RALEIGH, NC – Retained executive search firm Focus Search Partners, a Vaco Company (FSP), announced today that Christiaan Heijmen has joined the firm as a Managing Partner. He will continue to operate out of Vaco’s Raleigh Office.

Prior to joining Focus Search Partners and Vaco, Heijmen worked with the international executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles in their New York City office. He has a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Management from the University of Massachusetts, where he graduated summa cum laude, and was a four-year division one rugby player. Heijmen received his MBA at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, where he served as a Coach K COLE Leadership & Ethics Fellow and was recognized in 2013 with the Business Award for Exemplary Alumni Service to the Fuqua School of Business. He and his wife Linzy, son Andrew, and daughter Alivia, reside in Durham, NC.

“Christiaan’s experience with matching high-performing executives with fast-growing Triangle based technology, healthcare and life sciences companies are remarkable. Heijmen joined Vaco Raleigh’s Executive Search Practice upon returning to the Triangle in 2010. Since then, he has completed more than 100 searches for locally based companies. It is gratifying to know that the partnership will continue but that his practice has grown such that it now makes sense for him to align his team with our national retained search practice to ultimately better serve the triangle,” said David Rhode and Sid Mitchener Co-Managing Partners of the Vaco Raleigh Office.

“It has been fascinating to watch Christiaan develop himself into one of the most highly networked, well-regarded and best connected executives in the Triangle - over the last several years,” said Dan Davies, Executive Director of the Research Triangle Chapter of the National Association of Chief Executive Officers. “Additionally, he cares deeply about our community and is using his connectivity, through his volunteer efforts, to make the Triangle a better place for all of us.”

“Focus Search Partners is in the midst of significant growth and expansion. With an internal commitment to ‘Culture, Team and Firm,’ we are attracting exceptional people who are proven in delivering outstanding outcomes and service to our clients. FSP is uniquely positioned to build teams that grow organizations and Christiaan is a huge addition to our team,” said Paul Frankenberg, Founder and Managing Partner of Focus Search Partners, A Vaco Company.