Meet the talent acquisition experts who lead the world’s leading strategic RPO partner.
Global Executive Team
Sue Marks
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Sue Marks is the CEO of Cielo, the world’s leading pure-play provider of technology-enabled Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solutions. Sue’s visionary thinking, creative problem solving and ability to motivate and inspire people are the foundation of Cielo’s corporate culture and client relationships. She is widely recognized as one of the key founders of, and a pioneer in, the RPO industry. Since its inception, she has been an annual member of the HRO Today HR Outsourcing Superstar listing, and was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the service business category. She is the winner of the Marquette University College of Business Administration’s Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship and a three-time winner of both the Working Woman 500 designation and the Future 50 of Wisconsin. Sue earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration from Marquette University and is an annual participant in YPOWPO’s prestigious executive education program at Harvard Business School.
Seb O’Connell
Executive Vice President & Managing Director – Europe & APAC
In his role as Managing Director of Europe and Asia Pacific, Seb O'Connell leads the organization’s creation and delivery of customized, innovative solutions to clients seeking transformational change. As a member of the Cielo Global Executive Team, he plays a key role in shaping the strategic direction of the organization as it expands its footprint in Europe and beyond. Seb brings to Cielo a strong background in business development as well as insightful solution design and operational delivery. Throughout his career, he has proven successful at growing organizations and people, and delivering world-class results for RPO clients across the globe. An acknowledged industry thought leader and EMEA Advisory Board Member to HRO Today Services & Technology Association, Seb is frequently quoted in the media and is a highly-regarded speaker at regional, national and international conferences and seminars.
Marissa Geist
Executive Vice President & Managing Director – Americas
As Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Americas, Marissa Geist is responsible for the leadership for all sales, delivery and operations in the Americas, which encompasses the North America and Latin America regions. Promoted to the Managing Director role in January of 2017, Marissa was chosen based on experience driving positive change during times of significant investment. Marissa joined Cielo in 2015 as Senior Vice President of Global Operations. In this role, she was instrumental in refining our global operating model and contributed to Cielo’s ability to predict, fulfill and exceed client needs. Prior to joining Cielo, she spent eleven years at ManpowerGroup in a number of senior roles, finishing as Vice President Client Programs. Marissa is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing. She currently resides in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her husband and four boys.
Joy Krausert
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer, Joy Krausert handles the financial details and strategic big picture for Cielo. Joy has nearly 30 years of experience in the professional financial and executive environment, and she has won the Milwaukee Business Journal’s CFO of the Year award on multiple occasions. Throughout her time in the profession, Joy has developed a thorough understanding of all factors that drive Cielo’s successes, in addition to the needs and desires of clients. She has a proven track record of success in business acquisitions and start-ups, achieving rapid profitable growth and executing rewarding exit strategies for entrepreneurial companies. Joy sits on the Board for Financial Executives International as well as Catholic Memorial High School. Prior to entering the profession, Joy attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, earning her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting.
Kristen Wright
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
As Chief Marketing Officer, Kristen Wright is responsible for driving Cielo’s brand and continuing to build its reputation as a global authority on talent acquisition, talent management and human resources. Kristen directly supports the lead generation efforts of the sales team and oversees all advertising, branding, marketing, public relations and social media initiatives. With more than 15 years of industry experience as a Brand educator and evangelist with exceptional foundation in market penetration, Kristen's background complements Cielo’s strong leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and exceptional capabilities. Kristen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a Master of Science in Management and International Business from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She resides in Menomonee Falls, WI with her husband and two children.
Chris Herrmannsen
Executive Vice President – Strategic Initiatives
Chris Herrmannsen is Cielo’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. In this role, he has ownership of Cielo’s expansion strategies into new markets and strategic partnerships with international talent leaders. The former CEO of Ochre House, Chris is an entrepreneur, board member, consultant and independent investor, striving daily to foster an environment that inspires sustainable growth, direction and boundless energy for Cielo’s clients. With 25 years of experience in the talent acquisition and talent management industry, Chris brings unparalleled expertise and strategic guidance to all client partnerships. He graduated from the University of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape province of South Africa, with his Bachelor of Commerce in dual majors, Economics and Accountancy.
Craig Pointon
Executive Vice President & Managing Director – Middle East & Africa
Craig Pointon is the Executive Vice President - Managing Director of Middle East and Africa at Cielo. This role includes executive management of the organization’s executive search brand, Moorland Gray. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, Craig plays an active role in C-level searches that ensure top talent from across the world is being enticed to enter the Middle East market. Over the last few years, Craig has guided the MEA business through two successful private equity-led acquisitions, resulting in the continued growth and investment in the firm’s regional footprint. A long-time resident of Dubai, Craig has been instrumental in introducing the region to talent acquisition and management best practices. Craig is married with two children.
