CAA Acquires Hanold Associates, Further Expanding Reach In Executive Search

Creative Artists Agency has acquired Hanold Associates Executive Search, a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm co-founded by Neela Seenandan and Jason Hanold.

The firm recruits diverse corporate officers and board directors, with a significant focus on leading high-profile searches for Chief People and HR officers across industries. Hanold’s team of 20 colleagues will be integrated into CAA’s industry-leading Executive Search division.

Jason Hanold is now president of CAA Executive Search. Seenandan is President, CAA Leadership Advisory.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

“We continue in our longstanding efforts to innovate growth opportunities across all facets of CAA that further our commitment to providing unmatched resources to our esteemed clients worldwide,” said Paul Danforth, CAA Managing Director and President, CAA Sports. “CAA was the first talent agency to launch an executive search division, and we are thrilled with the incredible success that Joe Becher, Asher Simons, and their team consistently deliver to their clients across sports and entertainment. The addition of Hanold Associates, and its unique expertise, will amplify our efforts in this important service area and we are excited to see what these two teams can accomplish together.”

Becher is the Global Managing Partner and founder of CAA Executive Search. Simons co-founded CAA Executive Search and serves as Head of International.

Hanold Associates works with a range of clients from CEOs of startups, founder-led organizations, family offices, pre-IPO companies, PE firms and Fortune 100 organizations. It’s completed more than 2,000 searches for clients across industries, at companies and organizations from American Airlines, Apollo, a16z, A+E Networks, Acushnet, BlackRock, Blackstone, Cartier, College Football Hall of Fame, CBS, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Domino’s Pizza, eBay, Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Federal Reserve Bank of NY, Ford Motors, Ford Foundation, Gucci, Hearst, Indeed, KKR, L Catterton, Live Nation, MGM Resorts, Moderna, Nederlander, The New York Times, Nordstrom, Paramount, Patagonia, Phillips 66, Prada, Kering, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Riddell, Save The Children, Shore Capital, TB12, Uber, Under Armour, Vail Resorts, Walgreens, and Zoom.

It was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Chicago, with partners located in Boston, New York, Salt Lake City, Detroit, and Phoenix.

“The recruitment of effective Human Resources leadership is vital to the growth and success of any organization,” said Becher. “There are tremendous synergies across our businesses and clients. Hanold’s culture and approach to client service is complementary to ours, and we are thrilled to join forces to bring these world class resources to our clients globally.”

CAA Executive Search was co-founded by Becher and Simons in 2017 to serve sports, entertainment and media working, helping build leadership teams through executive search. It also designs and develops organizational structures and compensation plans; and engages with investors, venture capital and private equity firms on due diligence projects, providing insight into senior management teams within acquisition targets.

Since its launch, CAA Executive Search has worked with major global sports rights holders, tech companies, record labels, esports leagues, gaming publishers, live entertainment promoters, sports betting companies, traditional and digital media businesses, agencies, global brands, private equity firms, VC funds, and family offices.