National Outlooks
Welcome to Cornerstone EMEA!
EMEA is a jigsaw puzzle of varying and often divergent views and outlooks.
There are 44 — 51 countries in Europe; the exact count varies according to various standards of nationhood applied by different agencies. The European Union (EU) is made up of 27 countries. These countries vary in economic status/outlook, corporate structures, salary levels, client expectations, etc. This complex picture is probably more intricate than ever, given the ramifications of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Cornerstone’s EMEA region is now comprised of more than 25 locally owned search firms that help clients fill key positions wherever they have a need. Whether supporting clients in their own local area, working with other members in the region, or networking globally with other Cornerstone members, Cornerstone firms provide their clients the highest level of service. For more than 30 years we have had a strong presence in the Executive Search industry, leading searches for companies across a variety of industries, functions, and locations.
We know every search requires a dedicated team that understands the needs and goals of each client. Our success is proven by the many clients who repeatedly return to us for their recruiting requirements. Why? Because we provide best-fit candidates that positively impact their organizations for years.
As part of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), we hold ourselves to the highest quality standards. We search both locally and around the globe to deliver leaders of the highest caliber to our clients.
In addition to providing top-notch talent to our clients, we also offer Leadership Development and Executive Coaching services. We believe organizations need outstanding resources to retain and develop great talent, and we make these resources available to our clients. These include Executive Coaching, Assessments and Board & CEO Advisory Consulting.
Browse our Offices
Austria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Israel
Italy
Latvia
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Hammas, Gulsah
Gulsah Hammas is the founding and managing partner of Cornerstone International Group’s Retained Search office in Istanbul, Turkey. She provides a full range of services from executive search and board consulting to management appraisals, serving clients across various industries and corporate functions. Before joining Cornerstone , Gulsah established her own executive search firm in Turkey,…
Lezak, Robert
Robert Lezak is a senior level, certified coach located in Poland with Cornerstone Warsaw. Typical Clients are medium and high level managers. They are specialist, sales managers, IT managers, project managers, directors and entrepreneurs. These are people who want to improve their efficiency at work or with their team. Most frequent issues approached in coaching…
Ely Iglesias, Mary
I am an Executive Coach, a Team Coach and an Associate at Cornerstone Madrid in charge of developing the Talent, Leadership and Coaching Division. Most of my clients are c-level executives of multinational companies as well as owners of medium size companies. With all of them I have worked in their skills development and in…
Cassano, Antonio
Antonio Cassano, as Managing Partner at Cornerstone International Italia, will primarily follow Executive Search at top and medium level, projects of M&A, Management Consulting, Organizational Development for Domestic as well as International customers. Before joining Cornerstone International Antonio has operated, for about 8 years, as Business Advisor and Business Consultant to important companies in Industrial…
Mantzoutsou, Alexandra
Alexandra joined the Cornerstone team in 2016 as Associate Partner after 21 years in senior Human Resources Management and Consulting roles in top-notch organizations in the Pharmaceutical, FMCG and Consulting field. She has held the position of the Human Resources Director with E.J. Papadopoulos S.A. as well as with Novartis Hellas, both for 5 years, and…
Knegtmans, Ralf
Ralf Knegtmans is managing partner and co-owner of De Vroedt & Thierry. Prior to his career at De Vroedt & Thierry, Ralf Knegtmans was the commercial director of an American listed flexible labour firm. Knegtmans earned his Law degree in Amsterdam, and also completed post Masters executive courses at Nyenrode Business University (Business Administration) and…
Cornerstone Amsterdam
Cornerstone International Group’s member in Amsterdam is De Vroedt & Thierry, a leading firm with extensive experience in executive search, leadership consulting and talent development. Founded in 1975, the company has a broad client portfolio of listed companies, family owned businesses, pension funds and private equity funds. The culture of the company is a perfect…
Day, Ian
My clients are talented executives faced with the opportunity of moving from managerial behaviour to that of Leadership – irrespective of the role they currently hold. Generally they have responded to the need to commit to challenging actions and have exhibited the energy borne of new found purpose. From time to time this has not…
Braddock, Martin
Our experienced resourcing and leadership consulting team is active in Executive Search and Executive Coaching across the Middle East & North Africa. As Office manager I have over 40 years of experience working in the UK, Europe, USA, Africa and S.E. Asia, including the last 9 years in the Middle East We assist organisations…
Steeper, Clive
Clive has over 30 years of experience as a business leader which clients find invaluable, whether they engage him as a coach, consultant, facilitator or executive recruiter. He is based in the UK and works globally. Most of Clive’s clients are senior level executives and business owners who are looking for world class support, as…
Clancy, Mike
Mike is an experienced Board level recruiter with a specialism in Chair and Non-executive Director roles. His client base is principally UK based, mid-market companies typically privately owned, either family or private equity ownership, although he has also recruited for UK public listed companies (Plcs). Mike is a panellist and contributor to the Financial Times…
Denny, Dave
Dave moved into executive recruitment in 1988 when he joined Ward Executive on its inception, becoming MD 10 years later. As a recruiter, he has always been a generalist and has handled a very broad range of projects in a wide variety of sectors. He has worked extensively in technology-based businesses, including blue chips such…
