Crist Kolder Associates

What Crist Kolder Associates does

Crist|Kolder Associates is a privately held retained executive search boutique founded in 2003 by Peter Crist after his tenure as Vice Chairman at Korn/Ferry International. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, the firm specializes exclusively in C-Suite (CEO, CFO, COO) and Board of Director placements, along with succession planning searches. The firm deliberately caps its workload at approximately 70 searches per year to ensure personalized senior-partner attention on every engagement, a positioning that differentiates it from the larger Big 5 global search firms.

The firm's client base spans Fortune 500 and S&P 500 large-cap companies, mid-cap and small-cap public companies, private equity firms and their portfolio companies, and large privately held and family-controlled businesses. Named clients include Airbnb, Blackstone, Marathon Petroleum, Intel, Elevance Health, Discover, Mondelez, Macy's, Baxter, Wendy's, and Booz Allen. The firm generates revenue through retained search fees on exclusive C-Suite and Board engagements, with pricing not publicly disclosed.

Beyond search execution, the firm produces the annual Volatility Report — a proprietary research product analyzing C-Suite executive backgrounds, career paths, and turnover across the Fortune 500 and S&P 500. This research underpins the firm's thought leadership and earned media presence in Fortune, CFO Dive, CFO.com, Bloomberg, Inc., and The Wall Street Journal. The team of approximately 16 professionals is structured as Chairman (Peter Crist), Vice Chairman (Tom Kolder), President (Clem Johnson), two Co-Managing Partners (Josh Crist, Scott Simmons), two Managing Directors (Kristy Honiotes, Kirby Perkins), two Principals (Sanya Badr, Zach Crist), two Analysts, and four Associates. The firm operates exclusively in the United States with no disclosed international offices.

Name

Crist Kolder Associates

Legal name

Crist|Kolder Associates

Website

https://cristkolder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crist Kolder Associates is a privately held retained executive search boutique founded in 2003 that places CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and Board Directors for Fortune 500, mid-cap, small-cap, private equity-backed, and large private companies, capping its practice at approximately 70 searches per year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: The firm operates as a retained executive search firm, placing C-Suite executives (CEO, CFO, COO) and Board of Directors for clients. Revenue is generated through retained search fees for exclusive, high-level placements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Crist Kolder Associates is a retained executive search boutique that conducts CEO, CFO, COO, and Board of Director placements for Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, and large privately held companies. The firm limits engagements to no more than 70 searches per year to deliver personalized senior-partner-led service. Its research arm publishes the annual Volatility Report, analyzing C-Suite executive turnover across America's largest public companies.

Product overview

Crist Kolder Associates is a retained executive search boutique firm offering a single, unified service focused on C-Suite and Board of Director executive recruitment. The firm specializes in CEO, CFO, COO, and Board of Director searches, along with succession planning, for publicly traded companies, private equity-owned firms, and privately held companies. The Volatility Report is the firm's flagship research product—an annual publication analyzing C-Suite executive turnover and backgrounds across America's leading companies. The firm limits its search engagements to approximately 70 per year to maintain personalized attention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services Retained executive search engagements focused on CEO, CFO, COO, Board of Director, and succession planning placements for public companies, private equity-owned firms, and large privately held companies.
• Volatility Report Annual research report examining the backgrounds and measuring the turnover of CEO, CFO, and COO executives across a combined Fortune 500 and S&P 500 portfolio, with analysis of career paths, industry backgrounds, functional experience, education, and demographics.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CFODiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCFODive is a media outlet covering CFO and finance executive topics. Crist Kolder Associates contributes content and is referenced in CFODive articles covering executive compensation trends and CFO career movements.
• FortuneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFortune magazine covers executive leadership trends and CFO career transitions, often citing Crist Kolder Associates Volatility Report data and executive insights.
• University of Chicago Booth School of BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrist Kolder partners have been guest speakers on CFO career planning and executive search topics through programs at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
• Deloitte UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrist Kolder partners have been guest speakers on executive search and CFO career planning topics through Deloitte University programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JM Search: Boutique retained executive search firm focused on PE-backed and growth-stage companies with deep CFO and operating officer practices. Comparable as a smaller-boutique peer competing for similar PE and large-cap mandates.
• Egon Zehnder: Global privately-held executive search firm focused on Board, CEO, and senior executive appointments across industries. Competes head-to-head for premium C-Suite and Board mandates with similar boutique positioning.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global retained executive search leader with a strong CEO/Board practice and a dedicated Financial Services and private equity offering. President Clem Johnson previously worked at Heidrick & Struggles.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global executive search firm with a deep CFO/CEO practice and integrated talent advisory offering. Founder Peter Crist was Vice Chairman at Korn Ferry before launching Crist Associates.
• Boyden: Global retained executive search firm with a strong Financial Officers practice and PE-backed portfolio coverage. Managing Director Kirby Perkins previously worked at Boyden, reinforcing leadership-flow comparability.
• True Search: Boutique executive search firm specializing in private equity-backed and high-growth company executive placements. Strongly comparable on PE-vertical go-to-market and boutique premium positioning.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global retained executive search firm with a strong Board and CEO practice across industries. Founder Tom Kolder spent 27 years at Russell Reynolds, and the firm shares the same core client base (Fortune 500, PE).
• DHR International: Boutique retained executive search firm with global reach and Financial Officers practice across industries. Josh Crist spent time at DHR International before joining Crist|Kolder as Co-Managing Partner.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the world's largest retained executive search firms with deep Board and CEO/CFO practices and global coverage. Directly comparable in C-Suite and Board search, with Kristy Honiotes joining Crist|Kolder from Spencer Stuart's Chicago office.
• Diversified Search Group: Retained executive search firm serving Fortune 500 and private equity clients with multiple specialized practices including Financial Officers and Board services. Comparable in client base and C-Suite search focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crist-kolder-associates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Crist Kolder Associates