Client Testimonials

"Benchmark did a great job working with us to truly understand our needs and help us refine those needs as our confidential EVP Federal Sector search progressed. Their unique candidate targeting and benchmarking model produced an exceptional short list of executives and resulted in the hiring of our top choice."

- Laurinda Pang, senior vice president of Human Resources at Global Crossing

"By far the most important key to our success at Fortress is the quality of our employees, so we take our hiring practices and selection process very seriously. We know we can rely on Benchmark as a trusted partner because they understand our market and requirements, bring us the best qualified candidates, and do so in a very efficient manner. We have been delighted with their results and I would recommend Benchmark to anyone but our competitors."

- Janet Kumpu, President, Fortress Technologies

"USIS entrusted Benchmark to lead a highly confidential search to recruit a Chief Information Officer/strategic business partner for our CEO, Bill Mixon. Benchmark developed a candidate profile that was on-target, led a very thorough process, brought strong candidates to the table and helped us close our top pick. For government contractors seeking high impact executive talent, I strongly recommend Benchmark for their professionalism, integrity and results."

- Susan Parent, VP of Human Resources, USIS

"My interaction with Benchmark was a positive experience from beginning to acceptance of the position. They were knowledgeable about the position and market, upfront, very professional, and kept me well-informed throughout the process. Even for those not seeking new career opportunities, a relationship with Benchmark is of great value."

- Dave Spannare, CIO, USIS

"First and foremost Benchmark understands the importance of mission; the mission of their clients and our clients. The Benchmark team is both highly efficient and effective because they understand that every week in our business is a lifetime and that human capital is our most important asset. Their network of senior officials from government and industry are unmatched in my experience."

- Andy Maner, CEO, NISC (National Interest Security Co.); Former CFO, Department of Homeland Security

"Coming in from the cold into the private sector after a 30-year career in the Clandestine Service can be a very perplexing and frustrating experience. Benchmark helped me navigate this difficult transition and matched my experience, talents, and skills to a position in the private sector. The partners understand federal contracting and can be trusted to provide reliable, confidential, and professional advice."

- Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., Former Director of the Clandestine Service and current Senior Vice President Mission Services, NISC

"The Benchmark team has impressed me with their down to earth style, integrity and connections in the government contracting business. I met them soon after retiring from the government, and they provided great advice that helped me get acclimated to private sector life and introduced me to prospective consulting clients. Benchmark is a great firm whom I highly recommend."

- Bob Flores, CEO, Applicology, Former CTO at CIA

"Benchmark has been a very valuable resource for brokering introductions to leading government contractors and promising startups. The partners understand the unique needs of companies looking to expand their federal presence and match them with the right talent."

- Bill Crowell, former Deputy Director, NSA and former Cylink CEO

"Benchmark raises the bar to bridge the gap for leadership networking and placement for investors, entrepreneurs and decision makers, especially at the C-level of industry, government and academia. This most recent Benchmark event “connecting the intelligence community” was extraordinary and provided a very robust, senior executive exchange that delivered a powerful opportunity to learn and contribute to cyber security as a center piece for our national security. It is awesome to be associated with Benchmark and their partners."

- The Honorable James I. Finley
Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Acquisition and Technology
Managing Partner/CEO, The Finley Group LLC

The Partners at Benchmark are professionals with an outstanding knowledge of the executive landscape in the DC area. They helped us find and land an extraordinary individual to join our board of directors."

- Craig Chambers, CEO, Cernium

"We retained Benchmark to recruit an impact player. They quickly introduced us to quality candidates. We not only hired the executive of our choice, we also hired a candidate presented for a different role. Their knowledge and network in the Federal space is superb. I recommend them highly."

- John Pannucci, President & COO U.S., Rohde & Schwarz

"Our experience working with Pete and Benchmark was very positive. Benchmark is more than a search firm, we received real strategic value from Pete and team that helped us think through a number of critical issues such as organizational structure and development, market positioning, fund raising and making key introductions, e.g. they introduced Zenoss to an important industry analyst with Gartner, a key influencer in our space. I highly recommend them for their strategic value, recruiting expertise and results as well as integrity, professionalism and responsiveness."

