With close to 20 years of experience in international board, C-level and leadership team assessment and development, Sabine has worked with senior executives as a trusted coach and advisor. She has partnered with national and global organizations of all sizes, including publicly listed corporations, family-owned businesses and the public sector.
Sabine provides a breadth of insight and advice in talent management, CEO succession planning and executive development, leading advisory projects on cultural or organizational topics, as well as development audits, assessments for mergers, and executive search mandates. By supporting digital transformation processes, Sabine also helps drive comprehensive change initiatives, organizational design, people development and cultural audits.
Sabine was with a leading international executive search firm for five years, as a Senior Principal in Germany and Head of Leadership & Talent Consulting for Austria and worked more recently for Russell Reynolds in Germany. She also co-founded her own boutique management firm and has worked for leading multinationals, including Accenture and Aon Hewitt.
She holds a BA in human resource management from the University of Salzburg and a Master’s degree in organizational and economic psychology from the University of Vienna. She has also completed certifications in labour law and executive leadership for global organizations and is a licensed trainer and coach. Sabine speaks fluent English and German.
Zoltan Petho, Chair of Friisberg & Partners International, also extended his welcome, “We were delighted to meet Sabine at our recent conference in Madrid and it is fantastic that she is opening a new Friisberg office in Vienna. Her immense and impressive experience will be a huge asset to Friisberg globally.".
Sabine is thrilled to be joining Friisberg & Partners International in these exciting times and is looking forward to working closely with the firm’s clients across the globe.
In cooperation with the renowned research institute Statista, FOCUS has identified the best personnel service providers in Germany.
Matthias Zühlke, a Partner in our Hamburg office said, "We are very pleased with this award and would like to thank our clients for the trusting cooperation! It is the result of our focus on quality in personnel selection and at the same time our ambition to continue to improve in the coming year".
The study was based on a list of around 3,000 personnel service providers. Subsequently, HR managers and job seekers were interviewed.
In order to make it into focus' top personnel service provider list, Friisberg Germany had to achieve a minimum number of mentions and recommendations as well as an above-average overall grade across all evaluation dimensions.
We are delighted to welcome Natasha to Friisberg & Partners International.
She joins us as a Senior Associate with an impressive background in Executive Search and Management Consulting.
With 17 years’ experience, Natasha has carved a formidable reputation of outstanding service delivery and excellence with her clients. She is a passionate Head-Hunter who enjoys imparting specialised knowledge and headhunting skills to fellow colleagues and new employees. Natasha is extremely adept at sourcing, attracting and placing hard to find skills specifically, but not limited to, Financial Services.
Zoltan Petho, Chair of Friisberg, said, "Natasha has extensive experience in Executive Search, and the strength of her client relationships, combined with her people-focused skills means that she is a valued addition to our team."
In her spare time, Natasha enjoys all sorts of indoor and outdoor activities and also loves cats - especially her beloved pet Katniss.
She is delighted to be joining Friisberg, South Africa and is looking forward to working closely with the firm’s clients and Partners.
Members are given the opportunity to share an important moment or dilemma in their professional / managerial lives.
The first such conversation was undertaken by Zoltán who discussed why he decided to put himself forward for the international position of Chair of Friisberg earlier this year.
"It took immense courage actually to decide to run. I have been a member of Friisberg's Executive Committee for a number of years in an international Business Development role and so I understood how the different global markets operated, the way the local offices were run and of course I knew my colleagues well. Even so, to take on this role was a big decision. I knew it would take time, a great deal of personal commitment and of course I am still extremely busy in my own local market of Hungary!"
The Friisberg Partners overwhelmingly voted for Zoltán in July 1, 2021,
"It was a huge honour to be elected and I am committed to growing Friisberg, to strengthening our presence across international markets and to providing all our clients with unrivalled service."
We have all encountered a similar situation that required us to step out of our normal world and to push our borders further. Zoltán's success is instructive for many of us.
The onlyCEO Club is a unique community of business leaders – a meeting place for key leaders from various industries.
For the second year in a row, our office in Budapest has once again been confirmed as the number one Executive Search firm in Hungary.
We are honoured to be recognized for making an impact that matters for clients and candidates.
Our commitment to responsible business leadership, diversity and a positive culture is only part of our success.
Árpád Németh, Managing Partner in Hungary, said, "We are absolutely delighted. This award is true recognition of the fantastic people we have working within our business. This recognition is testament to our continued hard work, dedication and real relationships we always build with our clients. We remain very appreciative to our client because with their continued support, commitment and votes, we are once again recognised as the number one firm in Hungary. Thank you so much.”.