Global Leaders
Sarah
Anderson
Senior Vice President – Global Shared Delivery
Anne
Bucher
Senior Vice President – Client Experience & Technology
Tara
Cassady
Senior Vice President – Americas Client Services
Andy
Curlewis
Senior Vice President – Brand, Digital & Communications
Paul
Daley
Senior Vice President – Asia Pacific
Jennie
Emerson
Senior Vice President – People & Culture, Europe & APAC
Adam
Godson
Senior Vice President – Global Technology Solutions
Sally
Hunter
Senior Vice President – Europe Service Delivery
Matt
Jones
Senior Vice President – Global Operations
Kathy
Lang
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Paula
Parfitt
Senior Vice President – Europe Sales & Marketing
Balazs
Paroczay
Vice President – Global Sourcing
Staci
Roberts
Senior Vice President – Americas Business Development
Christian
Scandella
Senior Vice President – Latin America
Greg
Summers
Senior Vice President – Global Business Development
Molly
Thiel
Senior Vice President – People & Culture, Americas
Board of Directors
Dean Jacobson
Dean Jacobson is a Managing Director at Accel-KKR. Prior to joining Accel-KKR, Dean was a Vice President with Summit Partners where he was involved in private equity investments in the technology and financial services sectors. Prior to Summit, Dean worked as a Director of Corporate Development at Vonage, a leading provider of digital phone services. Before Vonage, Dean was an Associate Director at 3i, a leading global private equity firm where he focused on the firm's later-stage technology investing practice in the United States. Dean started his career in the technology group at Robertson Stephens where he worked with growing companies in the semiconductor, hardware, storage and digital media sectors. Dean is a Director of Infinisource, KANA Software, Layered Technologies and North Plains. Dean is a former Director of the Endurance International Group (sold to a private equity consortium in 2011 for $1.0 billion). Dean received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was an Arjay Miller scholar and his A.B. from Harvard University.
Sue Marks
Sue Marks is the CEO of Cielo, the world’s leading pure-play provider of technology-enabled Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solutions. Sue’s visionary thinking, creative problem solving and ability to motivate and inspire people are the foundation of Cielo’s corporate culture and client relationships. She is widely recognized as one of the key founders of, and a pioneer in, the RPO industry. Since its inception, she has been an annual member of the HRO Today HR Outsourcing Superstar listing, and was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the service business category. She is the winner of the Marquette University College of Business Administration’s Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship and a three-time winner of both the Working Woman 500 designation and the Future 50 of Wisconsin. Sue earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration from Marquette University and is an annual participant in YPOWPO’s prestigious executive education program at Harvard Business School.
Rob Palumbo
Prior to joining Accel-KKR, Rob Palumbo co-headed the software investment banking practice at Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco. Prior to Thomas Weisel, he spent three years at Deutsche Bank where he built the technology investment banking practice in the southeastern U.S. and later headed the software practice in Silicon Valley. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Rob spent five years at Stephens, Inc. where he directed the firm's information technology banking practice. As part of that effort, Rob originated and executed direct private equity investments on behalf of Stephens Group, the private equity investment arm of the firm. Rob started his career as a mergers and acquisitions analyst at Alex. Brown & Sons in Baltimore, MD. Rob is a Director of Applied Predictive Technologies, Infinisource, Layered Technologies, Paymentus and North Plains. Rob was formerly a Director of IntrinsiQ Research (sold to AmerisourceBergen Holding Corporation in 2011), Saber (sold to EDS in 2007 for $460 million) and Systems & Software. Rob holds an A.B. from Princeton University.
Mitch Wienick
As an experienced Chief Executive, Mitch Wienick brings an outstanding background and a wealth of experience to Cielo as a member of their Board of Directors. Currently a partner at Kelleher Associates, Inc., the leading Philadelphia-based provider of customized career management and executive coaching services for senior executives, Wienick maintains an active client load in addition to his various directorships. Mr. Wienick was formerly President and CEO of NYSE-listed CDI Corporation, a provider of engineering, IT and professional consulting and staffing solutions and the parent company of Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI), one of the world’s largest executive search and recruitment organizations. A native of New York City, Mitch holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Brooklyn College and a Masters of Business Administration from New York University. He currently serves on the advisory board of Baird Venture Partners and the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Mitch is a member of the Business Leaders Network and the Association for Corporate Growth.
Greg Williams
Greg Williams is a Managing Director at Accel-KKR focused on the firm's structured minority equity and debt investments. Prior to joining Accel-KKR, Greg was a Managing Director at CapitalSource, a leading middle market debt provider, where he ran the Technology & Communications Group. Previously, he worked in venture capital with the Sturm Group where he co-managed a $500 million fund focused on technology and communications, and from 1995 to 2000 with JP Morgan’s investment banking practice in New York, first as an Associate in Mergers & Acquisitions and next as a Vice President in Technology Investment Banking. Prior to graduate school, he worked with Bond Corporation in Perth, Western Australia and with Fleet Financial Group as analyst in Media & Communications. Greg is a Director of Infinisource, N-Able and YourEncore. Greg received his M.B.A. from the Darden School at University of Virginia and his A.B. in History from Harvard College.