TEAM
PARTNERS
Expertise :
- public and private sector
- management consulting
- institutional relations
- France and worldwide
Julien Perez holds a double university degree in law and economics (Paris X), followed by a Masters in strategy and public and political decision-making from the Institut Supérieur du Management Public et Politique de Paris (ISMaPP). He has held positions of responsibility from the very start of his career, working with leading French politicians at both local and national level. It was by working in sensitive political environments with high strategic stakes that he acquired the specific skills that naturally led him to consultancy.
Building on this experience and driven by new challenges, he set about developing a recruitment consultancy dedicated to executive search. For almost 10 years, he developed a unique, creative and innovative approach.
Multilingual, passionate and determined, he relies daily on his ability to share his experience and expertise with the organisations and senior executives he advises, in both the public and private sectors, in France and abroad. His values, his mastery of active listening and the uniqueness of his approach led him to found Halcyon Executive. He brought together a close-knit team with a rigorous approach and a proven track record. Committed, willing and complementary, they all share his vision.
Rachid Dray, Managing Partner
Expertise :
- private sector
- management consulting
- advising international structures
Having graduated from HEC in 2007, Rachid Dray has over 15 years’ experience in entrepreneurship, management and consultancy, both in CAC 40 companies (M6, Unibail Rodamco) and SMEs.
A former director of a national accountancy group, he regularly works with private clients (start-ups, SMEs and investment funds), especially in the following areas:
- business strategy and management
- legal structuring
- raising capital
- mergers and acquisitions
- organisation and management of human resources
- marketing
CONSULTANTS
Jonathan Gainche, Advisory Director
Expertise :
- Public and non-profit sectors
With 14 years’ experience in local authorities, ministerial cabinets and a public institution specialising in territorial planning, Jonathan Gainche has a perfect grasp of how the local and central authorities work and the interactions between the two.
As a former director of a national association of elected representatives, he has closely shared their expectations when it comes to exercising their mandate, in particularly that of being surrounded by agile colleagues who are able to demonstrate their adaptability in the face of new challenges.
As a specialist in the operation and life of local and regional authorities, he makes innovation a priority and field experience an essential part of the operation of the structures within which he is involved.
Attentive, caring and respectful of others, he knows how to help candidates bring out the best of themselves.
Elie Chancrogne, consultant
(Hauts-de-France, Grand Est, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Normandie, Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Centre Val de Loire, Nouvelle Aquitaine, Occitanie)
Expertises :
- public
- semi-public and non-profit sectors
With a Master’s degree in Local Authority Communications from CELSA, this former communications specialist successfully managed the communications department of the Equidia brand, then the corporate communications department of a town of over 60,000 inhabitants in the Hauts-de-Seine department. This experience has given him in-depth knowledge of the internal organisation of local authorities, enabling him to find the right positioning for local executives in their regional projects.
With a solid track record of assessing high-level profiles for sensitive assignments, he understands complex political environments and knows how to evolve within them, but is also a standard-setter when it comes to assessing profiles, including on personality criteria and soft skills that are difficult to qualify.
Since 2016, he has been recruiting around a hundred people a year for a wide range of roles, including general, operational, resources and technical management positions, for local authorities, EPCIs, counties, regions, satellites and the voluntary sector.
Research managers
Philippe Avril, recruitment officer
Philippe Avril holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas. He began his career in Parliament before moving to a department coordinating government communications, giving him an in-depth knowledge of the political and administrative ecosystem.
In contact with ministerial cabinets and their departments, as well as State operators and local authorities, this latter experience has above all had the effect of putting recruitment back at the forefront of the criteria for the successful implementation of public policies.
Combining pugnacity and eloquence, Philippe knows how to seek out and convince profiles capable of creating a stimulating environment, conducive to high-quality teamwork and the emergence of innovative solutions, while fitting into the pre-existing framework.
Hortense de Feydeau, recruitment officer
Hortense holds a Master’s degree in Public Law from the University of Lille and is currently studying psychology. She joined Halcyon Executive to put her dual expertise into practice.
With extensive experience in parliament and local government, she has an in-situ view of the political and administrative ecosystem. Her career path and her constant quest for excellence have enabled her to grasp the importance of human relations within the various structures in order to bring projects to a successful conclusion in a sustainable and committed manner.
With her remarkable ability to listen and analyse, she can accurately discern the profiles that will become essential assets for our customers. Convinced that everyone can express their full potential and uniqueness when they are at the right place, she puts all her energy into her work to bring out the right talents.
Marion Vial, Research manager
Marion Vial holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources from the University of Aix-Marseille, which she completed in Canada. She has been practising direct recruitment in national and international offices for over 6 years.
As a specialist in executive recruitment, she identifies structures that match the criteria defined by the consultant and the client. Targeting, making contact and motivating: she is responsible from start to finish for finding the right professional.
Her experience, perseverance and analytical skills enable her to attract very high-level profiles, follow their career paths and suggest ever more creative solutions for jobs in short supply. Thanks to her dynamism and tenacity, she has a track record of over a hundred successful recruitments.
Anna-Maria Colombani, research manager
With a Masters degree in Public Policy from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Anna-Maria Colombani acquired a keen sense of the structure of public action. Combining a solid grasp of the law and the political ecosystem with sociology of work and administration, she is perfectly placed to apply her expertise to our 360° vision.
Her professional career is rich in experiences in local authorities and semi-public companies. It was while working in a variety of positions that she came to see recruitment as a major strategic challenge.
