Written in Partnership with Amir Bakian
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” This clearly states the necessity of the right recruitment for any business to grow. The advent of digitalization has removed all barriers to connecting people globally. This led to incredible job opportunities pouring in from around the world, resulting in unemployment hitting a record low level. While HR professionals are finding it difficult to search for the right talents, employee retention is also a bigger challenge with new opportunities consistently sweeping away skilled professionals. Shepherd Search Group, an executive search firm, is bringing some positive changes in this space leading some of the most successful, niche-oriented search firms worldwide.
Founded by David Gantshar in 2013, Shepherd Search Group specializes in executive search, permanent placement, interim staffing, HR solutions, and recruitment process outsourcing. The story behind the foundation of Shepherd Search Group goes back to 2001. Due to an economic downturn at the time, David Gantshar was right-sized forcing him to answer the question: “What next?” He founded a search firm named Merraine Group with the help of his mother, Barbara. Merraine Group catered to talent recruitment needs within healthcare and human services.
As the firm grew, David thought of expanding the business to other industries, so Shepherd Search Group was started as an umbrella organization. The goal was to acquire companies on the verge of closing down and turn them around. Today, Shepherd Search Group is a multi-national firm with more than 12 subsidiary search firms operating successfully. Some of the sectors they focus on include Healthcare, Dermatology & Aesthetics, Sales & IT, Payment Systems & FinTech, Technology, Optics & Photonics, Nonprofit, Engineering & Scientific Instrumentation, Wealth Management, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmaceutical, and Social Services.
Merraine Group, the primary company, now operates as one of the leading brands under Shepherd Search Group. According to Modern Healthcare’s recently released Executive Search Firms Survey, Merraine Group ranks in the top five nationwide among the largest recruitment firms for both contingent and retained placements. This has put the search firm in a better position for analyzing the current C-suite executive landscape. The company is leading in the placement of highly-skilled chief diversity officers and executives throughout the entire C-suite.
Shepherd Search Group has also achieved a series of milestones on its journey so far. The international group has been recognized twice as one of the fastest-growing privately-owned companies by the Inc. 1000 in 2017 and 2019. It is now in 19 major cities around the world including New York, San Diego, Palm Beach, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Manchester (UK), Mexico City and Dubai (UAE). Shepherd Search Group has already worked in over 40 countries and has offices in 6 countries. It recently launched a new office in Dubai to serve the entire market throughout the Middle east and Northern Africa. Diversity, inclusion, and equality have been the foundation at Shepherd Search Group and form a critical ingredient behind the search for talent.
Mr. Alfred Hankins, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Shepherd had this to say, “Everyone at Shepherd is dedicated to attracting candidates who possess a wide skillset and vision enhanced by their own individual backgrounds and experiences. Diversity is a mainstay in our own organization’s history and future. This is not a new conversation for us. It is one we have been having for more than two decades – since the day we opened. Just last week a leading university said of our firm, ‘We never had to discuss the importance DEI plays in our recruitment efforts. You just intuitively knew the critical role this must play in our hiring efforts and you have demonstrated that in every search.’ “
As an executive search firm, Shepherd Search Group has massively contributed to the corporate world in overcoming the fundamental problem of recruitment and retention. It stands out in the space with an industry leading retention rate of 97.3 percent. The company’s two-shift operational approach significantly reduces the recruitment cycle time. Shepherd Search Group also offers a 2-year guarantee period on select search assignments.
Besides excelling in talent acquisition and retention, Shepherd Search Group also gives back to the community. The company volunteers at local soup kitchens, plants trees to reduce the carbon footprint, and has a team dedicated to the nonprofit and social services. Staying true to its vision of equality and inclusion, Shepherd Search Group is looking forward to meeting the recruitment needs of more companies with some of the best talent worldwide. According to David Gantshar, “In a competitive market such as this one, it is not a candidate’s job to find us. It is our job to find them and to ensure every opportunity we present them with is a step forward in their career. We are the talent scouts of the corporate world.”
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