mKubed
We specialize in executive hires across all sectors and geographies.
We work on a global level to deliver the highest valued candidates across diverse verticals and functions. Our clients range from Fortune 500, to start-ups and investors.
Health & Wellness
MKubed was tapped by a global Private Equity firm to find a CEO for a Health & Wellness brand, based in Los Angeles. The company is focused on fitness and nutrition and has a robust and loyal social following, as a result of their powerful online lifestyle platform.
Our client was looking to expand the company’s nutrition business and needed someone that had led significant expansions and business improvements to scale businesses both on and offline.
After an extensive search, MKubed was able to secure an incredible candidate who was formerly the CEO of a healthy snack business that was successfully sold to PepsiCo. He is a market-driven operating executive with 30 years of experience in growing economic value of businesses across Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial settings and a track record of building effective teams and organization and profitable businesses. His background has encompassed brand management, marketing, strategy, sales, supply chain operations, new business development, product development and R&D. Working with mission-focused associates, he loves building and maximizing equity value for stakeholders.
“Tengram has had the pleasure of working with Melina and Matt on numerous executive searches across many of our portfolio companies. They have consistently delivered incredible candidates, which is a testament to their deep understanding of each company’s organizational needs, their vast network of talented executives, and their strong commitment to a successful outcome. Most recently, Melina and Matt placed a CEO at one of our Health & Wellness brands whose experience, vision, and leadership style were exactly what we and the founders had been searching for. Melina and Matt have been amazing strategic partners to us and have been an absolute pleasure to work with.”
- Catie Bennett, Vice President
Case Studies & Testimonials
Shopper Marketing
Melina and her team were tasked to find new leadership teams across a $2B portfolio of companies focused on optimizing client relationships through multiple channels by enabling them to acquire, retain and grow their customer base.The portfolio was facing challenges around technical innovation.They started to lose market share because competitors’ new technologies were becoming the industry standard and the brand was relying on historical successes in print but needed to innovate to digital.The company had a large legacy employee base so the new leaders needed to know how to help evolve their respective teams to satisfy the markets shifting priorities and technical demands.Melina and her team placed the 11 key Executives to help lead the transformation of the brands, the holding company and the collective offerings.
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Chief Revenue Officer
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Executive Director of Finance
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VP HR
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Executive Director HR
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VP Corporate Development – Holding Company Level
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VP Talent Acquisition – Holding Company Level
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VP Talent Management – Holding Company Level
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Executive Director Order-to-Cash Replacement – Holding Company Level
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SVP Sales x 2 different brands
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Major Account Executive
With this new leadership base in place, the company had the right foundation to successfully acquire a digital-first, savings destination in 2017 in a deal worth $630 million in equity.
"As Chief Digital Officer I was fortunate enough to work with Melina where she helped me think strategically about my organization, the portfolio I oversaw and the resources required to drive transformation. Her guidance and support during those three years were a key factor in our ability to grow my portfolio of companies from $3B to $4.5B in revenue. She was laser focused on the roles we needed to fill, sourced exceptional candidates at will and was thoughtful in her approach to each opportunity. Melina remains on top of my list of people to call for all of my strategic sourcing needs."
-Joe Bilman, Chief Digital Officer
Cosmetics
MKubed was retained to conduct a search for a Head of Strategic Finance & Operations as well as an SVP Sales for an all natural cosmetics brands based in San Francisco looking to scale their business on an aggressive timeline.
Three to five final candidates were selected and presented after only a few weeks. MKubed worked directly with the CEO to run the interview process, narrow down the finalist list, negotiate the salary and ultimately place both candidates. The decision was difficult as most of the candidates were a potential good match both professionally and culturally.
"Melina and Matt have a keen understanding of recruiting across various sectors and vetting the ideal talent. Every search has been executed flawlessly and they’ve found me not only one, but several incredible candidates quickly. I find it could be difficult to translate exactly who and what I am looking for as I build my team, but Melina and Matt are pros. It’s a pleasure to work with both of them!"
