
Read More
Cowen Partners President Shawn Cole Examines CEO Archetypes in Boardroom Pulse
Cowen Partners Executive Search President Shawn Cole recently authored an in-depth analysis for Boardroom Pulse exploring the 12 distinct CEO archetypes that shape organizational success. Published as “The Anatomy of a CEO: The 12 Archetypes That Drive Company Success,” the article offers a comprehensive framework for boards navigating executive selection amid unprecedented CEO turnover. Cole’s
Read More
Robinhood’s CFO Transition Highlights Shift in Compensation Strategy
As Robinhood navigates leadership transition amid market headwinds, compensation structures reveal broader trends in how public companies approach internal CFO succession. Newly appointed CFO Shiv Verma assumed the role on February 6, stepping into a position previously held by Jason Warnick for seven years. Verma’s compensation package includes a $500,000 base salary, 60% target bonus,
Read More
Patient Capital, Permanent Value: The Family Office Advantage in a PE Slowdown
By Jacob Gamble, Principal — Jacob Gamble leads executive searches in investment banking, family offices, and asset management. His analysis has been featured in Fortune, Financial Times, Bloomberg Wealth, Business Insider, and other leading publications, delivering valuable insights on legacy preservation, aggressive growth, family offices, and topics at the intersection of investment, institutional strategy, and
Read More