Jirec, Ales
As the Managing Partner at Cornerstone Prague in the Czech Republic, Ales brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. With over 30 years in management and HR consulting, including executive search, talent acquisition, and development, he has helped numerous organizations achieve success and improve their management practices. Ales has a proven track…
Cornerstone Prague
At Cornerstone Prague and iC Talents International, we are proud to offer a range of world-class consulting services to companies both locally and globally. Led by founder Aleš Jirec, who boasts over 30 years of experience, our boutique management and HR consultancy firm is dedicated to accelerating the growth and success of our clients. Our…
Ashton, Mark
Mark is a well-respected business leader, developer, advisor, entrepreneur and turnaround specialist with a passion for creating, growing or restoring great businesses that continually outstrip customers’ expectations and thereby produce outstanding long-term shareholder value. He is known for his honesty, unflinching ethics, energetic and inspiring style, creative and strategic thinking, problem-solving and networking capabilities. He…
Steeper, Clive
Clive has over 30 years of experience as a business leader which clients find invaluable, whether they engage him as a coach, consultant, facilitator or executive recruiter. He is based in the UK and works globally. Most of Clive’s clients are senior level executives and business owners who are looking for world class support, as…
Green, Mike
Mike is a seasoned HR Professional focussed on business results achieved through people in a range of businesses from a Privately Owned and Managed Business, to an M.B.O., a Multi Site Manufacturing Operation, and a US owned Multi National Business. With experience in the UK, Europe, Middle East and India providing support and being responsible…
Goutas, Lydia
Lydia Goutas is a managing partner at Lehner Executive Partners, the Vienna office of Cornerstone International Group, where she leads an international team that serves growing multi-nationals in dynamic industries. Lydia studied Biology and Molecular Biology and worked in the field of molecular therapeutics at a leading research institute while she completed her MBA in…
Parry, Colin
Colin Parry, O.B.E. JP. is a leading figure in the movement for World Peace. In 1993, his 12-year-old son Tim was killed by an explosion set by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Colin and his wife Wendy have worked tirelessly since to build a UK charity called the Peace Centre. Colin has been a…
Morris, Anita
Anita regularly coaches, trains and mentors senior executives in organisations across all sectors both nationally and internationally. Specialising in leadership development, executive coaching, emotional intelligence and psychometric assessment, she has been pivotal to performance improvement of many individuals, teams and organisations. Anita frequently works with senior managers in outplacement and career development. In addition to…
Mills, Justin
Justin started his career managing the IT recruitment needs of major brands and high technology accounts and growing one the most successful internet service providers of the time during the early 2000’s tech boom. Having undergone professional study with the CIPD and the British Institute of Psychology he moved into retained Executive Search and Selection…
Söpkéz, Sándor
Sandor is Managing Partner of EastEuroCo, Cornerstone’s member firm in Hungary and surrounding countries. He founded the company in 1991 and for the 20+ years since, it has been operating as a generalist executive search organization, with deep experience in special sectors that include banking, telecommunication, IT , manufacturing and energy. Due to his in-depth…
Cosma, Stanca
Stanca’s professional profile includes experience in consultancy for specific matters related to personnel administration and policies, specific recruitment projects, executive search and head hunting, all based on her strong orientation to find HR related solutions for the client and its employees. Previous Experience Stanca’s expertise is a result of being involved in various executive search…
Spindler, Stuart
Stuart has an extensive career in executive resourcing spanning a total of twenty-five years. In the field of executive resourcing for B2B services organisations, he is a highly respected, authoritative figure, well known for a very professional yet user-friendly approach to business. Stuart’s recruiting career has focused on assisting multi-site support services companies with key…
Kneale, Alan
Alan’s experience is wide ranging and includes Executive Search across many industries and HR Consulting, with assignments in Europe and the Middle East. As a niche player in retained Executive Search in 1996, he moved into Executive Search with a major UK practice before establishing the Auxilium Group. In recent years, Auxilium has established an…
Cornerstone Dubai
The Middle East office of Cornerstone was opened in October 2020 by Stelios Pigadiotis, a veteran search professional, following his departure from another global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Cornerstone Dubai office pursues a mission of “Enabling Leaders and Organizations to Grow and Achieve their True Potential.” The practices served by Cornerstone International Group…
Cornerstone Liverpool
Cornerstone Liverpool is the founding office within the Auxilium-Cornerstone group, which represents Cornerstone International Group in three UK locations. Established in 1996, the company has successfully recruited in both UK, Europe and the Middle East for a diverse range of clients. Auxilium-Cornerstone has significant experience of working with US corporations who want to start up…
Shapira, Eli
Founder & COO at Human Impact, High End HR services, company mostly provides professional services in the following areas: Worldwide recruitment and employment solutions Project Management and Turn Key Projects consultancy and outsourcing services Professional assistance for global organizations to establish in Israel Partner and founder of Rosh Technologies, company expertise in outsourcing of data…
Szybka, Iwona
Managing Director / Accredited EMCC EIA Coach & Mentor Iwona has graduated at the Warsaw University (1992) when the Polish market was just facing its first steps of changes towards establishing a new economy system of the private market. As a first generation Iwona was gaining her experience working within international environment for the first…