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Board directors, C-level executives, finance, general management, sales, operations, human resources, marketing, IT systems

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All, including private-equity portfolio companies, light and industrial manufacturing, energy, consumer products, retail, food manufacturing and food service, communications, technology, software, professional services, entertainment, not-for-profit, financial services

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Bill Rowe’s first priority is serving his clients’ human capital needs in the most comprehensive manner possible. His clients praise his ready availability, as well as his talent for understanding their business and presenting his clients to the human capital market in a well-informed and strategic manner, helping them attract great leaders at all levels of management.

Bill’s years in the executive search business have taken him all over the world, giving clients the international reach necessary to source top global talent. He provides the same level of attention and personal service to every engagement, regardless of company size or job scope. Bill is known for tenaciously working to gain intellectual insight into his clients’ industries, diving deep into their local markets, fulfilling their human capital needs, and cementing their long-lasting partnerships with Pearson Partners.

Following his innate curiosity about how organizations are built and managed, and what constitutes a great leader, Bill Rowe graduated from college and immediately launched his career growing businesses as a retained executive search professional.

Bill is the former managing director of the Dallas practice of Foster Partners, a global retained executive search firm formerly known as KPMG Executive Search and later spun off as an independent company.After 10 years with Foster Partners, Bill merged the Southwest practice of Foster Partners with Bob and Keith Pearson’s business in 2002 to form Pearson Partners International.

Bill began his career in retained executive search as a research analyst with Paul R. Ray and Company. Earlier in his career, he provided market research and competitive analysis information to determine market vibrancy for de novo bank formations for an Atlanta-based banking services company.

Bill is on the board of directors of the business advisory firm Catapult Partners, and has served on the board of the Dallas chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization. He is alumni chair and a member of the board of directors of the SMU Club Lacrosse Program, and a life member of the Dallas Safari Club.
He authored a chapter titled, "A Force of Integrity within the Corporate World" in the recent book, Best Practices for Executive Search Firms: Leading Executives on Developing Benchmarks, Evaluating Potential Candidates, and Helping Clients Succeed (Aspatore Books, 2007).

Bill earned a bachelor's degree in history from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. An avid hunter and rancher, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Ingrid, and three children.

What motto do you live by?
If there is no wind, row!

Why did you feel executive recruiting was the right field for you?
I believed it was a consulting process that could be applied to any industry and discipline. I hoped I would learn how great organizations were developed and could apply this to building a great company myself.

If you had to change careers tomorrow, what job would you choose and why?
I would be a teacher—a university professor of history—trying to teach the past to the future leaders of tomorrow, in an effort to avoid repeating some of the mistakes of the past. Or just a simple cowboy.

Robert L. Pearson

CEO and Founder