John Strackhouse
Partner, Caldwell Partners
Board Member, Penn State Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors
John Strackhouse ’79 is a partner in the Board & CEO Practice recruiting in the technology, digital, cloud computing, internet of things, social media, SaaS software, and industrial markets. Throughout his career, he has leveraged his passion for talent as the driving force for helping his clients create value and build leadership-driven companies. John’s creative approach and strong global relationships have enabled him to execute complex searches for board directors, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CMOs and other senior-level roles. John also advises investors and executives at venture capital firms, private equity firms, and growth-oriented public companies on succession planning, talent acquisition, leadership, and company building.
John joined Caldwell Partners from Heidrick & Struggles, where he had an accomplished 18-year career as a senior partner in the Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Board & CEO practices. Earlier in his career, he helped create and co-lead the global e-business practice, which grew to become the largest practice in the firm at the time. He was also the key architect in building the firm’s relationship with the World Economic Forum, and helped to place some of the most influential leaders of the Forum.
John is frequently quoted in leading publications, including Financial Times, BusinessWeek, Newsweek and Fortune, on topics ranging from global talent management and board effectiveness to C-suite leadership. Most recently, he spoke at the Wharton Club in San Francisco on CEO succession. He was also a featured contributor at the 2011 World Economic Forum in Dalian China, where he participated in a panel discussion about cross-cultural compensation.
Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, John worked for British Petroleum (ARCO) and served as a general manager for the Tab Products Company. During his early career, he held a progression of management positions in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto Canada.
He received his BA from Pennsylvania State University and serves on the Board for Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. John serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Fostering Entrepreneurship, and previously served on the Global Agenda Council on Skills & Talent Mobility. He currently serves as a member of the advisory board for TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE).