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Odgers Berndtson Expands in Washington, DC
Driven in part by its thriving Aerospace & Defense, Corporate & Government Affairs, and International Development Practices, Odgers Berndtson is expanding into larger office space in Washington, DC.
“We’ve seen big gains across the United States since we launched here in 2011,” said Steve Potter, CEO of Odgers Berndtson US, “but our Washington, DC presence has seen disproportional growth in the last two years.”
Mr. Potter attributes the gains to the firm’s recruitment of senior partners working in steadily expanding sectors.
“There is a snowball effect,” he said. “Our presence in the Aerospace, Defense & National Security space, for example, went from covering parts of the sector to all of it almost overnight when we hired Jon Barney.
Jon is one of the most respected experts in his industry, and he’s in the process of putting together a very strong team of recruiters. In order to do that team building, we’ve needed to upsize our office space.”
A similar phenomenon has driven the growth of the Corporate & Government Affairs Practice, led by Conrad Woody, and the International Development Practice, led by Derek Wilkinson, both Partners in the Washington, DC, office.
Mr. Woody joined the Odgers team a year ago to build out its Corporate & Government Affairs Practice. “We’re especially excited about the gains Conrad has made with trade associations and professional bodies, which are experiencing significant growth right now,” said Mr. Potter.
Mr. Wilkinson joined the firm in 2017 and over the last two years has overseen the coalescing of the firm’s education, not-for-profit, and NGO businesses. “Under Derek’s leadership, our work with international and intergovernmental organizations has boomed, and his team has been expanding to meet the demand,” added Mr. Potter.
In addition, Odgers Berndtson’s US Chief Operating Officer, Kennon Kincaid, will be relocating from the New York office to the Washington, DC office in January 2020. According to Mr. Potter, “Kennon is helping me lead the firm’s US growth and will now be in a better position to leverage the great strides we’ve made in DC as we continue to expand our reach.” Added Mr. Kincaid, “I am looking forward to working with the already strong practices we’ve developed in DC and to helping Steve and our team provide the highest quality executive search and leadership services in the US.”
