Michael T. McDonnell

Managing Director

Americas

About

Michael is a Managing Director in Sheffield Haworth’s Technology & Private Markets practice, leading searches mainly with PE-backed, founder-led, and venture-funded B2B and B2B2C technology businesses on C-level mandates across technology, commercial, general management, and financial functions. He helps Nordic and European companies hire senior leadership globally, including in the US.Having lived in Stockholm from 2018 to 2022, Michael has deep roots in the Nordic and European market. Before Sheffield Haworth, he was a Global Partner at True, which he joined in Stockholm to co-lead Nordic market development before returning to the US in 2022. Prior to True, he was with Renovata Partners, where he opened the Stockholm office. Earlier, he served as Vice President of People & Talent at TOA Technologies, an enterprise SaaS company acquired by Oracle, and as Chief People Officer at Aver Informatics, a data analytics startup in the US healthcare sector. He began his career in executive search as an early member of Christian & Timbers and later held senior human resources and talent acquisition leadership roles at Ernst & Young and Capgemini.Michael holds a BA in Mass Communications/Journalism from Kent State University and studied Business Administration and Law at Cleveland State University. He splits his time between the US and Europe and lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and two dogs

  • SH PEOPLE

Michael T. McDonnell

Managing Director

Bio

Michael is a Managing Director in Sheffield Haworth’s Technology & Private Markets practice, leading searches mainly with PE-backed, founder-led, and venture-funded B2B and B2B2C technology businesses on C-level mandates across technology, commercial, general management, and financial functions. He helps Nordic and European companies hire senior leadership globally, including in the US.Having lived in Stockholm from 2018 to 2022, Michael has deep roots in the Nordic and European market. Before Sheffield Haworth, he was a Global Partner at True, which he joined in Stockholm to co-lead Nordic market development before returning to the US in 2022. Prior to True, he was with Renovata Partners, where he opened the Stockholm office. Earlier, he served as Vice President of People & Talent at TOA Technologies, an enterprise SaaS company acquired by Oracle, and as Chief People Officer at Aver Informatics, a data analytics startup in the US healthcare sector. He began his career in executive search as an early member of Christian & Timbers and later held senior human resources and talent acquisition leadership roles at Ernst & Young and Capgemini.Michael holds a BA in Mass Communications/Journalism from Kent State University and studied Business Administration and Law at Cleveland State University. He splits his time between the US and Europe and lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and two dogs

CASE NOTE 01 | STRATEGY CONSULTING AND AI ADVISORY

Building an AI advisory practice for a global strategy consulting firm

Client: Global strategy consulting firm, name redacted.  

 Status: Confidential.

Context

Retained to help build the firm’s new AI advisory practice, a strategic growth priority. The mandate anchors the capability with senior product leadership.

Challenge

The brief pairs applied AI and software product depth with a record of originating and selling complex senior advisory work. Appointees have to operate credibly with chief product, technology and data officers, and with private equity technology teams.

Approach.

Built on a 12-month partnership with the firm, working as a retained search partner across the practice. We source senior product leaders who bridge applied AI, software product and advisory sales.

Outcome

Four senior appointments completed and three further appointments in progress, alongside more than 500 management consulting hires delivered across the practice.

Results

Senior appointments completed
0
Further appointments in progress
0
Consulting hires across the practice
0 +
Partnership length
0 months

CASE NOTE 02 | CONSULTING AND DIVERSITY

A five-year programme to build a female partner pipeline

Client: Global professional services firm (Big Four), name redacted.

 Status: Confidential.

Context

Over five years we ran a series of executive searches and pipelines to build lasting engagement with senior female talent across the firm’s UK and Middle East practices.

Approach.

Success depended on the client giving additional time to engage female talent, flexibility on traditional career-path criteria, a supportive interview process with diverse interviewers and sponsors, and candidate access to senior leaders.

Outcome

Of 23 Partner appointments made since 2018, 65 per cent were female.

Results

Partner appointments since 2018
0
Female
0 %
Programme length
0 years

CASE NOTE 03 | TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL, DIVERSITY

Appointing female SAP leaders across EMEA

Client : Global technology and consulting firm, name redacted.  

