Susan joined Torch Group in 2022 and has been in integral part of onboarding new clients within Torch Group’s food and beverage, manufacturing, and building materials & construction practice areas. “Susan’s people-centric approach to getting to know clients and gain a deep understanding for their businesses has been an extremely valuable asset to our team,” says Michele Torch, Chief Talent Officer and head of Search Services at Torch Group.

Prior to joining Torch Group, Susan was the Vice President of Operations at Divvies, an allergen-free, plant-based snack food company. As VP of Operations, Susan was one of the key members of the leadership team who led Divvies through a significant transformation from online sales to a wholesale specialty snack food supplier for grocery store chains and independent retailers nationwide.

As Vice President, Senior Account Manager, Susan will lead research and recruiting efforts across multiple practice areas while continuing to provide unparalleled support to clients. “I look forward to becoming more involved with implementing search strategies that bring the right executive talent to our client’s leadership teams,” says Susan.

About Torch Group

Torch Group is a national executive search firm made up of strategic search professionals that partner with clients and focus on soft skills, cultural fit, and alignment of expectations. We concentrate on finding senior and C-level executives and their direct reports for mission-critical roles at middle-market businesses and other organizations that are growing or in transition.

To learn more about Torch Group, visit: torchgroup.com

The post Torch Group Promotes Susan Acker to Vice President, Senior Account Manager appeared first on Torch Group.

Prior to joining Torch Group, Susan was the Vice President of Operations at Divvies, an allergen-free, plant-based snack food company. As VP of Operations, Susan was one of the key members of the leadership team who led Divvies through a significant transformation from online sales to a wholesale specialty snack food supplier for grocery store chains and independent retailers nationwide.

“We are thrilled Susan has joined Torch Group,” says Michele Torch, Chief Talent Officer and head of Search Services at Torch Group. “Susan’s communication and leadership skills paired with her collaborative nature makes her a natural fit as the first point of contact for our clients and candidates. With her commitment to ensuring Torch Group continues to exceed our clients’ expectations, we are confident Susan is the right person to act as the liaison between clients and candidates. “

As Client Services Manager, Susan is responsible for onboarding new clients as well as servicing existing clients’ research and recruiting needs and maintaining an open line of communication between all parties involved during the executive search process. “I enjoy working in a customer-facing position where I have the opportunity to build a solid foundation with clients that will help foster our professional relationship,” says Acker. “I look forward to coordinating with all the members of our internal team to develop search strategies that find the right executives to help our clients’ businesses grow.

About Torch Group

Torch Group is a national executive search firm made up of strategic search professionals that partner with clients and focus on soft skills, cultural fit, and alignment of expectations. We concentrate on finding senior and C-level executives and their direct reports for mission-critical roles at middle-market businesses and other organizations that are growing or in transition.

To learn more about Torch Group, visit: torchgroup.com

The post Susan Acker Joins Torch Group As Client Services Manager appeared first on Torch Group.

Mark is an innovative thinker who prior to joining Torch Group founded a multi-million-dollar allergen-free, plant-based snack food company. In his new role, Mark will leverage his 30+ years of experience leading organizations through all growth stages to strategically align talent with business goals. As an account manager, Mark will utilize his deep understanding of transformative leadership in sales, marketing, business development, start up, distribution, private label, and product development to drive relentlessly towards the goal of delivering the highest quality candidates that exceed each of his client’s expectations.

“Mark’s background and broad skill set places our clients in very capable hands,” says Michele Torch, Chief Talent Officer and head of Search Services at Torch Group. “His knowledge of every facet of the Food and Beverage industry, paired with his extensive network, uniquely positions him to advise our clients based on his experience with some of the very same challenges they are presently facing. We are looking forward to having Mark’s leadership, expertise, and innovative spirit help our clients grow.”

“My entire career has been about finding solutions to challenges,” says Mark. “When my youngest son was born with life threatening food allergies, we founded Divvies, a vegan and nut free baked goods company so that he, and others with and without food allergies, could enjoy delicious treats together,” he shares. “I am excited to be a part of Torch Group and take a consultative approach to our partnerships with clients. Using my experience, deep network and knowledge of the Food and Beverage industry, I believe that I will be able to present the best possible candidates for each client and, should the need arise, also offer guidance.”

About Torch Group

Torch Group is a national boutique executive search firm made up of strategic search professionals that partner with clients and focus on soft skills, cultural fit, and alignment of expectations. We concentrate on senior and C-level  executives and their direct reports for mission-critical roles with privately owned middle-market businesses that are growing or in transition.

To learn more about Torch Group, visit: torchgroup.com

The post Mark Sandler Joins Torch Group as SVP, Food & Beverage Practice appeared first on Torch Group.

