About Us
Leonard Pfeiffer and Company (LP&CO) is retained by clients to recruit senior-level management executives including CEOs, COOs, CFOs, EVPs, VPs and Executive Directors.
We offer the scope and reach of a national firm with the personal service of a boutique firm. Leonard Pfeiffer is the Managing Director. Zara Sulayman and Elizabeth Haxthausen are Senior Executive Search Consultants.
With a combined 50+ years of experience, we have conducted over 300 searches around the United States for not-for-profit, association, charitable and corporate clients in various industries including:
LEONARD PFEIFFER
Leonard Pfeiffer has been a force in the executive search industry for 30 years, previously as a Senior Partner/ Managing Director for the two largest search firms in the world. In 2001 Leonard formed an independent executive search firm in order to provide better personal service to his clients.
Leonard's experience and success in the executive search business insures clients the best advice and counsel not only in the identification and selection of candidates, but also in the delicate area of contract negotiations and background investigations. Pfeiffer has recruited senior executives with backgrounds in finance, government relations, healthcare, international, legal, real estate, and telecommunications.
His nationally recognized executive search work includes two Postmasters General, two CEOs for the National Association of REALTORS®, and CEOs for the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the American Institute of CPA's and WomenHeart.
In addition, other clients include Bell Atlantic (Verizon), Champion, Duke University, Lafarge, McDonald's, MCI, and Sprint. Three of his more colorful searches were recruiting CEOs for Country Music Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and United Way of America.
Prior to relocating to Washington DC, Leonard was an executive recruiter in New York City where he focused on financial clients including Bankers Trust, Citibank, and Goldman Sachs. He practically re-staffed the entire International Department at Bankers Trust. Before that, he managed the San Francisco office of an international management-consulting firm and opened their Honolulu operations. He began his career on the executive staff at American Express, refining marketing projects in the USA and Europe.
Leonard has spoken at major universities and conventions and has authored news articles on executive recruiting and ethics. To better understand the rewards and demands of serving on a volunteer board, he is/has been on the Boards of prominent not-for-profits including the: Greater Washington Community Foundation, National Building Museum, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Special Olympics Men's Committee. He served on the Admissions Committee of the Harvard Club of NYC and was an officer in the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, DC.
Leonard, the oldest of 7 children, was raised in suburban New Jersey, commissioned a Lieutenant in Military Intelligence, and holds a BA and MBA from Harvard University. At an earlier stage in his career, he was a choker-setter in an Oregon logging camp and baled hay on a horse ranch in Montana. In his spare time he enjoys boating activities, skiing and tennis.
ZARA SULAYMAN
Zara Sulayman is a Senior Associate Search Consultant at LP&CO and has worked with Leonard Pfeiffer since 1996.
Once Leonard opened LP&CO, Zara joined him as an Associate and was instrumental in helping him get the business up and running. As a Senior Associate, Zara works closely with Leonard and the respective clients and candidates. She is an integral part of the search process from the initial research, to writing job descriptions, developing target candidates, conducting phone screenings, participating in the client interviews and final employment negotiations.
Zara has worked on CEO searches for a variety of associations around the USA including the Association for Corporate Growth (Chicago, IL), American Orthotics and Prosthetic Association (Alexandria, VA), Building Owners & Managers Institute, International (Annapolis, MD), International Society for Automation (Raleigh, NC) and the National Association of REALTORS (Chicago, IL & Washington, DC). In addition to CEO searches, Zara has also completed several senior executive searches (SVP, VP and Senior Director) for associations in the Washington, DC area.
Prior to joining the executive search industry, Zara worked in Accounting at a large Washington DC law firm. Zara grew up in Europe and went to school in the UK.
When not working on searches, Zara enjoys reading and listening to music.
ELIZABETH HAXTHAUSEN
Elizabeth Haxthausen is a Senior Associate Search Consultant and manages her share of the research and the candidate/source development phases of the executive search process. She is also an integral participant during the in-person interviews and final negotiations between clients and candidates. Really, she plays the roll of "jack-of-all trades" at LP&CO, including IT support, Web 2.0 director, and travel/meeting coordinator.
She has been with LP&CO for 5 years. Some of her executive searches include WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease (CEO), the Chicago and Arizona Association of REALTORS (CEO), the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (CEO). Notably she has conducted executive searches for three medical instrumentation organizations: the Advanced Medical Technology Association (CEO), the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (CEO) and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (Director- Federal Affairs).
Prior to affiliating with LP&CO, she was a Legislative Assistant for a boutique government relations firm whose major clients included a world-renowned cancer center and Fortune 500 companies. Originally from Southwest Louisiana, Elizabeth holds both a BS and MS degree in Marketing from Louisiana State University.
In her spare time she volunteers with the Junior League of Washington. She also enjoys music concerts and outdoor recreation.
