Diversified Search Acquires Leading Healthcare Executive Search Firm Grant Cooper

Judith M. von Seldeneck, Founder and Chair of Diversified Search, one of the top 10 executive search firms in the U.S, has announced the acquisition of Grant Cooper, a St. Louis-based leading national healthcare executive search firm, as part of Diversified Search’s continuing accelerated growth strategy

In June, Diversified Search acquired Koya Leadership Partners, based in Boston, one of the country’s leading search firms in the nonprofit and higher education sectors. The addition of these two new acquisitions will increase the firm’s annual revenues to approximately $90 million, with offices in 16 cities with approximately 250 employees. This represents a 40 percent increase in the firm’s revenues since January 2019, making Diversified Search the fastest-growing executive search firm in the industry today.

Founded by von Seldeneck in Philadelphia in 1974, Diversified Search is today the largest woman-founded executive search firm in the world. In addition to its 16 U.S. offices, the firm also has representation in 54 offices in 34 countries worldwide through its partnership with AltoPartners, the international alliance of independent executive search firms that spans across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

“This acquisition of Grant Cooper is another step toward our goal to create a new model in our industry, which is to help clients worldwide better meet the accelerated demand for talent at the C-Suite level as they seek to meet the business challenges brought on by a robust and expanding global economy, spurred on by rapidly changing innovative and cutting-edge technologies,” von Seldeneck said. She added the firm will continue to embark on a plan to add additional firms into the Diversified Search family of companies, which in addition to Grant Cooper and Koya also includes BioQuest, a leading search firm in the biotechnology and medical device sectors, which was acquired by Diversified Search in 2016.

Established in 1957, Grant Cooper has been a pioneer in the field of executive search, and today is considered one of the most distinguished firms in the healthcare leadership space. Its roster of clients include some of the most prestigious healthcare organizations in the country, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inova Health System and Intermountain Healthcare in addition to esteemed college and university health systems such as Duke University Health System, University of Texas Southwestern and the University of Alabama, among many others.

“My partners and I are thrilled to be joining Diversified Search, especially at this time of rapid growth”, said Ed Stout, one of the firm’s three managing partners. “We have great respect for the Diversified team and the quality of work they do. This partnership will give us even greater access to talent and broaden our geographic reach which will ultimately benefit our clients. “

“There is no sector undergoing more transformational change right now then healthcare,” said Dale E. Jones, the CEO of Diversified Search. “Grant Cooper is a dynamic, strategic, and innovative firm with a sterling track record of placing top talent in this field. We are delighted to welcome this amazing team into the Diversified Search family and to bring even more expertise and knowledge to the marketplace.”