Friisberg & Partners International realises that our people are our most valuable asset. We are proud to have such highly engaged teams who believe wholeheartedly in our vision – despite the incredibly challenging times we have all faced over the past two years.
This is the result of the current study by WirtschaftsWoche - with around one million readers WirtschaftsWoche is the largest and most up-to-date business magazine for decision-makers in Germany.
We won this award covering two sectors:
Since the HR Consultancy ranking is based on customer reviews, we are all the more pleased about this award!
In the future, we will continue to do everything we can to select the right leaders who will make the difference in companies in these challenging times.
We are delighted to welcome Aureliana to Friisberg & Partners International.
Since 2012 Aureliana has worked as an International Luxury Goods Private Advisor defining brand positioning, products and services, worldwide.
Her impressive international experience in different sectors and products with prestigious companies, creates a know-how which is already in great demand by her clients.
With a Degree and Masters in Economy & Commerce, she began her career in Marketing with Seat Divisione Stet and then as a Senior Product Manager with L’Oréal Paris.
She worked as a Division Manager in Swatchgroup for Tissot and cK/Calvin Klein Watches, specialising in the Luxury Sector after a period with Gucci Group (Tom Ford) as Country Manager Italy and Switzerland for Gucci, Boucheron, Bedat and YSL Watches and Jewellery.
Aureliana became President and CEO of Fossil, Italy with incredible watch licences in the portfolio of Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, DKNY, Burberry, Michael Kors, Adidas, and Walt Disney. As CEO she also managed Sogecos, a company of Bologna Fiere Group that organised Cosmoprof, the most important Beauty Event in the world with platforms in Bologna, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Las Vegas, Canton, Istanbul, Montecarlo, Rio de Janeiro and Mosca) and Cosmofarma, the most important European trade fair show for pharmaceutical products.
She has been a Private Adviser to retailers, distribution channels, franchises , start-ups for international brand positioning and an Associate Partner since 2018.
Zoltan Petho, Chair of Friisberg & Partners International, also extended his welcome, “We were delighted to meet Aureliana at our recent conference in Italy and it is fantastic that she is officially joining our office in Milan. Her immense and impressive experience will be a huge asset to Friisberg globally and we all look forward to working with her over the coming months.".
Aureliana is thrilled to be joining Friisberg and is looking forward to working closely with the firm’s clients and Partners.
Laurence has joined Friisberg from Transearch International as a Senior Consultant and will be based in both Paris and Strasbourg where she will focus on Executive Search and Talent Management. With an extensive experience of Executive Search and Management Consultancy, with a range of clients, industries and geographies, she considers each project to be an exciting and complex challenge, combining active listening with a thorough understanding of the company culture.
She has in depth knowledge of the French economy as well as many international firms including those in Consumer/Retail, IT/Digital, Life Sciences and has worked with private clients, private equity firms and family offices for over 15 years.
A graduate of the Strasbourg School of Management, she has a specialisation in industrial project management, and has developed an interest in international culture and languages speaking French, English, German and Spanish.
Her career began as a Business Manager in an IT and engineering services company in Paris and then in Strasbourg, where her main activities were business development, recruitment and management of engineers, focusing on the success of clients' projects. She then moved into Talent Acquisition, developing a new subsidiary of an engineering group.
Laurence lives in Strasbourg with her family and is passionate about sport including figure skating, running, skiing, biking and travelling.
Every four years, our senior partners elect one of their peers to serve as our global Chair. The role plays an important part in shaping the strategic direction of Friisberg & Partners International. Zoltan Petho has been elected as our next Chair from July 1 2021. He will follow in some impressive footsteps since our 1977 foundation. In his previous role as Friisberg’s Chief International Business Development and Quality Officer he has worked closely with colleagues in all of our 40+ offices around the world, focusing on expanding our capabilities while ensuring we continued to answer our clients’ most urgent needs amid times of rapid upheaval.
People describe you as outgoing, proactive, and a genuine people-person. Is that how you would describe yourself?
Well, I think it is better that I leave it for others to describe me as they see me! One of our biggest assets is most definitely our people and I like communicating with people. It is essential that our ideas and strategy are not just words, but brought to life and evidential in our daily work. Here I feel my personality means I make sure things happen.
You’re about to step into a hugely demanding role. What three things are you looking forward to the most?
