What Summit Leadership Partners does

Summit Leadership Partners is a privately held management consulting firm founded in 2014 by Dan Hawkins, a former Fortune 500 CHRO, and headquartered in Charlotte, NC. The firm provides leadership and organizational advisory services to private equity investors, portfolio company management teams, boards, and corporate executives — covering management due diligence, executive assessment, leadership coaching, team acceleration, CEO succession, organization design, board assessment, and a proprietary cross-portfolio talent benchmarking analytics platform. Its go-to-market is direct and senior-led: Managing Directors and Principals engage PE operating partners, portfolio CEOs, and CHROs through consultative, project- or retainer-based engagements, supplemented by event sponsorships (PEI forums), thought leadership content, and a vodcast series.

Underlying the offering is a combination of behavioral science expertise — predominantly PhDs in Industrial/Organizational Psychology — and proprietary methodologies including the trademarked SCALE Leadership Team Assessment© and VCP Accelerator©, plus the Organization Blueprint framework. AI and NLP capability for culture assessment is delivered through a strategic partnership with Entromy. The firm operates a multi-level data platform capturing individual, team, and organizational metrics across more than a decade of PE-backed engagements, used to power cross-portfolio benchmarks and predictive talent insights.

Summit generates revenue through professional services engagements on a per-project or retainer basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Customers include PE-backed mid-market companies (technology, SaaS, industrial services, transportation, waste services, retail) and enterprise corporate clients, including a Fortune 100 healthcare company and a publicly traded consumer products company. Geographic coverage spans 12+ US metro markets plus London via the 2026 ABG Advisory partnership. The firm is employee-owned, employs 11–50 professionals, and has received multiple growth and workplace awards including Consulting Magazine's #5 Fastest Growing Firm (2020) and 2025 Great Place to Work Certification.

Name

Summit Leadership Partners

Legal name

Summit Leadership Partners, LLC

Website

https://summitleadership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Summit Leadership Partners is a Charlotte-based leadership advisory firm serving private equity investors, portfolio company management teams, boards, and corporate executives with executive assessment, team acceleration, CEO succession, organization design, management due diligence, and a proprietary cross-portfolio talent benchmarking analytics platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting — Leadership Advisory

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

Keywords

• Leadership advisory
• Executive assessment
• Management due diligence
• Organization design
• Talent analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cornelius

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Leadership Advisory & Consulting Services: Summit generates revenue through professional services engagements including executive assessment, management due diligence, leadership coaching, team effectiveness programs, CEO succession planning, organization design, and board advisory services. Engagements are typically project-based or retainer-based consulting engagements with private equity firms, portfolio companies, and corporate clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Summit Leadership Partners is a premier leadership advisory and management consulting firm that helps private equity investors, boards, CEOs, and management teams increase leadership and organizational performance. The firm delivers executive assessment, team acceleration, executive coaching, CEO succession planning, organization design, board assessment, and management due diligence services. It also operates a proprietary data analytics platform providing cross-portfolio leadership benchmarks and predictive talent insights.

Product overview

Summit Leadership Partners is a premier leadership advisory firm offering consulting services rather than a software product. The firm's core offering is a suite of advisory and consulting services built around proprietary assessment frameworks including the SCALE Leadership Team Assessment© and VCP Accelerator©. Services span Executive Assessment, Team Acceleration, Executive Coaching & Development, CEO Succession Planning, Organization Blueprint, Organization Health Assessment, and Board Assessment for corporate clients. For private equity investors, the firm provides Management Due Diligence and post-close Organization Reviews. The firm also offers a Talent Analytics & Leadership Intelligence platform providing cross-portfolio benchmarks and predictive insights. All services leverage behavioral science expertise and a data-driven approach to improve individual, team, and organizational performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Assessment
• Team Acceleration

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of clients report that talent assessments helped make the right hiring or succession decisions
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ABG AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Summit Leadership Partners expanded into Europe through a strategic partnership with London-based ABG Advisory, founded by Anna Bond. The partnership aligns service offerings and expands geographic reach across Europe and North America. ABG Advisory brings deep expertise and trusted relationships across the European private equity landscape. Clients experience both firms as a unified team with seamless deployment of expertise across regions. Joint events and initiatives are planned including sponsorship of PEI's Europe Operating Partners Forum in London in May 2026.
• EntromycoreTechnology or IntegrationEntromy is the leading strategy and organizational insights technology company focused on helping PE-owned companies achieve results. They provide cutting-edge, actionable data and executive assessment using AI and NLP technology to understand readiness to execute and achieve key value drivers, while identifying potential risks that could impact growth and value creation. Summit uses Entromy's technology for organization health assessments.
• Kaiser Leadership SolutionssupportingTechnology or IntegrationKaiser Leadership Solutions empowers organizations to develop and assess leaders through innovative tools like the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI), which helps leaders differentiate between strengths and potential overuse of those strengths while identifying development areas. Summit uses the LVI as part of its leadership assessment and development toolkit.
• JM SearchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJM Search is an executive search firm with whom Summit co-authored an article on first-time C-suite talent in private equity. Alissa Moody from JM Search and Kelly Reed, PhD from Summit collaborated on content addressing the common pitfalls that derail first-time executives and proven strategies for success in PE environments.
• Bespoke PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBespoke Partners is listed among Summit's strategic partners in the talent and organization performance ecosystem, working closely with Summit to deliver seamless and efficient solutions to clients.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ghSMART & Company: ghSMART is a leadership advisory firm specializing in executive assessment and selection for private equity investors and CEOs. Summit's Anna Bond previously held a founding role at ghSMART's London office, and the two compete head-to-head in PE talent diligence and top-team advisory engagements.
• RHR International: RHR International is a global boutique consulting firm focused on leadership development, executive assessment, and team effectiveness for senior executives. Summit principal consultant Liz Salib was a Partner at RHR, and both firms compete for C-suite coaching and top-team effectiveness mandates.
• YSC Consulting: YSC Consulting is a boutique leadership and executive coaching consultancy serving global organizations across talent assessment, team development, and behavioral change. Liz Salib led business development and diversity initiatives at YSC, and both firms serve a similar premium client base.
• PDI Talent (Personnel Decisions International): PDI Talent (Personnel Decisions International) is a leadership assessment and development firm combining I/O psychology with executive coaching and team effectiveness services. Like Summit, PDI sells proprietary behaviorally grounded frameworks to global enterprises and PE sponsors.

Broad incumbents

• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a strong board practice and CEO succession franchise. Spencer Stuart overlaps with Summit in board assessment and CEO succession advisory for PE-backed and publicly traded companies.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm combining executive search, talent assessment, and leadership development at large scale. Multiple Summit consultants previously worked at Korn Ferry, and the firm competes for executive assessment and coaching mandates while offering a much broader service portfolio.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds Associates is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with assessment and succession advisory practices. Summit's Kelly Scherer previously consulted at Russell Reynolds, and both firms advise boards, CEOs, and PE sponsors on executive hiring and succession.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): DDI is a large global leadership development firm combining behavioral science research with executive assessment, coaching, and selection solutions. DDI overlaps with Summit in executive selection and development but competes through a broader product catalog and global delivery footprint.
• Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a particular emphasis on board and CEO succession work. The firm competes with Summit for senior leadership advisory and assessment mandates while bringing a much larger global infrastructure.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with substantial on-demand consulting and assessment capabilities. Summit's Liz Salib contributed to M&A integration services at Heidrick & Struggles, and the firms overlap in PE-backed CEO succession and executive assessment work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/summitleads
• Facebookfacebook.com/summitleadershippartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9302194

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Summit Leadership Partners