New York, 3rd August, 2026 — Sheffield Haworth has appointed Michael T. McDonnell as Managing Director, Private Equity & Growth Venture Portfolio Assets. He is based in the New York office and works within the Technology Sector Practice.
Private equity and venture-backed businesses face intense competition for executive talent across their portfolios as artificial intelligence reshapes how companies compete. The appointment reflects Sheffield Haworth’s commitment to supporting those clients through a period of rapid change in the United States and internationally.
Michael leads C-level searches across technology, commercial, and financial functions for private equity-owned assets and growth venture-funded businesses. He began his career in executive search at Christian & Timbers and later held recruiting leadership roles at Ernst & Young / Capgemini. He joins Sheffield Haworth from True Search, where he was a Global Partner and co-led the firm’s Nordics business before returning to the US in 2022, and was previously with Renovata Partners.
Michael has also held senior operating roles in people and talent, serving as Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition at TOA Technologies (acquired by Oracle) and as Chief People Officer at Aver Informatics.
A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, Michael has lived and worked in both European and US markets and has led extensive cross-border work with European and Nordic founders, CEOs, and investors hiring in the US. That experience underpins Sheffield Haworth’s ability to support clients hiring senior leadership across global markets.
In the new role, Michael leads Sheffield Haworth’s coverage of private equity and growth venture portfolio companies across the US and Europe.
Paul Gillespie, Managing Director of the Technology Sector Practice, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael to the team. He is a highly respected name in executive search, and he has run search projects on both sides of the Atlantic. He knows how culture fit and functional expertise shape a business. That is rarer than it sounds, and it maps directly onto how we work at Sheffield Haworth. We could not be more pleased to have him with us.”
Michael T. McDonnell said:
“Very excited to join Sheffield Haworth and to be working alongside a team of this caliber. Sponsors and operators are competing hard for leaders who can turn rapid change into lasting advantage. Having sat inside growth-stage businesses myself, as well as run executive searches for them, I have seen how the right hire can impact shareholder value, what it does for a company, and what the wrong one costs it. I look forward to helping our clients build what’s next.”
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About Sheffield Haworth
Sheffield Haworth is a global consultancy specialising in executive search, change consulting, and strategic advisory. Founded in 1993, the firm has grown to 200 professionals across 14 offices in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region. We partner with clients across multiple industries, with a strong track record of delivering people-led transformation for the financial services, real estate, professional services, technology and industrial sectors.
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Frances Wright
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E. f.wright@sheffieldhaworth.com