There is no doubt that expectations are high following our former Chair, Peter Strandberg who led our firm for 8 years. The support I have received from Partners has been outstanding and the opportunity to help direct Friisberg’s future, energizes me very much.
You have mentioned that you are supported by an elected board of directors, known as the Executive, consisting of four senior partners. How do you feel you will work together to set the strategic direction and policies of the firm?
Yes, it is great to have the support of our senior Partners in the Executive Committee. I have known them for a long a time and have worked with them quite often over a number of years. I really count on them for their input, and their opinions – and more importantly I really enjoy working with them. It is worth noting that the elected Board are all women and we pride ourselves on our gender parity throughout Friisberg.
Diversity within Friisberg is part of our daily life. More than 50% of our Partners are women and in the Executive Committee I am the only male. So, when we talk about diversity with our Clients, it is something we can show we understand. Diversity is always a top propriety for our clients - especially in those countries, Germany or in Scandinavia, where there is legislation in place to ensure Boards must operate in terms of diversity.
How do you think our profession needs to evolve?
Well, although we have found ourselves in a challenging situation during the pandemic. I am proud that four of our offices have experienced significant growth during 2020. This highlights the strength of our Partners and how we support our clients, not only as a search firm, but as trusted advisors.
I am very positive about our future as we are an agile firm and are able to adapt to a changing environment and new requirements from our Clients. This approach enables us to quickly implement new technologies, to achieve success in newly born sectors (greenergy, e-mobility, etc) and on the other side also support our traditional family-owned businesses.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Being a Partner and Chair of Friisberg requires lots of energy, enthusiasm and passion as well as my times. I try to spend as much time as possible with my family, I like gardening, sport and I am also an enthusiastic Formula 1 fan.
Anna Rudzińska and Dorota Serwińska, formerly of Korn/Ferry and Spencer Stuart respectively, started their firm in 2016 and this rebranding is timely both because of the rapid evolution of their firm as an increasingly respected provider of executive search in Poland, and also as the successful Warsaw office of an international firm working on cross-border assignments for global clients.
Whilst RSC was well-known in Poland, Anna and Dorota believe the time is now perfect to adopt a trading name which is recognised everywhere. Having been Partners of Friisberg for 5 years now, they were already entirely comfortable that Friisberg accurately reflects their own values, offers a range of premium client services and has real stature in the professional services and consulting sector. RSC and Friisberg are two strong brands synonymous with providing consulting-led executive search that their clients really value. Anna and Dorota have seen the success of Partners in other countries following a transition to the Friisberg name and the warm welcome that receives in those markets, so are they are keen to build on that yet further.
“Initially, Friisberg’s polycentric model allowed us to retain our defining characteristics as a partner-led search firm and all that meant to us, and our clients” explained Dorota, “while at the same time offering access to a broad range of national and now international expertise. However, we face a time of accelerated change and, more than ever before, we must be able to help our clients transform to meet and exceed the dynamic needs of the new normal. We are changing our name because the world around us is changing and it embodies our deep dedication to client success and relationships, wherever our clients do business. Friisberg has a determination to never stop leading the way in innovation and thought leadership, so recognising that we were already so well aligned philosophically with Friisberg, we are genuinely delighted to now be Friisberg Poland. There is a real sense of kinship throughout the Friisberg partnership, and we know that our like-minded, determined and professional partners can collectively enable the success of our clients.”
Anna continued, “This is a major milestone for us. As the Polish market accelerates this is a unique opportunity for us to better serve Polish clients as they expand elsewhere in the world, and equally for Friisberg to support international companies investing in Poland. In Poland we have noticed a significant and growing amount of cross-border work and positioning ourselves as the Warsaw office of a 40 year established firm with 40 offices around the world aligns perfectly with our abilities and ambitions. We are no less committed to our Polish clients, and they too will see that our reach, networks and expertise are enhanced on their searches.”
Zoltan Petho, Chair of Friisberg & Partners International, welcomed this rebrand, “Despite a global pandemic and economic crisis, Friisberg remains focused on its strategy to expand and innovate to connect clients to talent, internationally. We have made it our purpose to grow with our clients, as individuals and as a team, and Poland further strengthens our already significant presence in Central & Eastern Europe.”
Friisberg is embarking on a renewed expansion plan and hope to see the success of our firm in Poland replicated around the world at a time when other management consultancy firms are standing still, or even withdrawing from key markets. There is no doubt that Friisberg is becoming increasingly attractive to executive search professionals who want to become Partners in a firm that is succeeding for its clients.
You need to load content from hCaptcha to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from Turnstile to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information
