Does a PE-backed portfolio company need a Chief Strategy Officer?

Rarely. PE portfolio companies typically rely on the CEO, CFO, and the fund's operating team for strategy. CSOs become essential closer to IPO or in businesses where strategy is a continuous competitive discipline.

Strategy & Transformation Executive Search

Strategy leaders for the inflection

Q: How long does a strategy or corporate development search take?

Our median Strategy function search closes in 100 days, the fastest function we cover, partly because the candidate pool is small and well-mapped.

Identify premier Chief Strategy Officers, Heads of Corporate Development, or transformation executives through the highest placement velocity of any function we anchor.

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85% Return Rate

4.9 out of 5 rating

100 Median Days to Close

98% Placement Rate

The Function

Strategy & Transformation
executive search

Strategy stopped being a planning function. MIT Sloan reports that 67% of chief strategy officers now carry direct execution responsibility, so the role you are hiring for in 2026 looks little like the pure-strategy CSO of a few years ago. M&A has become continuous rather than occasional, with mid-market deal volume up 11% year over year, which means the head of corporate development you bring on has to keep a pipeline moving while integrating the last close. The operator-strategist who does both is the rare hire and the one worth the search.

Source: McKinsey M&A Insights 2025

The Roles We Place

Strategy lives across many seats.

Four roles that decide whether the plan becomes the result. We’ve placed across all of them and we know which one your moment actually calls for.

A Chief Strategy Officer carries both jobs at once: where the company goes and what it buys to get there. We place CSOs who have run that mandate through the moments that test it, pre-IPO preparation, post-acquisition integration, and the years in between.

Operating at the pivotal intersection of corporate strategy, business development, and high-leverage partnerships, a dynamic Chief Development Officer opens expansive new market opportunities. We connect you with visionary growth leaders built to unlock untapped revenue channels and establish powerful strategic alliances.

Positioning themselves as a vital strategic bridge between the CEO and the board, a sophisticated SVP of Strategy translates high-level corporate ambition into decision-grade analysis and clear operational accountability. We secure visionary strategists who combine deep analytical rigor with a proven commitment to flawless execution.

Serving as the fundamental engine for inorganic growth, a progressive VP of Corporate Development masterfully commands your M&A pipeline, strategic diligence, and integration frameworks. We source elite corporate development executives who turn high-level strategic intent into successfully closed transactions and long-term asset value.

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Our clients

Companies trust ON Partners

Common Questions

What leaders may ask before a search

When should a company hire its first Head of Corporate Development?

Most commonly when the company has either completed its first acquisition, is preparing for a platform-build strategy, or has reached scale where M&A becomes a repeatable discipline rather than an episode.

What's the difference between a Chief Strategy Officer and a Head of Corporate Development?

A CSO is a C-suite executive who owns enterprise strategy, including but not limited to M&A. A Head of Corp Dev is typically a senior VP focused on the M&A pipeline, diligence, and integration.

How long does a strategy or corporate development search take?

Our median Strategy function search closes in 100 days, because we have the candidate pool well-mapped. The executive search industry average sits around 90 to 180 days.

What makes a great transformation leader?

Pattern recognition under pressure. The best transformation leaders have lived through more than one transformation (carve-outs, integrations, restructurings) and can move fast without breaking what shouldn't be broken.

Start a Search

Hire the strategist who turns the plan into the result.

A conversation is all it takes to know if we're the right fit. Tell us about the role, and we'll tell you what the market looks like. You'll speak directly with the partner who would lead your search.

85% of clients search with us again

4.9 / 5 client satisfaction rating

Partner-led from kickoff to close

98% placement rate

Strategy leaders for the inflection

Strategy & Transformation
executive search

Strategy lives across many seats.

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Leaders recently placed

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Avio USA Appoints New Senior Vice President, Engineering

What leaders may ask before a search

Hire the strategist who turns the plan into the result.

Strategy leaders for the inflection

Strategy & Transformation executive search

Strategy lives across many seats.

Meet the experts

See the same depthin your market

Companies trust ON Partners

Leaders recently placed

CardFlight Appoints Inaugural Chief Revenue Officer

LiveOak Fiber Announces Additions to Board of Directors

StarCompliance Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with Chief Revenue Officer Appointment

ExperCARE Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

NVIDIA Appoints New Vice President, Global Events + Experiences

Avio USA Appoints New Senior Vice President, Engineering

What leaders may ask before a search

Hire the strategist who turns the plan into the result.

Strategy & Transformation
executive search

See the same depth
in your market