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Austin, Texas
Executive search for Austin’s next chapter of growth.
Austin has become a headquarters city, and its leadership market has not caught up. Technology and semiconductor companies, a fast-growing healthcare and life sciences sector, the University of Texas and the institutions around it, and a wave of private-equity-backed growth companies are all competing for the same senior operators. Allen Austin has recruited for Austin organizations for 30 years, with the research reach to find leaders the local market cannot.
Who We Work With in Austin
Austin’s leadership market has five centers of gravity.
We work in each of them, and we understand how differently they define a great leader.
Technology & Semiconductors
Operating, financial and people leaders for scaling software companies and the semiconductor manufacturing corridor.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Executives for health systems, medical groups, medtech and biotech companies.
Universities, Associations & Nonprofits
Presidents, vice chancellors, executive directors and senior administrators for institutions and mission-driven organizations.
Consumer & Food Brands
Leaders for the consumer, food and beverage companies that make Austin a brand-building city.
Private Equity-Backed Growth Companies
CEOs and CFOs for sponsor-owned companies moving from founder-led to professionally managed.
State Government & Public Sector
Senior leaders for agencies, authorities and the organizations that serve them.
Why Allen Austin in Austin
Thirty years in Texas. A process built for fit.
Austin organizations compete for leaders against the coasts and against each other, and the ones who win hire for fit as much as for résumé. Our Foresight™ process defines what the role must accomplish and what your culture requires before a single candidate is contacted, then surfaces leaders through original research that reaches well beyond the local pool.
We have placed executives across Texas since 1996: more than 4,000 retained engagements, every one completed, with 92% of placements still in the seat two years later against a 55% industry average. Senior partners run every Austin search personally, from the first conversation to the signed offer and through the first year.
See how Foresight™ worksPartners Serving Austin Clients
Senior partners, start to finish.
Austin searches are run by senior partners, with institutional and nonprofit work led by advisors who have spent careers in those sectors.
Rob Andrews
Chairman & CEO
Founder; completed graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin and leads the CEO and private equity practices.
Jackie Gorman
Senior Advisor
Higher education, government, workforce development and nonprofit searches, including vice chancellor and provost roles.
Liz Townsend
Senior Partner
Consumer goods and services, health and fitness, and the firm’s leadership advisory practice.
“Unlike many products that focus solely on personality traits, this assessment zeroes in on leadership qualities proven to drive success.“
Danielle J. Alsandor, Ph.D. · Chief of Staff, Undergraduate College, The University of Texas at Austin
Questions we hear most
Before you call, a few straight answers.
How quickly can an Austin search start?
A senior partner can meet you this week. The organizational and position needs analysis takes about two weeks, and most searches present a qualified slate within six to eight weeks.
What does an Austin executive search cost?
Retained search fees are typically one-third of first-year total compensation, in three installments, with a full two-year guarantee on placements above $250,000.
Can you recruit leaders to Austin from other markets?
Regularly. Austin is one of the easiest relocations in the country to sell, and our research reaches candidates in Houston, Dallas, the Bay Area, Denver and beyond.
Do you work with universities and nonprofits?
Yes. Higher education, associations and nonprofit searches are a long-standing practice, led by advisors who have held executive roles in those institutions.
From the TPL Insights archive