Cowen Partners
Cowen Partners is a privately held retained executive search firm that places C-suite and senior leadership for private equity-backed, founder-led, Fortune 500, and non-profit clients across the United States, using a proprietary DISC-based assessment and benchmarking database.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVancouver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Cowen Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cowen Partners
- Legal name
- Cowen Partners
- Website
- https://cowenpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cowen Partners is a privately held retained executive search firm that places C-suite and senior leadership for private equity-backed, founder-led, Fortune 500, and non-profit clients across the United States, using a proprietary DISC-based assessment and benchmarking database.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Cowen Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cowen Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Retained Executive Search: Retained search fees from placing C-suite executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, CIO/CTOs, CHROs, General Counsel) and VP/director-level leadership roles for private equity-backed, founder-led, Fortune 500, and non-profit organizations. Revenue generated through upfront retained fees with replacement guarantees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Cowen Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cowen Partners is a retained executive search firm that places C-suite executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, CHROs, CIOs/CTOs, General Counsel) and senior leadership (VP and Director-level) for private equity-backed, founder-led, Fortune 500, and non-profit organizations across all 50 U.S. states. The firm complements its search engagements with proprietary DISC personality assessments, executive compensation analysis, EECAT talent assessments, and board of directors placement services.
Product overview
Cowen Partners is a retained executive search firm offering a unified platform of talent acquisition and advisory services. The core offering is retained executive search for C-suite and senior leadership roles across industries (Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Healthcare, Technology, Real Estate, Private Equity, Public Companies, Family Business, Family Office, Non-Profit). This is complemented by proprietary assessment tools including DISC Profile Assessment and EECAT Assessments for candidate evaluation, plus Executive Compensation Analysis for compensation benchmarking. The firm also offers Board Services for governance-level placements. All services are delivered through senior partners with national coverage across all 50 U.S. states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% candidate retention rate on placements
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cowen Partners
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cowen Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cowen Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cowen Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Largest organizational consulting firm combining executive search with broader talent management and advisory services. Comparable in executive search scope and adds a much broader HR consulting and assessment platform, putting pressure on Cowen Partners' senior-partner-led positioning.
- Heidrick & Struggles: One of the largest pure-play executive search firms globally, publicly traded, with deep C-suite and board practice coverage across industries. Directly comparable to Cowen Partners on retained search for CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and board directors, but at materially greater scale and global reach.
- Egon Zehnder: Privately held global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong board and CEO practices. Comparable on retained search quality and partner-led delivery, though at materially greater scale and global footprint than Cowen Partners.
- Spencer Stuart: Privately held, top-tier global executive search firm widely regarded as a leader in CEO and board director placements. Competes head-to-head with Cowen Partners for Fortune 500, private equity-backed, and large-cap retained C-suite mandates.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with strong board, CEO, and functional C-suite practices across financial services, technology, and industrial sectors. Directly comparable on the retained C-suite search model Cowen Partners employs.
Direct peers
- Caldwell Partners: Publicly traded executive search firm focused on C-suite and senior leadership retained search. Directly comparable to Cowen Partners on retained search model and PE-backed / mid-market client focus, though with longer operating history and broader international presence.
- DHR International: Global retained executive search firm specializing in C-suite and senior leadership placements across multiple industries. Most directly comparable to Cowen Partners in scale, retained search model, and PE-backed / founder-led client mix.
- Boyden: Global retained executive search firm with a partner-led model and industry-focused practices. Closely comparable to Cowen Partners on C-suite search delivery, partner-led engagements, and cross-industry coverage including PE-backed and mid-market clients.
- Crist Kolder Associates: Boutique retained executive search firm specializing in C-suite and board placements, particularly for PE-backed and Fortune 500 clients. Closely comparable to Cowen Partners in size, partner-led delivery, and PE/founder-led client emphasis.
- Odgers Berndtson: International retained executive search firm with strong board and CEO practices across the U.S., U.K., and other markets. Comparable to Cowen Partners on senior-partner-led search and emphasis on cross-sector C-suite mandates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cowen Partners social profiles
Digital presenceCowen Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cowen Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Cowen Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cowen Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cowen Partners
What does Cowen Partners do?
Cowen Partners is a retained executive search firm that places C-suite executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, CHROs, CIOs/CTOs, General Counsel) and senior leadership (VP and Director-level) for private equity-backed, founder-led, Fortune 500, and non-profit organizations across all 50 U.S. states. The firm complements its search engagements with proprietary DISC personality assessments, executive compensation analysis, EECAT talent assessments, and board of directors placement services.
Is Cowen Partners a public or private company?
Cowen Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cowen Partners founded?
Cowen Partners was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cowen Partners based?
Cowen Partners is headquartered in Vancouver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cowen Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: retained Executive Search.
Who are Cowen Partners's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles, Egon Zehnder, Spencer Stuart and Russell Reynolds Associates. Direct peers are Caldwell Partners, DHR International, Boyden, Crist Kolder Associates and Odgers Berndtson.
Does Cowen Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cowen Partners.