“We are thrilled to promote Jake to Senior Recruiter,” says Michele Torch, Chief Talent Officer and head of Search Services at Torch Group. “Jake has quickly ascended into this role because of his success in recent placements of executive level candidates, including a VP of Operations, a Director of Materials, and a Director of Purchasing, which propelled this promotion.”

“Jake’s keen ability to read between the lines and recognize a client’s pain points makes him an excellent recruiter who can easily interpret the soft skills required to place candidates who are both a functional and cultural fit for an organization,” added Michele Torch.

In his new role, Jake will interface directly with candidates and clients to help form mutually beneficial relationships between both parties. “I am looking forward to placing candidates who help companies exceed their organizational goals,” says Jake. “It’s exciting to witness how the right leader will truly facilitate a company’s growth while simultaneously advancing their career.”

Jake holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology as well as a Deaf Studies Certificate from the University of Cincinnati. Jake’s background in the event industry gives him a unique perspective and understanding of a client’s vision for the future, which allows him to find and place transformative leaders.

About Torch Group

Torch Group is a national boutique executive search firm made up of strategic search professionals that partner with clients and focus on soft skills, cultural fit, and alignment of expectations. We concentrate on senior and C-level  executives and their direct reports for mission-critical roles with family and privately owned middle-market businesses.

To learn more about Torch Group, visit: torchgroup.com

The post Jake Long is Promoted to Senior Recruiter appeared first on Torch Group.

“We are so proud to be on Weatherhead 100’s annual list of Northeast Ohio’s fastest-growing companies for a fourth time,” said Ronald Torch, president and chief executive officer. “We have seen an exceptional 233% growth over the last five years and are so thankful for our clients and candidates that helped us obtain this remarkable achievement.”

“It is a credit to our team and clients that we’ve been able to attain such dramatic growth,” added Michele Torch, executive vice president and chief talent officer. “Torch Group evaluates talent based on a comprehensive set of competencies, tailored to our client’s unique needs, thus ensuring A PERFECT FIT™.”

About the Weatherhead 100 Awards

The Weatherhead 100 awards were established in 1988 with the mission to develop transformational ideas and outstanding leaders for the advancement of business and society. Weatherhead 100 companies are the embodiment of this pursuit. For more than 30 years, they’ve recognized the accomplishments of the region’s fastest-growing companies, and no matter the industry, companies across Northeast Ohio clammer to make the list.” 

About Torch Group

Torch Group (www.torchgroup.com) is a premier retained, boutique executive search firm focused on C-level talent and mission-critical roles in sales, marketing, product management, and communications. The key industries and business sectors they serve, include food & beverage, food service, software and technology, building products & materials, and commercial & industrial manufacturing. Established in 1990, the company has achieved over 233% growth for the last five years.

The post Torch Group Named a Weatherhead 100 Winner appeared first on Torch Group.

Schoettle joins ZoomInfo after a successful four-year stint at IBM, where most recently he was the Chief Business Officer and General Manager of the Watson and Cloud Platform business. Mr. Schoettle was previously CEO of Cloudant, a Database-as-a-Service provider, and led that company through its acquisition by IBM. He has also held executive roles with Vertica Systems, acquired by HP, and Infocrossing and Intellireach, both acquired by Wipro.

ZoomInfo has traditionally sold sales teams’ access to its huge database of corporate emails and phone numbers. The company also is one of the dominant providers of contact information to the recruiting and search sector.

“The goal now is to build out a variety of applications to help customers actually use that data effectively,” said Schoettle. “Such software tools could, for example, recommend which potential customers to call first based on earlier patterns of success selling a similar product.”

“We selected Torch Group to conduct the search based on their consultative and detailed approach stressing cultural fit,” Christopher Gaffney, managing director, Great Hill Partners, said. “When Great Hill Partners acquired ZoomInfo, we did so in partnership with ZoomInfo’s founder and CEO, Yonatan Stern. We planned to recruit an enterprise-class successor CEO who has navigated these paths before. When Torch presented Derek, his extensive background leading high growth technology organizations and large scale, complex platform businesses cemented for us that he is the right person for this role.”

“Given ZoomInfo’s product evolution,” our team member said, “Our search strategy was to identify current or past CEOs of software companies with strong data plays that had driven fast growth either prior to or post their acquisition or integration into a broader CRM suite and larger company. Derek quickly rose to the top of a very select group of national candidates.”

