Melissa McGuire, Sherpa’s Co-Founder and Managing Director since 2001, has announced her retirement at the end of 2024. Current Managing Directors Lisa Hildreth and Keith Neus will be responsible for company leadership beginning January 2025.
“As I step away from Sherpa, I leave the company in the excellent hands of two industry veterans,” said McGuire. “Lisa and Keith are committed to driving strategy and building a winning culture that fosters growth and retention and earns the respect of Sherpa employees, candidates and clients.”
Hildreth joined the company in 2010 to grow and lead the firm’s Accounting and Finance Staffing Division. She was critical in launching Sherpa’s HR, Marketing and Executive Support divisions. Neus worked with Sherpa in a business development role from 2007-2013 and was instrumental in building the firm’s Project Solutions practice. He returned to the firm in 2023 as a Managing Director and leads the firm’s Financial Consulting and Business Transformation practices.
“We’re excited for Sherpa’s future,” said Hildreth. “Keith and I will build on the firm’s solid foundation and stellar reputation through increased sales and recruiting headcount. Our goal is to create strong relationships, add value and apply our market knowledge to every client and candidate we interact with.”
“We plan to invest in our people, the tools we use, the markets we serve and the services we provide,” added Neus. “To achieve that, we’ll lean into technology developments in our business, but we will never lose sight of the human aspect of how we build deep, long-lasting relationships with our candidates and clients.”
Founded in 2001 by Melissa McGuire, Joe Hanel, and Barry Pronier, Sherpa was created to connect best-in-class professionals to opportunities at a broad range of companies in the specialized areas of Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Business Transformation and Executive Support. They chose the name Sherpa because they felt it best represented the parallels between their roles and those of the sherpas of Tibet – experienced, trusted guides who help others achieve their goals. Those same principles hold true today with the next generation of Sherpa leadership.
“Elevating careers and impacting companies is what Sherpa strives for daily. It’s truly an honor that Melissa has entrusted us and our highly experienced team to take the company forward. We promise to give it everything we’ve got to ascend until we reach the top,” said Hildreth and Neus. “We won’t rest until everyone considers Sherpa their top recruiting and consulting partner.”
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