Janet Mullert and Wende Malster are two of the most successful Executive Search professionals specializing in Human Resources in the New England area. Working together for more than 20 years, they have secured outstanding HR leadership for high-growth Fortune 500 companies as well as start-up ventures in a full spectrum of industries from hi-tech and life sciences to financial services and hospitality.
We don’t just recruit employees, we build highly effective HR teams that enable corporations to attract, retain, and promote top talent—talent that drives innovation, productivity and success.
Whether you need to find your first VP of HR or transform an established department to meet changing needs, M2 Partners can help you secure the right people to create a dynamic corporate culture that motivates and supports employees to achieve. Our placement track record is exceptional: over 90% of our candidates are retained for more than one year and over 70% are promoted within three years.
Janet Mullert is a highly respected Human Resources search professional with more than 25 years' experience in the Greater Boston market. She has managed searches for companies ranging from emerging start-ups to global Fortune 500 companies. An intuitive and astute analyst of corporate strengths and challenges as well as a sensitive and insightful career advisor to candidates, Janet brings her unique talents for “match-making” to all her searches. Prior to launching M2 Partners with Wende, her long-time colleague, she was a Vice President at Gatti & Associates. Janet enjoys being backstage with The Un-Common Theatre and cooking random recipes from old cookbooks.
617.201.6832
jmullert@m2-partners.com
Wende Malster has over two decades of search experience in Human Resources and Financial Services. A meticulous “detective,” she uncovers the real needs of each client and develops a detailed picture of the skills, leadership style, temperament and other intangibles a candidate must possess to succeed in each position. Wende’s proven discernment and genuine commitment to client satisfaction have resulted in exceptionally high rates of retention and advancement for her clients. Prior to teaming up with Janet, her long-time colleague, she was a Vice President at Gatti & Associates. Wende enjoys getting up way too early in the morning for power yoga and eating any kind of fresh berries.
617.512.8227
wmalster@m2-partners.com
Richard Fleming joined M2 Partners in 2017 to lead the build-out of a national HR search practice. His career includes over 25 years of retained search and 15 years in HR leadership roles at the business unit and corporate levels. He is described as a thoughtful and thorough search professional, someone who approaches the assessment of people and organizations with wisdom, astute analytical skills, and pragmatic solutions. He has expertise nationally across a wide spectrum of industries, including healthcare, consumer products, technology, and higher education. Richard was a Senior Vice President with Gatti & Associates, and he is passionate about the Korean language and culture, a fine bottle of wine, and any type of jazz music.
774.217.3045
rfleming@m2-partners.com
Joann Almlof is a seasoned Talent Acquisition professional who has developed and implemented successful recruiting strategies for Corvias Group, Fidelity Investments, Hanover Insurance, and Lotus/IBM. While at Fidelity Investments, Joann supported the HR Leadership team, sourcing a steady stream of HR talent as they deepened the bench strength of their team. Her ability to build strong relationships with both business clients and candidates results in an effective partner/counselor, assuring the right candidate for the right role. Joann has her Masters in Human Resources Management from Lesley College. She enjoys anything and everything to do with animals and spends as much time as possible with her horse Micah and her two granddaughters.
401.595.1971
jalmlof@m2-partners.com
Valerie Neville is a veteran recruiter with over fifteen years of experience. She is passionate about placing top talent and has been successful by taking the time to listen to what is truly important to each and every candidate and making sure every candidate experience is exceptional. Valerie began her career in the non-profit and healthcare sectors. She quickly realized that matching people with their dream jobs was a huge passion of hers, and moved into recruiting, first with two smaller staffing firms and then in corporate recruiting with FedEx Services in Memphis and almost five years at EnerNOC, Inc. in Boston. Valerie is an alumnus of Ithaca College and currently resides in the suburbs of Boston with her husband and two daughters.
617.429.3092
vneville@m2-partners.com
Kathy Spillane is excited to collaborate with M2 Partners, bringing over 15 years of recruiting experience in Executive Search as well as leading in-house recruiting teams at Fortune 100 companies. Her clients have included startups hiring their first employee, to mid-sized organizations and large multinationals looking for strategic hires. Kathy has worked in Boston and NYC for firms like Prudential, State Street Global Advisors, and John Hancock Financial. With broad expertise across financial services, technology, and of course Human Resources, Kathy enjoys identifying and assessing top talent for competency and cultural fit. Kathy is an alumnus of Villanova University and currently resides in the suburbs of Boston with her husband and two children.
917.575.4408
kspillane@m2-partners.com
Simply put, we are assessment experts. We conduct an in-depth analysis of your company’s current and projected needs: Where are you going? What do you need to achieve your goals? What is your existing culture? What needs to be strengthened or changed? What kinds of people succeed there? What kinds don’t? We examine the “big picture” of the role of HR within the corporate structure as well as the smaller details that define each position. By the end of this consultative process, we strive to represent your organization as accurately and thoroughly as any insider would do.
And when we identify potential candidates, we perform the same kind of multi-dimensional inventory of skills, past performance, leadership style, preferred work environment and drive to ensure that the criteria match up from both sides. We make certain the candidates we present have a reality-based picture of the responsibilities, challenges and rewards of the position before they interview.
This business is based on relationships—that’s why we love what we do! We build lasting relationships with corporate clients and with rising and top-tier HR talent in many of New England’s premier companies. We know which companies are expanding or shifting focus, and which proven HR staff are ready for their next career move.
People spend more than 50% of their waking hours at work, so chemistry is essential to productivity and fulfillment. The right team can make things happen, the wrong team can stall progress. The fit has to be right to move companies and people forward. Nowhere is this more important than in Human Resources where the mission is to assemble leadership teams and foster an environment throughout the organization that promotes creativity, collaboration and results.
