Clarke Havener Joins U.S. Odgers Berndtson as Vice Chairman, Head of Board Services, and as Partner in the Aerospace, Defense & National Security practice

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Mar 11, 2020, 11:07 ET

NEW YORK, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Odgers Berndtson is pleased to announce that Clarke Havener has joined the firm as Vice Chairman, Head of Board Services, and as a member of the firm's Aerospace, Defense & National Security sector.

Clarke has more than 35 years of experience in executive search and talent advisory roles. He has led more than 500 board, CEO and functional leadership searches with clients both in the U.S. and abroad.

"We're thrilled to have someone with Clarke's extensive executive search and board experience join Odgers Berndtson and to lead our Board Services practice," said Steve Potter, CEO of U.S. Odgers Berndtson. "Clarke's unparalleled background in recruiting CEOs, board members, and other C-Suite executives adds a new depth to our global Board Services and Aerospace, Defense & National Security practices."

Clarke most recently served for 11 years as the Global Sector Leader, Aerospace, Defense & National Security in Korn/Ferry International's Washington D.C. office. Clarke led a period of explosive growth of the sector through an emphasis on quality, client satisfaction, and building a strong global team of professionals.

Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Clarke spent 10 years as a Managing Director with Russell Reynolds Associates, where he formed and led the firm's Aerospace, Defense & National Security practice. In this role, he served aerospace and defense companies, government and commercial systems integrators, software companies and electronic production companies that sold into government and commercial markets globally.

In 1988, Clarke co-founded another global executive search firm and served as president. This firm focused on aerospace, defense, national security, systems integration, software, hardware, and related areas of technology.

"I'm delighted to be joining Odgers Berndtson during this exciting period of growth for the firm in general and its Board Services and Aerospace, Defense & National Security practices specifically. I look forward to continuing to work with my former Korn Ferry colleague, Jon Barney, as he leads the U.S. Aerospace, Defense & National Security practice and to helping Steve Potter build out Odgers' Board practice."

Clarke's successful recruitments include the current CEOs of numerous public and private aerospace & defense companies as well as numerous private equity held companies. Clarke has also recruited board members on behalf of such companies as Lockheed Martin, Textron, BWX Technologies, TTM Technologies, Maxar, Battelle, Ducommun, Arconic and many other organizations, including private equity boards and SSA boards. Clarke has experience in individual board search as well as putting together entire boards for companies. In the non-profit arena, Clarke has recruited the CEOs of the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Defense Industry Association, the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the CEOs of Riverside Research and the Universities Space Research Association, and the Executive Director of the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation. Clarke's earlier experience included positions in sales and marketing with Prentice Hall and at a consultancy in business and loan restructuring.

Clarke is a board member and co-founder of the Wharton Aerospace & Defense Forum and has served as a panel member on talent issues. He was a contributor to the best-selling book by Korn Ferry's CEO titled, Lose the Resume, Land the Job. He is a certified Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and helped begin an NACD-sponsored program, "From the Battlefield to the Boardroom." A member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association, and the Experimental Aircraft Association, Clarke earned his bachelor's degree from The College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1980.

About Odgers Berndtson

For more than 50 years, Odgers Berndtson has delivered executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to the world's biggest and best organizations. Odgers Berndtson's 250+ partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of 59 offices in 29 countries. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and is one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. Odgers Berndtson currently has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington DC.