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Concept preview by The Logic Forge · Not affiliated with Latin America Executive Search Consultants · For demonstration only

Boutique Executive Search · Est. 2008 · A.T. Kearney Executive Search Lineage

Leadership that
transforms results.
Not résumés — character.

We are a boutique retained-search firm placing C-level, director and board leaders across Latin America, the U.S., Europe and the Caribbean — through in-country consultants, global methodology from our A.T. Kearney DNA, and assessment that weighs functional expertise, leadership, cultural fit — and, above all, character.

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Offices
5 · 2 continents
In practice
25+ years
Ownership
NAWBO Certified
Working languages
EN · ES · PT
TAMPA MIAMI · HQ MEXICO CITY BOGOTÁ SÃO PAULO REGION OF MANDATE
Fig. 01 — Coverage
EST. 2008
701 Brickell Ave, Ste 1550
Miami, FL 33131
SCALE 1 : 22 000 000
Established in São Paulo via management buyout of the A.T. Kearney Executive Search Latin America practice, led by Jean M. Callahan.
2008
Founded · São Paulo
A.T. Kearney spin-off
Miami HQ · Tampa · Mexico City · Bogotá · São Paulo — staffed by consultants who live and have worked in-market.
5
Offices · 2 continents
In-country, not fly-in
Founder tenure includes Partner, Picard International (NY) and Managing Director Latin America, A.T. Kearney Executive Search (2001–2008).
25+
Years executive search
Leadership continuity
A following built through published perspective on LatAm leadership — not paid promotion.
10,341
LinkedIn followers
@LatinExecSearch
Privately held, partner-led, profitable — the economics of a boutique that answers to clients, not shareholders.
$8.8M
Annual revenue
Partner-led · private
National Women's Business Organization certified. Member: AmCham Brazil, Brazilian-American Chamber, Greater Miami Chamber (Trustee).
NAWBO
Certified Women-Owned
AmCham Brazil member
Engaged by Multinational corporations Private-equity portfolio companies Family conglomerates Retained mandates only

01 · The Difference

Best, not biggest.
Global method. Regional soil.

In 2008, Jean Callahan led the buyout of A.T. Kearney's Executive Search practice for Latin America — and kept the methodology, the standards and the team, while shedding everything that makes big firms slow and distant. We opened Miami, Tampa, Mexico City, Bogotá and São Paulo because clients asked, and staffed them with consultants who had already built careers in those markets.

We march to the beat of our own drummer: up-close and personal, uncompromising on assessment, and fluent in the labor law, compensation norms and family-business dynamics of each country we cover.

The model, side by side
The fly-in model
How we work
Consultants
Rotated in from New York or Madrid for a week
Based in São Paulo, Bogotá, CDMX, Miami — year-round
Language
Briefs translated; nuance lost
Negotiations conducted natively — EN · ES · PT
References
Two scripted calls, provided by the candidate
Character references across markets, built over 25 years
Market fluency
Research reports and databases
Lived: unions, regulation, owner dynamics, comp norms

A mis-hired regional leader costs 10–20× the search fee and 18 months of momentum. That is why character is our first filter, not the last.

  1. 01Lineage

    A.T. Kearney DNA

    The discipline of a global strategy firm — structured market mapping, metrics-driven project management, transparent reporting — retained intact since the 2008 buyout.

  2. 02Presence

    In-country consultants

    Our partners have worked in the markets they cover — Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Panama, the Caribbean. Not visitors. Residents.

  3. 03Instrument

    Assessment of character

    In-depth interviewing plus sophisticated assessment instruments score functional expertise, industry knowledge, leadership, cultural fit — and character, which we weight above all.

  4. 04Range

    Trilingual by default

    English, Spanish and Portuguese across every engagement — board presentations, candidate interviews and reference calls, in the language the moment demands.

02 · Sector Depth

Where we've placed leaders.

Retained searches by sector since 2008, with the functions we most often mandate. Share of mandate mix is illustrative.

03 · Six Pillars

One firm for the whole
leadership lifecycle.

Search is the visible act. Around it sits the advisory work that makes placements hold: interim cover, succession benches, talent maps, board counsel and the assessment instruments underneath all of it.

04 · Method

Eight weeks. Five phases. No mystery.

Every retained search runs the same transparent spine — with a named partner, a metrics dashboard you can see, and confidentiality enforced at every step. Typical funnel: ≈127 mapped, 34 character-assessed, 12 shortlisted, 3 finalists.

  1. 01

    Research & Market Mapping

    Weeks 1–2

    Market analysis, talent mapping, database + network + targeted outreach. ≈127 candidates identified.

  2. 02

    Assessment & Character

    Weeks 3–4

    In-depth interviewing and sophisticated assessment instruments across five dimensions. 34 assessed.

  3. 03

    Interview & Cultural Fit

    Weeks 5–6

    Client interviews in-market, cultural assessment, diversity and inclusion lens. 12 shortlisted.