Retained Search
The retained search option is ideal for top management positions when finding that key executive is of paramount importance. It is also extremely useful for confidential searches. Throughout the process, we promote your company, strengthening your reputation as a highly respected employer of choice for leading HR professionals.
When you choose a retained search, M2 Partners is an extension of your HR team and we:
Engagement Search
The engagement search option is the preferred method when you want to work closely with one vendor to help you cast a wide net for your position among the active candidate pool. Our expertise in quickly producing a locally based candidate slate and managing the process keeps your staff from getting bogged down and moves the search along quickly.
When you hire M2 Partners on an engagement basis to round out a department or team, we:
Our client is a global, high-growth, specialized biotech organization with 1000 employees worldwide. We are searching for an individual who will be responsible for assessing organizational needs and performance, leading change management initiatives, and designing/facilitating programs that support the organization's evolving culture. This role collaborates closely with Learning & Talent Management, the HR Business Partners, and the executive leaders to identify organizational development opportunities and create solutions to increase employee engagement and business success.
Reporting to the Head of Human Resources, specific responsibilities will include:
Ideal candidates will have:
We have an exciting opportunity to join a well-known, global, consumer products and entertainment company with 5K employees and $5B annual revenue. Our client has a diversified product line, is consistently honored for its commitment to making the world a better place for children and their families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, and has been ranked one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.
The Vice President of Total Rewards is responsible for setting the strategic direction for all compensation and benefits programs, and for leading the creation, development, and delivery of innovative and distinct programs to attract and retain a diverse skill set of talent across multiple business lines (consumer products, digital, and entertainment.) Reporting to the CHRO and leading a matrixed, global team, specific responsibilities will include:
The ideal candidate for this role will have discipline expertise in executive compensation, with prior experience leading complex compensation and benefit design. Board experience and presence is required, along with a minimum of 15 years’ experience (five or more as a manager/director of people) in consulting and/or complex, global corporate environments. We re seeking an individual who is engaging, respectfully assertive, self-confident and naturally collaborative. Must have a proactive orientation, sense of urgency, and an ability to influence to decision-making. Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or Masters’ degree is preferred.
We are honored to have been selected to recruit a new CHRO for Partners In Health (www.pih.org), a global non-profit that is committed to providing high quality healthcare to people and communities in the world’s poorest countries. Founded in 1987 by Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, today PIH has close to 17K individuals working with them in countries like Haiti, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. Headquartered in Boston and leading a small but mighty team, this role will serve as the strategic leader for Human Resources globally.
Specific responsibilities will include:
The ideal candidate will be a person of high integrity and emotional intelligence, someone who has a passion for serving in a non-profit and mission-oriented organization, and someone who is used to providing outstanding guidance and service with a lean budget and resources. Prior experience working with global employees in developing countries is strongly preferred; demonstrated expertise in a HR leadership role that has required operational/transactional expertise in addition to strategic vision and planning capability is required. Some global travel (not more than 15-20%).
Our client is one of the world’s leading private investment firms, headquartered in Boston and with approximately 1,000 employees. As a result of growth and more complex business and human capital challenges, we are seeking an individual who will report directly to the CHRO and who will lead a wide range of projects that are directly tied to the successful operation and engagement of the workforce.
This is a newly created position; the individual will partner with various members of the HR organization as well as business leaders to understand business objectives and goals, create the framework for projects, and ultimately lead all aspects of execution and delivery for these initiatives. Examples of work may include:
• Diversity and Inclusion: as it pertains to hiring and retaining talent, this person would work with business unit leaders to help drive and shape the firm’s D&I agenda. This would include managing and coordinating initiatives related to recruiting, development, as well as collaborating and communicating with firm business unit and HR leaders to share information and best practices.
• Alumni Program: the firm is newly embarking on an alumni program to more effectively stay connected with past employees. This effort will require working across firm functions (investors, investor relations, communications, and HR) to ensure the capture and maintenance of alumni information, to develop programs to stay connected, and to support business development activity.
• Facilities Planning Support: given growth and expansion of the firm, assist in managing facility by collaborating with business units as well as the HR, Finance, and Facilities teams.
• Provide general analytic and process support for HR initiatives, making recommendations for improvements and additions to existing services
There is not one ideal profile for this role. We are seeking someone who is analytic and consultative, with excellent project management skills, and we would consider a Strategy Consultant who is drawn to internal projects related to the human capital of the firm; a HR professional who has worked in Organizational Design and Effectiveness, with a concentration in driving enterprise-wide change initiatives; or a change management professional who has led a diversity of large organizational change projects. He/She will have advanced education, with an MBA highly preferred, and a minimum of ten years’ experience.
Our client is a leading provider of next-generation application security solutions. They currently employ over 700 employees across 10 countries and with a recent private equity investment, they have plans to continue to grow and scale and seek an innovative Human Resources leader to help them do so. The CHRO will report to the CEO and partner closely with the executive team to:
The ideal candidate will have prior experience leading HR in a high growth, private equity backed technology organization. He/She will be well-versed in strategic human capital initiatives around employee engagement, performance management, executive compensation and total rewards, and the retention of key talent. Strategic skills are critical, as are the operational and hands-on skills required to be successful in a growing and fast-paced organization.
To contact Janet Mullert,
email jmullert@m2-partners.com
or call 617-201-6832
To contact Wende Malster,
email wmalster@m2-partners.com
or call 617-512-8227
To contact Joann Almlof,
email jalmlof@m2-partners.com
or call 401-595-1971
To contact Richard Fleming,
email rfleming@m2-partners.com
or call 774-217-3045
To contact Valerie Neville,
email vneville@m2-partners.com
or call 617-429-3092
To contact Kathy Spillane,
email kspillane@m2-partners.com
or call 917-575-4408
