Cielo, the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner, today announced that Founder and Chief Executive Officer Sue Marks will turn over the CEO role to Chief Operating Officer Marissa Geist, who will also join the company's board of directors, effective May 31. Marks will continue to serve on the board and in that role will advise on key strategic initiatives and customer, partner and analyst relationships.
Marks commented, "A core tenet of our business is that talent is the main differentiator in any company – and that includes our own. Since I began working with Marissa many years ago, she quickly demonstrated her impressive leadership skills, talent and passion for Cielo's client-centric mission. I'm extremely proud to be passing the reins over to a remarkable leader from within our company and can't wait to see what Marissa is able to accomplish with the rest of our outstanding executive team. It has been a privilege to lead Cielo from its inception and I look forward continuing to actively support the business on the board."
"Sue is known both within Cielo and broadly in our industry as an inspiring entrepreneur and innovative leader, and learning from her has been a great privilege," said Geist. "Her visionary thinking, creative problem solving and ability to motivate people are unmatched, and laid the foundation of Cielo's corporate culture and client relationships. I am thrilled to take on this role at such an exciting time in Cielo's growth trajectory and to continue working alongside Sue, the entire board and my fantastic colleagues across the world to help our clients find and retain the best talent."
"Since founding Cielo over 15 years ago, Sue has built the company into a leading human capital management partner with over 3,600 employees across 108 countries, and Marissa has contributed tremendously to that success in recent years," said John Coyle, a Partner at Permira, the majority investor in Cielo, and a member of Cielo's board of directors. "Cielo has never been stronger and better positioned for the future thanks to its global reach and local focus across many industries, strong financial position, deep leadership team and passion across the whole company. The board is confident that Marissa is the right person to lead the company forward into what promises to be a bright and exciting future."
Malaika Myers, a member of Cielo's board of directors who served on the search committee, added, "The board has been working closely with Sue to plan for a smooth succession and we are very pleased with the outcome. Sue has developed an incredibly strong global executive team, which will ensure the ongoing success of Cielo. Marissa brings a unique understanding of Cielo's growth potential and the evolving needs of our clients, and has already proven to be an effective and inspiring leader of the Cielo team."
Marissa will lead Cielo's outstanding executive team comprised of leaders with deep expertise and diverse backgrounds, including Greg Summers, President of North America; Seb O'Connell, President of Global Markets; Molly Thiel, Chief Human Resources Officer; and Brian Lindstrom, Chief Administrative Officer.
Marissa Geist Biography
Marissa Geist joined Cielo in 2014 and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she oversaw the day-to-day operational functions of Cielo, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Sue Marks. Her previous roles at Cielo include Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Americas, where she was responsible for the leadership for all sales, delivery and operations in the Americas, which encompasses the North America and Latin America regions. She first joined Cielo as Senior Vice President of Solution Design & Implementation, where she was instrumental in building solutions, refining its global operating model and contributed to Cielo's ability to predict, fulfil and exceed client needs. Prior to joining Cielo, she spent 11 years at ManpowerGroup in a number of senior roles, finishing as Vice President Client Programs.
