In Their Words...

There are people you meet during your career who have an impact far beyond the role they were hired to play. Ava Laven is one of those people for me.

Ava was the first executive recruiter I worked with, and I credit her with helping launch my executive career. In 1998, she saw something in me and placed me with Cendant in a leadership role that required relocating to South Dakota. That opportunity became an important inflection point in my career and set me on a path I could not have fully anticipated at the time.

Nearly three decades later, Ava is still doing what she did for me: identifying talented leaders early, recognizing their potential, and connecting them with organizations where they can make an impact. Her longevity in executive search, particularly across Customer Service and Operations, speaks for itself.

But my appreciation for Ava goes well beyond my career.

That move to South Dakota changed my life in another, much more personal way. It is where I met the woman who would become my wife.

I have worked with Ava in two very different companies, different industries, cultures, needs, etc. In both situations, she was able to grasp our business model, organizational needs, and company culture in a very short period of time to deliver high quality candidates for our consideration. I have hired several of her candidates in the past and some have been promoted to even greater roles within the organization. Ava is extremely customer-focused, results-oriented, and adept at understanding your individualized needs and delivering against those requirements. I would highly recommend her to any organization who is quickly looking to fill key roles with exceptional talent.

The candidates Ava provided were always on target. Every candidate's skill set matched perfectly with the position requirements. She conducted thorough reference checks and always presented candidates that were within salary range. With a work force of over 25,000 employees and many positions available, Ava could always be counted on to quickly fill a difficult position.

I trusted Ava Laven from the first time that I spoke with her, and put my faith in her. Ava is smart, she is quick-witted, she knows her stuff, and she cares. I couldn't have imagined a more positive experience of being guided into my first board seat, than my experience with Ava.

Partnering with an Executive Search Firm who truly understands your company and focuses on quality of candidates over quantity is critical. Ava Laven is a good friend and phenomenal executive recruiter who has helped me rebuild our leadership team, in addition to successfully identifying for us an excellent candidate to fill an open Board Seat position.

Talking with Ava never feels transactional. She takes a genuine interest in understanding who you are, what you're looking for, and where you might thrive. I've always valued her advice because I know it comes from someone who actually cares about the outcome.