- Bill Karpovich, CEO, Zenoss

"Benchmark's ability to understand our technology and markets had a material impact on the accuracy and quality of their results. Benchmark recruited a proven and talented executive for our VP of Marketing role. I will use them again and definitely recommend Benchmark to companies looking for a partner to build out their executive team."

- Loren Burnett, CEO, StackSafe

"Educate's business is one where we needed very specific experience not readily found in the area.  Benchmark was a very professional representative of our firm, ran a strong process and recruited a VP of Marketing that hit the mark.  I have worked with Benchmark before, so can say that they are adept at managing client and candidate communication and closing the candidate of choice.  I strongly recommend them for attracting A-players."

- Jim Hermens, CEO, Educate Online

"Benchmark knows the search business, are highly responsive and get strong results in a timely manner. They filled two critical executive positions for us: SVP of Product Development and VP of Product Management. The candidates we landed had direct experience and are impact players on Netcordia's executive team. We would use them again and highly recommend Benchmark to recruit 'Top Performers'."

- Don Pyle, CEO, Netcordia

"Benchmark understood our needs and fielded a very high-quality short list of candidates. We were able to find the perfect candidate from that list and we completed the search in two weeks. The partners at Benchmark are experts at understanding early stage/emerging technology companies and how to attract and close A talent. I was very impressed by the entire experience and would use them again."

- Nick Magliato, CEO, Trust Digital

"The team at Benchmark quickly understood our business and specific position requirements, bringing us top-notch executive candidates that really hit the mark."

- Edwin Miller, president and CEO, Everest Software

"The team at Benchmark understood our very specific needs, introduced solid candidates that fit the profile, and helped us close the candidate of our choice. Their network of senior business development executives within the Federal sector is outstanding. I would recommend Benchmark to Government IT firms looking to add A-players to their team."

- Charles B. Mudd, Jr., President, SiloSmashers

"SkyBitz turned to their team to help us with key executive positions. They located and landed experienced "players" (Chairman, CFO, CTO) and managed the recruitment process with particular expediency, skill and diplomacy. They are more than a recruiting firm, in that they are a true business partner providing relevant business advice and additional value-added introductions. I most strongly recommend them to CEO's or Boards looking to attract world-class talent in a timely fashion with a close fit for the specifications of the search."

- Rick Burtner, CEO, SkyBitz Corp

"The level of service we receive from Benchmark is unmatched. After developing an in-depth understanding of our personnel needs, Benchmark manages the entire recruitment process from beginning to end. I appreciate how Benchmark quickly, professionally and thoroughly, brings Brabeion the very best candidates."

- Julian Waits, president and CEO, Brabeion Software

"Working with the team means working with an honest broker and partner that has complete involvement with the search from beginning to end — that is something that you don't get with larger firms."

- Thor Culverhouse, CEO, Stratavia

"The firm is savvy, insightful and scrappy. The partners clearly are experts at understanding early stage/emerging technology companies and how to attract A talent."

- Andy Astor, CEO, EnterpriseDB

"After considering a number of firms to help build our senior management team, we chose them. We could not be more pleased. They worked hard as an extension of the Scentric team. Their strong network, responsiveness, persistence and ability to articulate our opportunity succeeded in landing four all star SVP/VP level executives from the well known companies in the data management space. We highly recommend them as a partner you can entrust to exceed expectations."

- Sanjay Sehgal, CEO, Scentric

"The team went "above and beyond" to find me a world-class CFO with multiple successes in venture-backed companies. They get a letter of commendation from me for their persistence and patience during the whole process. They helped me land the very best of an impressive group of candidates. I am very happy with their service."

- Tim Sullivan, CEO, Fidelis Security Systems

"Their experience, expertise, track record (and resilience during the process) created a very successful CEO search for Newmerix...we fully endorse their capability."

- Wendy Lea, Chairman, Newmerix Corp

"I've worked with a number of executive recruiters, and I know that these partners are the crème de la crème. They took the time to understand our business, the chemistry we were looking for and presented a quality group of candidates in a very short period of time. They managed our recruitment process in the most organized way I've experienced, and went the full distance with us as we closed the candidate of our choice. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to recruit the very best talent."