“I’ve spent the last 10 years of my career at the intersection of data analytics and artificial intelligence,” Schoettle added. “When Greg contacted me about ZoomInfo and put me through one of the most rigorous and strategic interview/assessment processes I’ve experienced, it became clear to me that this was a different kind of opportunity. I’m thrilled to be able to work on the industry’s best platform for business data. ZoomInfo is one of the best kept secrets in the Boston tech market. The company has 8,000 clients, has experienced a staggering 250 percent increase in revenue over the last four years, and is growing at 50 percent quarter-over-quarter rate. This growth is just the beginning as the company evolves from a sales and marketing performance management product to an intelligent, dynamic customer engagement platform that gives companies a deep understanding of its customers and prospects.”

Schoettle succeeds Stern, who was also the company’s founder and chief data scientist, this month. As part of the terms of ZoomInfo’s sale to Great Hill Partners, Mr. Stern planned his departure from the company in June 2018 but will remain on its Board of Directors.

“I have used Greg and Torch multiple times for C-level executive search assignments and their background and vetting work is the best in the business,” Gaffney said. “Derek Schoettle is an outstanding executive carefully selected to be ZoomInfo’s next leader to expand the company’s product set and to accelerate their already impressive revenue growth.”

About Torch Group

Torch Group (www.torchgroup.com) is a premier retained, boutique executive search firm focused on securing C-level sales, marketing, product management and communication executives and their direct reports for companies in growth and/or in transition. The key industries and business sectors they serve, in addition to software and technology, include food & beverage, food service, building products & materials and commercial & industrial manufacturing. Established in 1990, the company has achieved over 30% annual growth for the last two years.

About ZoomInfo

Accelerate your growth with Zoom Information, Inc. (www.ZoomInfo.com), an Inc. 5000 company. ZoomInfo’s Growth Acceleration Platform combines the world’s most comprehensive and searchable account and contact database with integrated tools to help companies optimize sales and marketing effectiveness, jump-start growth, and maximize profitability. The continuously updated B2B contact database gives businesses access to direct-dial phone numbers, email addresses, and professional background information.

The post Torch Group Places CEO at ZoomInfo appeared first on Torch Group.

Torch Group, Inc., a leading retained boutique executive search firm specializing in senior, executive, and C-level marketing, communications, sales, and business development talent, today announced the successful completion of a confidential search on behalf of Kindle Communications, LLC, a Chicago-based full-service communications consulting and corporate events management agency with a nationwide Fortune 500 practice. Susie Wolf recently joined the Kindle team as vice president of strategic communications and will service Kindle’s executive and C-suite clientele, developing and counseling them on a range of communications to internal constituencies.

“We had great chemistry with our Kindle Communications partners the moment we met them in Chicago,” said Michele Torch, executive vice president, Torch Group. “We built on that chemistry with consistent communication and a shared desire to identify the right type of candidate from the start. Using our Signature Search Process ™, we wasted no time in identifying and presenting high-quality candidates that would ultimately be impactful for Kindle and their clients. The Kindle Communications team met us more than halfway by giving us the candid input and honest feedback that we need to do our job efficiently and well. This search engagement was a wonderful partnership that we hope to continue.”

Kindle Communications’ vice president of strategic communications role is responsible for positively affecting its Fortune 500 client’s results by serving as a consultant and trusted advisor to their senior executives on their mission-critical messaging directed at their sales organizations, employees, and colleagues.

“Torch Group really helped us to identify a candidate that had the right mix of technical expertise and personality for this role, and who would fit seamlessly into our company culture,” said Jim Finger, partner and strategist, Kindle Communications. “In the early weeks of her tenure with us there has been universal confidence and optimism that Susie will make a tremendous impact.”

Torch Group takes the same strategic approach with its candidates as it does with its clients, even after the offer is accepted. “I really valued the partnership I developed with the Torch team,” said Wolf. “I did not anticipate such a high level of transparency and communication. I leaned on the Torch Group to guide me through this significant career decision, which included relocating my family, to take on a new role with Kindle – a position I was not even looking for at the beginning of this journey. It’s truly unique to have this type of high-touch experience during the hiring process. I felt like much more than ‘just’ a candidate.”

ABOUT TORCH GROUP
Torch Group is a leading retained boutique executive search firm that focuses on recruiting senior, executive, and c-level marketing, communications, sales, and business development talent. Torch Group has significant experience in the food service, food and beverage, consumer products, building materials, information technology, and industrial manufacturing markets. Torch Group takes a consultative, strategic approach to meeting its clients’ leadership needs, employing passive-candidate research and in-depth interviews to identify high-impact professionals who will make a significant difference in mission-critical roles and enable the achievement of its clients’ key growth goals. For more information visit www.TorchGroup.com.

The post Torch Group Places VP of Strategic Communications appeared first on Torch Group.