Voice of the Client

"Seth is a true consultant to the position, the process and the people. His insightful and intuitive people skills, combined with his knowledge of the dynamics of growing technology companies and the keen interest that he took in Visual i|o made Seth a rare value-add in a market flooded with resume-pushers."
- Angela Shen-Hsieh, President & CEO, Visual i|o

"I was impressed with the research strategy and the individuals Seth was able to attract - he wasn't simply bringing me people looking for a job, but spent time persuading and selling our value to the outside."
- John Senor, President & COO,
Information Builders, Inc.

"Seth took the time to truly understand our company and what we were trying to accomplish. He took our business objectives into consideration as he assessed candidates, and I found that our conversations around the right fit became strategic to the business versus simply being at the transactional level."
- Joe Gustafson, CEO, Brainshark

"Seth had good follow-up skills and was explicitly honest with us at all times ... he was more interested in being our partner and making sure we had the right fit rather than simply completing the assignment and moving on."
- Greg Hulecki, Managing Partner,
FA Technology Ventures

"The Cook team has been fantastic for Corinthian. They take the time to understand fit and culture, unlike so many firms that can be so transactional. We've done several very important searches with Cook over the last 12 months, and we've been happy with each search and, more importantly, each addition to our team."
-Steve Quattrociocchi President, Online Learning, Corinthian Colleges, Inc.

Accomplishments

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Seth Harris

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Seth HarrisTechnology & Communications
Business Services
For-Profit Higher Education
tel:781.565.1146 [direct]
sharris@cookassociates.com

Seth Harris is an Executive Vice President & Managing Director. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Boston office, and leads Cook's global Technology & Communications practice. Seth's expertise is helping growth companies build elite management teams. His clients range from prominent multinational corporations to portfolio companies of leading venture capital firms.

With over 25 years of business and search experience, Seth has cultivated strong relationships with the finest industry leadership. His clients value his passion, discipline, focus, and tireless pursuit in identifying and attracting world-class talent. His process orientation and highly communicative style produce a uniquely successful search experience for his clients. Seth is a recognized opinion leader and innovator in the executive search industry, and has been cited as an authority in leading business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and numerous industry journals.

Seth has completed over 300 senior assignments, and he has developed a specific expertise in general management, including CEO, CFO, and CIO positions, and top functional searches, notably for global sales and marketing leaders. His industry expertise includes software, cloud computing, business process outsourcing, telecommunications equipment and service providers, and mobile applications. Seth's unique leadership assessment model, developed from fourteen years of personal research evaluating the essence of leadership, has enabled his clients to realize accelerated return on their human capital investments. Examples include:

  • A General Manager for a publicly held mobility services provider that helped deliver 20% revenue growth and improved operational performance resulting in a stronger market capitalization.
  • The placement of 3 CEOs within the customer care, IT services, and software virtualization markets that achieved 4X to 8X returns for their venture investors as a result of strategic exits.
  • Multiple placements within a publicly held online education services provider that has realized 40% year over year growth.

Seth began his executive search career as a Partner and founding member of Christian & Timbers' (now known as CTPartners) Boston office. Over the course of ten years with the firm, Seth consistently ranked as a top performer in billings, search quality, and client satisfaction. He established and grew the software and data networking practice nationally, which defined Christian & Timbers' position as a leading brand for technology assignments. He would later join an international search firm as Managing Director and Global Practice Leader for their Advanced Technology sector.

Seth's career began at IBM Corporation where he served in sales management and marketing roles. During his 10 year career, he was recognized for his sales achievements by receiving numerous national awards, including IBM's Leadership Award and was selected as one of five top sales directors for the Northeast Area.

Seth earned his MBA from Boston University and a BS in Management from Keene State College. He enjoys spending time with his wife Kathy and their two daughters, playing guitar, skiing, and relaxing in Newburyport, MA.