 Status: Confidential.

Context

An EMEA-wide engagement in 2023 and 2024 to appoint female SAP leaders in finance and supply chain transformation.

Approach.

We mapped 143 female partner-level targets in SAP consulting across the region.

Outcome

Two female Partner appointments: an SAP Centre of Expertise Partner for Denmark, and a pan-European SAP market Partner.

Results

Female partner-level targets mapped
0
Female Partner appointments
0

EMEA

Region

CASE NOTE 04 | STRATEGY CONSULTING AND DIVERSITY

A global pipeline to diversify a regional consulting team

Client: Global management consulting firm (MBB), name redacted. 

 Status: Confidential.

Context

The firm set out to improve diversity in its Middle East consulting team at Partner-1 and Partner-2 levels. Regional diverse talent was scarce, so we recommended a global pipeline of candidates open to relocation.

Approach.

We searched Tier 1 and Tier 2 strategy firms and industry candidates with strategy backgrounds, built three pipelines by availability to relocate, and approached 13 per cent more female targets to balance the outcome.

Outcome

Every individual hired from the pipeline was gender diverse.

Results

Pipelines built
0
Additional female targets approached
0 %
Gender diverse hires from pipeline
0 %

CASE NOTE 05 | BUSINESS SERVICES, PRIVATE EQUITY BACKED

Executive talent partner through a year of transformation

Client: Global data and information services firm (PE-backed), name redacted.  

 Status: Confidential.

Context

Following private equity investment, this data and information services business appointed us as its executive talent partner for a year, supporting all senior hires through an accelerated transformation.

Approach.

A dedicated, account-managed team ran multi-geography searches across the Americas and Europe, with a gender-balanced senior team set as a defined metric and clear expectations on both sides to keep pace.

Outcome

33 appointments in 12 months, at a 52 per cent female and 48 per cent male balance, supporting the investor’s transformation of the business.

Results

Appointments in 12 months
0
Gender balance
0 % female
Engagement length
0 months

CASE NOTE 06 | STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS, PRIVATE EQUITY BACKED, CAPABILITY BUILD

A three-year build for a private equity backed consultancy

Client: UK strategy and operations consultancy (PE-backed), name redacted.

 Status: Confidential.

Context

With private equity funding in place, the firm wanted rapid growth without lowering its talent bar. We were engaged on a three-year programme.

Approach.

A dedicated, account-managed team delivered across multiple mandates: building Digital, Aerospace and Defence, and People and Change service lines, alongside a consistent senior pipeline.

Outcome

Over 60 senior hires. Partner-level gender diversity rose from 4 per cent to 20 per cent, including female Partners and Directors in new sectors: Defence, Energy, Transport and Aerospace.

Results

Senior hires (3 yrs)
0 +

4% to 20%

Partner gender diversity

New service lines built
0

CASE NOTE 07 | STRATEGY AND DATA ANALYTICS, CAPABILITY BUILD

Accelerated service line builds across ASEAN

Client: Global professional services firm (Big Four), name redacted.

 Status: Confidential.

Context

The firm set out to accelerate its Strategy service line in ASEAN, a global growth priority, with the ambition to quadruple the practice over four years through multiple Partner hires and team lifts. A parallel programme grew its Data and Analytics practice in the region.

Approach.

A dedicated, account-managed regional team gave the programme ongoing momentum. The task was to convince top talent, including MBB Partners, to consider the firm as a destination for strategy work, working closely with sponsoring Partners to land preferred candidates. For Data and Analytics, we appointed a regional lead Partner first, then country Partners across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Outcome

12 Partners appointed across Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, including a three-Partner team lift from an MBB firm, spanning restructuring and turnaround, consumer goods and retail, life sciences and healthcare, government and public sector, TMT, digital strategy and operations strategy. A follow-on engagement in MENA delivered four further Partner appointments across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Results

Partners appointed (ASEAN)
0
Team lift from an MBB firm
0 Partners
Follow-on appointments (MENA)
0

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