-Cheryl Yannotti Foland, Founder & CEO
Biotech
Melina and her team were asked to partner with the CEO and Sponsor to source a highly entrepreneurial CFO candidate with a proven track record in leading IPOs for a Highpoint, NC clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of orally administered treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.
The ideal candidate profile would be someone with strong leadership experience from a large biotech or pharmaceutical environment with achieved successes in leading the IPO process, road including roadshows, investor relations as well as building the financial foundation to scale the business.
A world-class search methodology, combined with a powerful talent network, proved to be an effective solution, which resulted in the placement of a CFO from a global company in 5 weeks and the successful IPO of the company.
Biotech #2
MKubed partnered with the CEO of a start-up biotech company in New York City to double the size of the organization in a month and a half time frame. The mandate was to hire12 people across sales, HR, finance, operations and customer service. The company, a leader in the advancement of cell-based therapeutics, was expanding rapidly and needed the talent infrastructure to support their next growth phase. The candidates needed to align with the company’s unique mission and values. Because the organization was so niche, we focused our search on other product markets but consistently identified employees that exhibited and entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for innovation and creative thinking.
With such an aggressive timeline to find candidates across multiple functions, MKubed worked relentlessly on surfacing candidates in each capacity. Not only did we place all 12 candidates within the 1.5 month deadline but the new hires helped the company grow 30% YOY. The client has since engaged MKubed for the recruitment of other roles following these successful placements.
We have been working with MKubed for multiple years now and they have filled many key roles across our organization. Being a NYC based growing health technology company, we usually have specific needs and MKubed always works closely with our team to place the perfect candidates in an efficient manner.
-Martin Smithmeyer, CEO
Apparel
MKubed was retained by a consumer-focused Private Equity firm to run a search for a President of their iconic denim brand based in Los Angeles. MKubed worked with the Founder & Managing Partner of the PE firm to find a candidate with a proven track record in leading and transforming apparel businesses. The business needed a turn around from both a branding and fin/ops perspective so the client needed a left brain/right brain individual with strong finance and creative capabilities as well as the charisma and energy to resuscitate the brand in a highly matrixed environment.
MKubed placed the former CEO and Co-Founder of a critically acclaimed luxury fashion brand that the candidate had built from scratch and grew to become a Vogue favorite. She had successfully lead all aspects of the business’s development, culminating in its acquisition and shift to a direct-to-consumer model. MKubed understood that her long-term strategic vision and ability to create significant value by driving a steady and consistent growth trajectory would be a huge asset to their client.
Since she started her new role, the President MKubed placed has driven cost efficiencies across everything from manufacturing to distribution, revived key wholesale relationships and accounts, reinvigorated the product lines and led a 360 repositioning to revive the legendary brand. The CEO’s appointment is a great success and recognized for turning the company around.
I’ve worked with MKubed on multiple searches and have always been impressed with her innate understanding of what a business needs from a staffing perspective. They take time to understand the structure of an organization in a very holistic way so that she is not just placing people into roles, but strategically setting both the individual as well as the business up for long term growth and success together. MKubed has been a tremendous partner to me in building out my senior leadership team.
-Maria Tomei Borromeo, President
Industrial Manufacturing
Melina and her team worked with a leading manufacturer of specialized vehicles for the defense and private sectors based in Michigan, which has produced and sustained more than 300,000 vehicles in over 60 countries with major facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
In an effort to grow the business, diversify revenue streams and leverage their strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states, Melina and her team were asked to identify several candidates for the following positions: Head of Business Development, Head of Sales & Service Replacement, Head of Government & Transit Fleet Sales, Head of Commercial Fleet Sales and a Head of Consumer Retail Sales. The company’s growth strategy was to outsource excess manufacturing capacity to global automotive partners looking to produce limited production runs in the US.
In order to attract potential candidates and gain their interest, we gained a deep understanding of the market, the roles, their contexts and the potential development of this new business model. We had an up-to-date picture of the talent available, their skills and how to approach them. Once we had identified potential candidates, we undertook a rigorous screening process.
