Christian & Timbers

Founded by the visionary Jeff Christian, Christian & Timbers has risen to prominence as a leader in the executive search industry. Known for its innovative approach to recruitment, the firm operates from its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, with a significant presence in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Christian & Timbers specializes in recruiting high-level executives and board members, particularly for the tech industry, and has revolutionized how companies think about leadership acquisition.

Its founder, Jeff Christian, is at the heart of Christian & Timbers' success, whose foresight in integrating technology into executive search practices has set the firm apart. Recognized as an industry pioneer, Christian has adeptly combined traditional recruiting methods with advanced AI and data analytics, significantly enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the firm's search capabilities. His approach has earned him respect within the industry and redefined executive search standards globally.

Alongside Jeff Christian, Timbers has been pivotal in scaling the firm's operations and driving its financial success. Under his leadership, Christian & Timbers has grown to generate annual revenues of $100 million, specializing in securing top-tier executive talent for some of the most competitive and innovative sectors, including Silicon Valley's tech giants. Timbers' strategic focus on executive and board-level searches has established the firm as a key player in shaping corporate leadership across the globe.

Christian & Timbers has transformed the executive search process from conventional, manual recruitment methods to a dynamic, technology-driven approach. The firm's strategy, centered on discovering 'Rocketship Talent,' focuses on identifying transformative leaders capable of driving technological innovation and corporate growth in rapidly evolving markets.

This approach is powered by sophisticated AI tools that analyze extensive datasets to assess candidates' skills, experiences, and potential career trajectories. By employing predictive analytics, Christian & Timbers can forecast a candidate's likely success in various roles, optimizing the match between executive talent and client needs. This technological edge allows the firm to conduct searches more swiftly and accurately, setting a new standard in the industry.

Under Timbers' guidance, Christian & Timbers has embraced a data-centric recruitment model, moving away from the industry's traditional reliance on personal connections and intuitive assessments. This shift has revolutionized the executive search process, focusing on quantitative data and key performance metrics to identify the best candidates. This method reduces the time required to fill positions and significantly enhances the precision of candidate-company alignments, ensuring that leadership placements are effective and enduring.

Christian & Timbers' impact on the technology sector is profound. The firm has been instrumental in placing some of the most influential figures in the tech industry, including the historic placement of Carly Fiorina as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, where she became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company. The firm's role in board member searches for Apple during Steve Jobs' tenure further underscores its critical influence in tech leadership dynamics.

The firm's extensive network and strategic partnerships with major players such as Cisco, Google, and Netflix demonstrate its central role in driving innovation and executive leadership in the tech industry, ensuring its clients remain at the forefront of competition.

Jeff Christian also ventured into the financial aspect of tech innovation by establishing C&T Access Ventures, a venture capital arm aimed at investing in and supporting tech startups through their critical growth phases. This initiative has allowed Christian & Timbers to place leaders and create them by fostering early-stage companies that would become industry innovators. While C&T Access Ventures is no longer active, its legacy continues through its significant impact on the startup ecosystem and its high return on investment.

Christian & Timbers, led by Jeff Christian and Timbers, remains at the forefront of the executive search industry. The firm's innovative use of technology and a strategic, data-driven approach has transformed how top-tier executive talent is identified and recruited. As Christian & Timbers continues to lead and innovate, its influence extends beyond filling roles and shaping the future of leadership and strategic decision-making in industries worldwide. As the marketplace evolves, Christian & Timbers' pioneering methods and successful placements will continue to impact the efficacy and transformation of corporate leadership on a global scale.