Persevering, tenacious and creative, she knows how to accurately capture and engage profiles and match skills with labour market needs.
Anthony Sandjivy, Research manager
After studying law, Anthony began his professional career in Paris, where he held various positions in the retail and food services sectors. He understood there that finding the right person for the right job was a real challenge for these companies, and decided to pursue a career in recruitment.
Thanks to his field experience in these very demanding sectors, Anthony has sharp judgement and a great ability to target the right candidates for the right jobs. His perseverance and engaging personality motivate and convince, and many of the candidates he has worked with have gone on to become major assets in the companies he has recruited them for.
international team
Remy Rodenhuis, managing partner / co-founder
Remy Rodenhuis has an enormous wealth of experience in the area of Executive Search and has been active in this field for more than 30 years. Over the years he has worked for a wide range of clients in various sectors. As well as being Managing Director of the Nassau Group for the last 10 years, in charge of the office of some 10 people, he has also been active in the international field of finding and nurturing talented directors and C level people. Remy’s educational background is a mix of Human Resource Management and Business Administration. Whilst studying for his Master’s Degree in Culture, Organisation and Management (COM) he specialised in the cultural dimension of management and organisations. During this study, attention was given to the questions of organisational culture, ethnic groups and diversity in (transnational) organisational contexts from a national as well as an international perspective. Thereafter, the study concentrated on intervention strategies for culture change, which are linked with a company’s efficiency and effectiveness. Over the last years Remy has been active in the field of search, assessment and (career) coaching for executive staff, managers, specialists and board members. He can be described as entrepreneurial, result- focused and explicit.
Stefanie Baltus, partner
Stefanie Baltus has had a lot of experience in the field of Human Resources within various international organisations such as JLG Industries, Oshkosh Corporation and Cargill, amongst many others. As a real business partner, her strength lies in transposing and implementing HRM issues into the business. She builds bridges between managers, employees and processes.
She is known for having a result-driven, project approach with a strong focus on implementation within the business and amongst staff. She is currently working as Interim Manager and Advisor. She is often asked to step in when there are issues with her specialisations: labour laws (Reorganisation and Restructuring, Outsourcing and Collective Labour Agreements), performance and talent management.
She applies this knowledge for the Nassau Group. In 2012 Stefanie completed a Mastering Management course, which focuses on creating added value for companies in the areas of leadership and skill development. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Economics. She can be described as optimistic, enterprising and result- focused. Working well together and pleasure in your work are very important to her.
Katelijne Berré, partner
Over the past 15 years working in human capital roles, Katelijne has developed a natural passion for conscious, fair-play leadership. Areas that make her heart beat faster: situational leadership, diversity and inclusion, company culture, talent, workforce strategy, coaching, behaviour change, neuroplasticity/science.
Associative thinker & doer, described by her peers as someone who can place things in the larger systemic picture without losing sight of practical feasibility and reality, Katelijne accumulated extensive professional experience in HR and change management, specifically as an HR Business Partner and Senior HR Manager. Her expertise lies in the realm of soft HR, encompassing organisational design, leadership development, and talent management across acquisition, development, and retention, as well as employer branding.
Proficient in three languages—Dutch, French, and English—she currently focuses her efforts on individual, team, and organisational development.
Vera Klaus, associate partner
Vera Klaus decided to go abroad immediately for one year after secondary school. She spent time in the US, San Francisco and Spain, Madrid. This set the tone for her lifestyle as she embraced different cultures. As such she has lived and worked in 7 countries. Having successfully finished her business school she went back to her beloved Madrid, studied Spanish, and stayed on for a few years. Back in the Netherlands, she started her career as the assistant to one of the advisors of the Minister for Education and Culture, she learned how to deal with time pressure, multi-tasking and setting priorities.
Vera also worked for an international Business Centre in The Hague, where she managed a team of 10, dealt with highly demanding clients, understanding their needs, and seeing to this with her team in an upbeat way, making her clients smile with her unwavering enthusiasm and sense of humor. Love sent her to Brussels, Paris, Stockholm, Köln. In Stockholm and Köln, she was a freelance translator and a volunteer at an international school, teaching children English and Math.
A detour took her back to Brussels, where she started within executive search. In 2001 she became the co-founder of Phoenix Executive, an international research and executive search firm, which she managed to grow with her team to close to 20 fixed employees, with an additional pool of interns.
Lately she and her business partner, Christine Heeger, are focusing on getting more women in executive committee positions and board functions, through their partnership with Forté Foundation in the US. Vera is a true believer in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Vera is also a proud mom, adores her dog, loves her family and spending time with them and friends around large dinner tables within her ever multicultural and international environment.
Christine Heeger, associate partner
Christine Heeger developed the ability to adapt to diverse cultures and beliefs through her international experiences gained in Switzerland, Russia, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium.
She started her career in the banking sector, initially as a trainee in Germany, and later as a Private Banker in Luxembourg providing counsel to high-net-worth clients on a range of investment opportunities including bonds, equities, currencies and derivatives. Drawing on this experience she played a significant role when she joined Phoenix Executive, a global recruitment partner dedicated to gender equality, in establishing and running the banking and finance division on a global scale.
Over the years she conducted various assignments in different industry sectors, thereby enhancing her expertise in international and diversity executive search for the private and public sectors. Christine holds a Master’s Degree in Economics (Diplom-Volkswirtin) from the University of Münster, a Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists in London and a Diplôme d’études universitaires générales from the University of Paris – Nanterre.