Bespoke Partners Adds Software and Tech Partner

San Diego, CA-headquartered executive search firm Bespoke Partners has expanded with the addition of Tess Fischer as a partner. “Tess is a proven search leader with an outstanding track record and exceptional industry knowledge that will be a major benefit to our clients as they enhance their leadership teams,” said Kristie Nova, CEO of Bespoke Partners. “Her expertise will boost our ongoing evolution to become a comprehensive human capital advisory firm serving the private equity market.”

Ms. Fischer is based in the firm’s Austin, TX, office and brings more than 16 years of experience in building executive teams for private equity portfolio companies in the software and software-as-a-service sector. She joins Bespoke Partners from Morgan Samuels where she was a partner leading the firm’s software and tech-enabled services practice. She worked closely with private equity funds and their portfolio companies to hire executive talent. Previously, Ms. Fischer was a senior executive recruiter at Vista Consulting Group where she placed over 30 executives across Vista Equity Partners’ portfolio of SaaS companies every year. In her early career, she helped grow Gerson Lehrman Group’s Austin office and was vice president of network development where she and her team recruited experts to assist the research strategies of leading hedge funds and private equity funds.

“I’m excited to join Bespoke Partners as it continues its impressive growth specializing in private equity human capital advisory services,” Ms. Fischer said. “Talent is the top driver enabling a portfolio company to achieve the investment thesis for a private equity investor. Bespoke is leading the industry in services that maximize the impact of talent for producing outsized returns for private equity clients.”

Serving the PE Sector

Bespoke Partners is an executive search and leadership advisory firm dedicated to partnering with top private equity firms, including Francisco Partners, Clearlake Capital, WCAS, Insight Partners, GI Partners, General Atlantic, CVC Capital Partners and TA Associates, to recruit software talent and assess and evaluate teams at every stage of the investment lifecycle, from growth equity to buyout.

The search firm has completed over 600 searches since its inception in 2011. Its expertise includes all C-level searches, as well as board of directors and internal private equity operating partner searches. The firm’s leadership advisory expertise includes organizational due diligence as well as executive assessment and coaching.

Bespoke recently added Katelyn Quaresma as partner. “Katelyn has established herself as an exceptional leader throughout her time at Bespoke,” said Ms. Nova. “Not only has she been an outstanding team player and a true champion of our values and culture, but she has also been instrumental in Bespoke’s growth as we have transitioned into a full-service human capital advisory firm.”

Most recently serving as vice president, Ms. Quaresma has been pivotal to driving Bespoke Partners’ rapid growth and advancing its industry-leading executive recruiting process for private equity-backed software companies. She leads Bespoke’s CFO practice and has recently placed executives for Thoma Bravo, Clearlake Capital, TA Associates, and other top private equity firms.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media