I have worked with Melina and MKubed multiple times over the last five years across portfolio companies in different industries and found her to be incredibly resourceful, insightful and strategic in her approach. They really understand the operating business and her client’s needs.Most recently, they helped build out the senior management team of a portfolio company, sourcing hard to find, senior talent in the automation space. They add great value from an operating perspective and are well suited to help private equity sponsors meet their talent needs both at the sponsor level and at the portfolio companies.
-Mike B., Sponsor Partner, Head of M&A
Entertainment Services
A global leader in digital services and technology for content creation and delivery working with Hollywood studios, broadcasters, TV networks, content providers and brands for more than 100 years enlisted Melina and her team to place several key executives including a Chief Human Resources Officer, Deputy CFO, SVP Sales, Head of Localization and SVP Operations to lead a global transformation taking the business from an analog-based provider to digital.
The ideal candidates needed to understand the legacy business and understand how to steward the evolution of the company in a manner that was effective but not disruptive. These were very influential roles and required leaders capable of making an immediate impact whilst continuing the development, management and reporting of these functions. They also needed the vision to drive and support the next growth phase of the organization.
The candidates needed to have a strong track record in operations at senior management level on a global scale as this company operates in 25 key media markets worldwide. Working closely with the CEO and Family Office, we successfully placed these 5 Executives who all played an instrumental role in the transformation of the business.
Melina and her team worked with me as an Executive Recruiter, during my tenure as President: Delivery Operations.
Melina is the perfect example of an uncompromising collaborator who thrives within the challenge. She successfully placed several individuals for me, in both a challenging sales and trying operational environment. She always ensured that she went beyond the call of duty to work both diligently and to get things done, ahead of time and no matter how demanding the task was. Her negotiation and organizational skills are exceptional, and she proved this time and time again during the time we worked together. I found her task orientated approach always helped to drive better outcomes for the people she placed, the company and selfishly, for myself. She quickly became one of my most valuable partners and the person I could trust and confide in.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Melina to any organization that requires a hands-on, dedicated and experienced recruitment professional. If you are seeking someone with exceptional client service and placement skills, together with adaptability and grace under pressure - Melina is that special someone you will always value.
We still communicate regularly and it's with great pleasure to refer Melina. Please feel free to reach out to me on the contact details above.
- Brett B., President Delivery Operations
Food Production/Ingredients
Melina and her team were asked to place a General Counsel for the world leader in quality licorice products since 1850. The NJ-based company specializes in manufacturing licorice extract and related derivatives used in various consumer products including confectionary, food, beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, personal care and tobacco products with offices in France, China and Dubai.
The company faced increased competition from the China market as well as an incredibly risk-fraught supply chain. Given the situation, the Family Office planned to hire the company’s first external General Counsel to lead all legal functions from contracts to compliance. It was necessary to find an executive who combined outstanding global experience and technical competence with a sense of urgency. The most critical skills were the ability to mediate the relationship between different vendor partners, the Family Office, a unionized labor force and internal the management team.
We successfully placed a General Counsel from a >$5 billion leading global provider of food and facility services with legal responsibility for three business lines (Sports & Entertainment, Business & Industry, and International).
The new GC was able to successfully standardize and streamline all international purchase and sale transactions, global compliance, regulatory matters and labor and employment law for the organization.
"Melina and her team identified and sourced an excellent General Counsel for our business. He remains the best commercial lawyer I have ever worked with. I highly recommend MKubed and would work with them for any of our future executive searches!"
-Luke B, CEO
Our Industry Experience Includes:
Accounting
Administration
Agribusiness
Art, Architecture & Design
Aviation
Biotechnology
Broadcast & Film
Consumer Packaged Goods
Creative Services
Domestic Help
Engineering
Entertainment Services
Fashion
Financial Services
Gaming
Healthcare
Hospitality
Industrial
Investment Banking & Private Equity
Jewelry & Luxury Goods
Legal
Logistics & Supply Chain
Management Consulting
Manufacturing
Marketing & Advertising
Media
Nautical
Non-Profit
Pharmaceutical
Promotions
Public relations
Retail
Sales
Security
Technology & Information Technology
Travel