- Ed Roberto, CEO, Newmerix

"They found the perfect candidate in the first two weeks. He is the impact player we were hoping to land."

- Allan Wilson, CEO, FactoryLogic

"They took the time to understand our business, and immediately produced the quality candidates we were seeking. Being very hands-on and aggressive, they managed the process until we closed the candidate of our choice. I recommend them to any company who wants to recruit the best talent within their industry."

- Sheeraz Haji, CEO, GetActive Software

"I appointed Benchmark to secure a Chief Executive Officer for a high technology business in the U.S. They executed with precision throughout to identify and secure a high quality candidate. The attention to detail for both the candidate and the client is a significant benefit of working with Benchmark."

- Nigel Grierson, Managing Director, Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures

"The seasoned partners at Benchmark very quickly found the perfect fit. One of the most organized, focused and best results on a CEO search I have seen."

- Philip Eliot, Principal, Paladin Capital Group

"Heather and the Benchmark team reached far and wide to bring us an amazing stable of candidates, thoroughly vetted each one and then helped us select the best all around CEO we could have hoped to find for TerraGo."

- Mark Frantz, General Partner, RedShift Ventures

"The team has impressed us with the quality of candidates they have been able to provide that meet our specifications – and they have deliver on their engagements with the kind of speed emerging companies require."

- Hooks Johnston, General Partner, Valhalla Partners

"I have personnally hired Jeremy four times in the past year and a half for portfolio companies. Each time, we closed on an exec who was better than we needed or expected. They are not afraid to aim high."

- Charles Curran, General Partner, Valhalla Partners

"Their partners have a history of delivering high impact players for Core Capital portfolio companies and we will count on their expertise in building our management teams of the future."

- Mark Levine, Managing Director, Core Capital

"After 10 years of venture investing, I have found this team to be the highest quality executive recruiting firm I have worked with over the years. They have always successfully placed excellent candidates in my portfolio companies including CEOs, VPs of Sales, VPs of Engineering, etc. I would work with them again and highly recommend them constantly to other venture capitalists and boards."

- Todd M. Jaquez-Fissori, General Partner, Siemens Venture Capital

"These partners have the intensity, persistence and knowledge, which is exactly what you need for your executive search. They delivered quality candidates in a timely manner and they kept our search process moving quickly. They knew when to step back and when to add their two-cents. I'd definitely use them again."

- Skip Fleshman, General Partner, Asset Management

"They exceeded expectations on an important CEO search. They introduced many strong candidates and they helped us close our top choice. Great job and I highly recommend them."

- Kirk Holland, General Partner, Vista Ventures

"I was impressed with the caliber of candidates they brought to the table and we got the CEO we wanted in less than 60 days. We are looking forward to building our relationship with them."

- Mark Kvamme, General Partner, Sequoia Capital

"I have worked with Jeremy King many times over the past five years and have found the firm to be very dependable, knowledgeable and quick-moving. They are able to get the right candidates to the table in a short time rame, and work cooperatively with management and the Board to make sure only the best candidates are taken through the process. I would without a doubt use them again."

- Raj Atluru, General Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson

"The team did an outstanding job in finding qualified CEO candidates in a short period of time as well as helping us close the candidate of our choice. They continued to surface high quality candidates until the search was completed."

- Lou Volpe, Managing General Partner, Kodiak Venture Partners

"We have used them for a number of important executive searches. The reason we keep coming back is consistent high quality of performance. They work a tight process - position specification, candidate qualification, process management, etc. It would be a lot harder to build successful companies without them as a partner."

- Tim Webb, General Partner, Inflection Point Ventures

"Mid-Atlantic has entrusted them with some of our most challenging and sensitive CEO and VP searches. They have not disappointed and I highly recommend them."

- Tom Smith, General Partner, Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds

"I was impressed with their ability to quickly find an A+ CEO candidate right on spec – and they did it at a cost effective price – which is a breath of fresh air in this market. Overall – a great experience!"

- Denis Seynhaeve, President, Delmag Ventures