Keith Pearson

Keith Pearson Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

Keith Pearson

  • C-Suite Leadership
  • Board Search
  • Private Equity
  • Financial Officers

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

As founding partner, chief executive officer and chairman of Pearson Partners International, Keith Pearson manages the firm’s strategic direction and operation. He specializes in securing C-Suite leaders for Fortune 1000 and private equity portfolio companies. Keith’s commitment to flexible, responsive client service has set the companywide standard of excellence that is Pearson Partners’ hallmark. His deep knowledge of the financial officers and private equity leaders spaces has made him an invaluable partner to his clients, whose repeat business is a testament to his unique ability to understand business needs, develop creative solutions and quickly source top talent for the executive suite.

Keith and Bob Pearson launched Pearson Partners International in 2002 as an executive search firm initially serving the leveraged buyout community and have since led the company through twenty years of growth and diversification. Today, Pearson Partners is a global, full-service executive search and leadership consulting firm serving businesses across a broad range of industries while offering a full complement of professional development and coaching services.

Before founding Pearson Partners International, Keith was a managing director with Whitehouse & Pimms in the consulting and technology sectors and with TMP Worldwide Executive Search as a principal in the professional services practice. He began his executive search career as a search consultant with Merritt, Hawkins and Associates. Keith serves on the advisory council of the Naveen Jindal School of Management and the Human Resource Management advisory board at UT Dallas. He is a member and previous chairman of the board of trustees of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, North Texas Chapter, where he is a longtime member of its Team in Training. Previously, he served in an advisory capacity on the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) Council of the Americas.

Keith earned a bachelor of business administration degree in management from The University of North Texas and a master’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Dallas. He is an avid runner and cyclist who enjoys competing in ultrathons and off-road races as well as traveling with his wife Stephanie and their three children.

What are some of the highlights of your career so far?
One of the best days for me was our first day in our new offices in 2003. It was our first original lease, and we were able to design the office to suit our needs. It was a simple thing, but what it represented to us was significant: the fact that we’d been able to grow from a three-person operation into a thriving business surrounded by great people. One of the best days for me was our first day in our new offices in 2003. It was our first original lease, and we were able to design the office to suit our needs. It was a simple thing, but what it represented to us was significant: the fact that we’d been able to grow from a three-person operation into a thriving business surrounded by great people. Celebrating our 20th anniversary in 2022, we moved into a new and modern building with a fresh buildout and the latest technology, which has been a new and exciting highlight of my career.

What’s your philosophy or approach when it comes to client relationships?
Our company’s vision is to be a great company by making our client companies great. We simply will not walk away from a search, no matter how challenging. We have virtually a 100-percent fill rate.

What do you think is the key to Pearson Partners’ repeat business with top companies?
We follow five client service guidelines: We do what we say we will do, and we do it right the first time. We keep clients informed, and we ask that they do the same. And a single team stays with every client throughout the entire search process.

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