Who We Are

A global team providing search expertise and executive experience to the food and agriculture industries since 1981

Our Reputation

We are a team of search professionals who know the value of qualified leadership, diversity, and the important role we play in the future of the food and agriculture industries.
And being selected for inclusion in both the Forbes’ list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms and Hunt Scanlon’s Top 50 Executive Recruiters since 2023 proves it.

Principals

John Wright
Managing Partner
Anna Maria Island, FL
Jon Leafstedt
Managing Partner
Des Moines, IA
Gary Weihs
Managing Partner
Harlan, IA
Aaron Locker
Managing Director
Lewes, DE
Abby McMillin
Managing Director
Tustin, CA
Carolyn Schubert
Managing Director
Chicago, IL
Christophe Dumont
Managing Director
Europe
Heiri Gugger, PhD
Managing Director
Raleigh, NC
Ed Yuhas
Managing Director
Columbus, OH
Jon Lowe
Managing Director
Califon, NJ
Lisa Johnson
Managing Director
Chicago, IL
Michael Whitney
Managing Director
Europe
Oliver Cassels
Associate Managing Director
Europe
Patrick Fitzgerald
Managing Director
Chicago, IL
Paul Izenstark
Managing Director
Los Angeles, CA
Warren Ward
Managing Director
Southlake, TX
Attila von Hankó
Director
Europe
Crystal Strauss
Senior Director
Dallas, TX
Gabriella Snoeck
Director
Brussels, Belgium

Associates

Emily Wagner
Senior Associate & Senior Assessment Advisor
Des Moines, IA
Caroline Petit
Senior Associate
Bali, Indonesia
Melissa Karman
Senior Associate
Northbrook, IL
Pat Rojas
Senior Associate
Miami, FL
Whitney Dooley
Senior Associate
Portsmouth, NH

K&R Edge Team

Sally Day
Managing Director, Leadership Solutions
Cleveland, OH
Cynthia Iglesias Guven
Executive Coach and Sr. Consultant
Washington, DC
Heather Pomerantz
Executive Coach and Sr. Consultant
New York City, NY
Joe Marques
Executive Coach and Sr. Consultant
Palm Beach, FL
Liesbeth Van Loock
Executive Coach and Sr. Consultant
Vevey, Switzerland

Advisors

Aidan Connolly
Advisor
Wilmington, NC
Cassie Edgar
Advisor
Des Moines, IA

Relationship Builders

Our business is building relationships, identifying talent, and introducing you to the right leader. In-depth discussions combined with our industry experience enable us to quickly understand the caliber of the talent you need. We know the situations you face and leverage our unmatched network to find the right leader who aligns with your strategy and culture.

Global Collaborators

Our footprint spans the globe. We bring the right team and the right resources to each engagement, regardless of where it is. We collaborate to share ideas, contacts and insights, giving our clients an impressive reach and global perspective.

Search Experts

Our approach isn’t the same as everyone else’s- and that is by design. Finding talent is our specialty because leaders the caliber our clients seek are not “advertising” their availability. Our industry focus and executive experience allows us to speak with candidates as colleagues and make high-level assessments. This approach is proven to deliver differential leadership.

We’re humbled to hear clients talk about their experience with us

It’s a great partnership.  What they do well is communication and getting to know us.  They are seasoned professionals and always timely.  This is our 3rd time working with them and it is always a pleasure.

VP of Talent Acquisition, multi-national CPG organization

From the onset and through the entire process for our CEO search, K&R provided a ‘human touch’ by being authentic and adding a personal touch which gave us the ability to create trust; K&R is the go-to search firm in this industry.

Board Chairman, regional seed company

Our choice of firms came down to K&R and another firm that specialized in private equity. We went with K&R because they had more food focus and we were very satisfied with the quality of advice we got and the final slate of candidates.

Private Equity firm placing a C-Suite Executive

How We Work

Our principals come from the executive ranks of food and agriculture. Our values are built on trust, teamwork, accountability, integrity and a drive for results. Relationships are important, we work closely with you to understand your goals and culture, then leverage our global networks to find the best talent to meet your needs.

Interested in connecting with one of our principals?