Pearson Partners International Names Renee Baker Arrington President and COO

Pearson Partners International, a global retained executive search firm, has promoted Renee Baker Arrington to the role of president and the newly created role of chief operating officer, effective June 1, 2019. She has been with the firm for 13 years, is a member of the board of directors and most recently served as senior vice president. Founding Partner Keith Pearson will retain his role as CEO.

“Having worked alongside Renee for more than a decade, I can think of no one more qualified to join me in leading Pearson Partners. She brings an innate, strong understanding of the executive search process and of our firm’s philosophy and culture,” notes Pearson. “Renee is a natural leader and problem solver with an ability to quickly identify patterns and strategic connections that benefit our clients in search as well as in larger leadership development realms.”

Arrington will continue to source high-quality board, executive and technology leadership talent for clients ranging from Fortune 1000 corporations and private equity portfolio companies to not-for-profit and government organizations. With more than 20 years of experience in retained executive search, she leads the firm’s CIO and Technology Leadership Practice Group for clients in technology, retail, financial services, business services, distribution and R&D as well as oversees the Fort Worth office location.

“The talent acquisition market continues to evolve, aided by technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning, and as a matter of interest, we are tracking this,” Arrington adds. “We firmly believe that at the executive levels where we work, the personal touch endures. Our high-touch, high-service approach is why we’ve led the industry in broadening our services beyond search, to include leadership assessment, coaching, onboarding and succession planning. I’m eager to support our clients and team and to spur our continued growth.”

Arrington serves on the board of directors of IIC Partners and as IIC Partners’ board liaison for practice groups. (Pearson Partners is a member firm of IIC Partners.) Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) North Texas Chapter and as a former board member of the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM).

Active in the local community, Arrington serves as board chair for The Foundation for the Young Women's Leadership Academy of Fort Worth and is passionate about helping young girls excel in the STEM world. A graduate of Trinity University, she was honored with the prestigious 2018 Commitment to the Community Award by the Association of Executive Search & Leadership Consultants and was named as a 2019 Technology Executive to Watch by HMG Strategy.