  4. 04

    Selection & Reference

    Weeks 7–8

    Final selection, cross-border referencing, compensation alignment, offer management. 3 finalists.

  5. 05

    Onboarding & Integration

    Weeks 9–12

    Onboarding support, integration check-ins, success tracking. 12-month follow-through.

Confidentiality, enforced: candidate identities are never disclosed without written consent; client names are never published. Ethical practice is a condition of engagement, not a footnote.

Request the full methodology

05 · The Partners

Twelve people. No hand-offs to juniors.

The partner you meet on day one is the partner who runs your search. A twelve-person firm means your mandate is never delegated down — it is carried by people whose names are on the door.

JC
Managing Director · Americas
Miami HQEst. 2008

Jean M. Callahan

Founder
Managing Director, Americas · Miami · EN / ES / PT

The eldest of ten children from a working-class Chicago family, Jean built her career on a simple conviction she still repeats: "I like to help companies and people succeed." After studying Business and Education at the University of South Florida, she managed global real-estate portfolios for the Hong Kong conglomerate Shun Tec Development for three years, then founded and sold World Wide Mortgage in Manhattan.

As a Partner at Picard International in New York she built the firm's Brazilian presence — the beginning of a lifelong Latin America practice. From 2001 to 2008 she served as Managing Director, Latin America for A.T. Kearney Executive Search, and in 2008 led the buyout that became this firm.

Founder and VP of Grupo Executivas de São Paulo. Board member, AmCham Brazil and the Brazilian-American Chamber; board member, Instituto Vida Jovem; Trustee, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. NAWBO Certified Women-Owned. Sectors of depth: pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, energy & electricity, oil & gas, financial services, industrial goods, telecommunications.

Email Jean directly
AGPartner · Brazil

Ana Gati

Partner, Brazil · São Paulo

Founder of Gati Consultoria and a Licensed Affiliate of the Shingo Institute, Ana brings senior-level boutique consulting in organizational transformation and operations to every Brazilian mandate. When the search ends, she is the reason the placement holds.

São Paulo · Av. Brig. Faria Lima 3144
KH

Kevin Hearne

Director, Operations · Americas · Tampa

Leads the research team and sets strategy across search assignments; steward of the firm's candidate database and the process discipline behind every funnel metric you see on this site.

NK

Nancy Krauss

Senior Consultant, Organization Development · Miami

Certified OD professional with 20+ years: InSync Learning virtual facilitator, AchieveGlobal facilitator, National Training Laboratory team-building, Lominger coaching & development. BA Sociology, University of Pennsylvania; MS Instructional Technology, University of Miami.

Also on every mandate
HA
Hannah Arbermann
Senior Executive Recruiter · Tampa
JA
Judite Albuquerque
Assistente Administrativa · São Paulo

How we work: we take responsibility, respect personal differences, champion diversity and stand against inequality and racism — in every engagement, in every market.

06 · Track Record

Directors→CEOs.

Our track record of placing directors who go on to become CEOs — and to take global leadership roles — far exceeds industry averages. It is a pattern we witness daily, not annually: candidates who soar to new heights, and corporate clients who assemble the managerial and executive teams that let them not merely reach their goals but exceed them.

Founder's claim, observed across the 2008–present mandate book. Individual trajectories available in confidential consultation.

18
Years of retained search
2008 — present, continuous
3
Working languages
EN · ES · PT, natively
9
Markets covered in-country
MX · BR · CO · AR · PE · CL · PA · Caribbean · US
Representative trajectories · anonymized · details in consultation
2018 → 2021

Director of Operations placed with a consumer goods group in Brazil — promoted to CEO, Latin America, three years later.

2016 → 2020

CFO placed with a pharmaceutical company in Mexico — appointed Regional President, with P&L across four markets.

2019 → 2022

Supply Chain VP placed with an industrial manufacturer in Colombia — joined the global leadership team at the parent company.

"Watching individuals and companies move beyond their expectations is extremely satisfying — because I know first-hand the joy success can bring."

JC
Jean M. Callahan
Founder · Managing Director, Americas

07 · Begin — confidential

Let's discuss your next appointment. Confidentially.

Every organization, in every industry, in every locale, needs dynamic and effective leaders who can bring the organization to its future sooner rather than later. Tell us the role — a partner will respond within one business day.

Request a confidential consultation

Please enter your full name — every inquiry is answered personally.

Please enter a valid work email, e.g. name@company.com.

Please tell us which organization you represent.

Please choose a target market — e.g. Brazil — so the right office picks up.

Handled under strict confidentiality · Retained engagements only · Or email jean.callahan@laexecutivesearch.com

Five offices · direct lines

All inquiries handled with strict confidentiality. We undertake retained searches only — no contingency, no résumé forwarding. General inquiries: contact@laexecutivesearch.com

Book a Confidential Consultation