Carefully placed

Aherne Executive Search is a retained firm with a thoughtful approach. In becoming one with our business partners, we treat each assignment with nuance. Positions are not filled, they are uniquely fit. Simply put, we place talent who swiftly integrate into your company culture to achieve short and long-term goals.

ABOUTAherne Executive

About

“Passion and reason are not mutually exclusive. I believe it’s the balance of science and art that yields the best result.”

-Cynthia Stoldt

CYNTHIA STOLDT is a pathfinder in the executive search industry for retail, fashion, beauty, luxury, hospitality and other consumer goods clients.

For over two decades, she has led game changing C- suite searches and built executive teams that ensure organizational success.

Cynthia first learned relationship-building in leadership positions with Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Estee Lauder, and Bloomingdale’s. Global marketing and sales were then added to her portfolio. When the opportunity to join the retained executive search business was presented to Cynthia, the challenge tapped into both her market-tested experience as well as her instincts for recognizing great talent.

Aherne possesses an exceptionally well-rounded vision. She specializes in helping her clients forecast placement needs to capitalize on industry trends.

Cynthia founded Aherne Executive Search as a service-first, intimate-delivery model of how leadership builds leadership in the 21st century.

Clients

Aherne Executive Search is a retained search firm that places industry leaders and their teams across a variety of functions with an emphasis on c-suite management, digital/e-commerce, inventory management, supply chain, merchandising, marketing, finance, human resources, design, creative, product development and technology.

We specialize in retail, fashion, beauty, luxury, hospitality and other consumer product industries. Once you retain our services, we become an extension of your business and brand. Together with our clients, we strategically map out how to hire talent that best fits your needs. While this mandate is complex, we take full responsibility to simplify the process for you. We deliver results with urgency, diligence, transparency, and ownership.

A person in black suit and briefcase crossing the street.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE

RETAINED EXECUTIVE SEARCH

We place consumer goods industry leaders and their teams across all functions, from board members to senior design talent. 

TALENT FORECASTING

We provide talent forecasting as a way to introduce our clients to both undiscovered and proven talent, who fit future leadership needs. 

ORGANIZATION DESIGN AND COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

We conduct in-depth assessments of your organization design, including competitive analysis and marketability, with real-time insights. 

A book shelf with several books on it.

Candidates

Aherne Executive Search is a retained executive search firm focused on our clients’ goals.

With that priority, we are always open to meeting great talent and encourage you to contact us directly to introduce yourself.

Testimonials

“Cynthia’s biggest strength is that she is an incredible synthesizer. She understands all sides of a recruiting situation: recruiter (her role), hiring manager, and candidates. This intuitive sense of all the priorities, personalities, and objectives of a particular search, coupled with a very keen ‘feel’ for brands, brand cultures and teams, means that the recruitment process moves fluidly with appropriate timing, intensity, and communication at every stage.”

“Cynthia is unique in her strong orientation on building career paths. She puts a strong emphasis on ‘fit’ and not just on filling jobs at the right title, level and experience.”

“Of all the executive search firms, Cynthia is the one with the most personal connection and frankly, a soul. It's a tough business, and she keeps it human."

“Cynthia is an authentic and transparent partner on both sides of a search. She keeps it real and communicates clearly with integrity and purpose.”

“There are only a handful of service providers that when I pay the bill, I say to myself, worth every penny. You are high on that list."

“Cynthia Stoldt is excellent at building strong and lasting relationships.”

"I was just re-introduced to Cynthia recently and I'm blown away by her hustle and her connections and track record in the industry."

“I was wowed with Cynthia’s skills at helping us shape the role based on her experience with recent searches and listening to our needs, the depth of her network and ability to source top tier candidates quickly, and the transparency + rigor + collaborative nature of her process.”

News

You don't build a business. You build people. Then, people build the business.

GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

As you make a move to a new company, assessing the culture and your fit is critical to a successful transition. While the company is investing in you, it is equally important for you to be invested in it. Adam Bryant, the author of the twice-weekly published Corner Office column in the NY Times, addresses…
Read More

TAILOR-MADE

be spoke bi spk/ adjective BRIT. Adjective: bespoke (of goods, esp. clothing) made to order. a bespoke suit (of a trader) creating made-to-order goods. bespoke tailors. Recently, we were introduced as executive recruiters who manage a small number of bespoke searches concurrently. A great compliment indeed and one that offered insight that our business strategy…
Read More

DATA AND THE MAGPIE INSTINCT

The age-old debate of art versus science is explored for the fashion industry in this thought-provoking NY Times article. The best fashion leaders fully embrace technology-advanced insights and use data to enhance good ol’ gut instinct. How to Tell the Fashion Future
Read More

CLIMBING THE CORPORATE JUNGLE GYM

We have received a number of emails congratulating us on leaning in with the launch of Aherne Executive Search. While I have been leaning in throughout my entire life, these congratulatory notes did encourage me to read Sheryl Sandberg’s LEAN IN to appreciate the sentiments first-hand. The most relevant takeaway was how Sheryl confidently veered…
Read More

GETTING OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE

When we recruit proven talent out of a company where there is an established track record and place them in a new position, they experience vulnerability, judged from day one. Some find this transition exhilarating and chase this rush every few years. Others proceed more tentatively until they’ve mastered the halls. I have always fancied…
Read More

CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF EMPOWERMENT<> POWERED BY OUR SUPER SUCCESSFUL CEO AND CMO PLACEMENTS

With a female trifecta at the top, Paula’s Choice proves that bringing its brand DNA of empowerment to the forefront is key to finding success.
Read More

The abrupt Starbucks CEO change reveals a big topic boards struggle with

Cynthia Stoldt, CEO of Aherne Executive Search, says she is witnessing that priority shift in her company’s CEO searches. Because employee retention is so critical now, everyone is paying very close attention to the way transitions are carried out, she says. She cites as an example a recent CEO search she did for a consumer…
Read More

This is the most common career regret, and it’s easy to avoid

Taking a leap of faith is scary, but maintaining the status quo is more likely to result in regret over time, especially at work. According to a recent survey conducted by Resume Now, two-thirds of workers report having career-related regrets, with those pertaining to actions not taken topping the list. According to the survey, 60% regret not…
Read More

“I wonder if some substantial part of ‘founder mode’ hinges on ‘building an org around good judgment’.”

— Patrick Collison, the C.E.O. and co-founder of the payments giant Stripe, weighing in on the debate about how founders should run their companies. He argued in a post on X that while they should pay attention to details, they should also hire experts who are great leaders to help oversee the company, as Steve Jobs did…
Read More

Contact

WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

A tablet with an agenda and pen on it.