Odgers Berndtson Group reinforces the team with two new Partners in Portugal

Odgers Berndtson Group, a Global Executive Search and Leadership Consultancy, which includes the Talent Consultancy firm Ray Human Capital, has just strengthened its management team. Following the appointment of the Managing Partner, Luís Sítima (former Senior Partner of Korn Ferry and Hay Group's Global Partner), the company now includes two new Partners: Maria João Gomes and Pedro Meda.

Pedro Meda

With a degree in Management by Nova SBE and an MBA by Kellogg School of Management, Pedro was the founder and leader of Sonae's Healthcare Services unit, as well as part of the Executive Committee of Stemlab, a Portuguese biotech owned by a private equity fund. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he worked for eight years. There, he supported top-level business management in more than ten countries in Europe, Latin America and the United States, specializing in business strategy and organizational effectiveness.

Maria João Gomes

With a degree in Management by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Maria has more than 20 years of experience in people management and organization. She was HR Lead at Sonae Modelo Continente and Sonae Investment Management where she had an HR Global responsibility, including Europe, USA, Latin America and Africa. Maria João was the founder of Umanism Ativism, where she also had the role of Executive Director and was also a guest lecturer at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. She began her career at the Korn Ferry / Hay Group where she specialized in the area of HR Consulting for ten years.

Luis Sítima, Managing Partner Portugal, remarked: "At Odgers Berndtson, we help organizations and their leaders lead the change that makes a real difference in the market. We strongly believe that change is all about people. It’s our ambition to be the leading consultancy in providing integrated solutions of leadership and talent. The welcome arrival of Maria João and Pedro reinforces our current skills. Both have a solid and proven experience of consulting (both resources and strategy) and business (both resource management and business management), in both the national and international context. We believe that this diversity will add significant value to the market, our clients, our team and, ultimately, for the fulfilment of our purpose."