Team
Our staff is comprised of consultants who are deeply knowledgeable about the business sectors they service. This means they already have an appreciation of your business, an understanding of what you need, and a network that can help you find the perfect people to complete your needs. They have built extensive networks and maintain strong relationships with corporate leaders worldwide in both the public and private sectors. We are passionate about our clients, our colleagues, and the industries we serve.
Gary J. Matus / managing Partner
Gary J. Matus created AV Search Partners to address global clients’ need for highly experienced, high touch human capital services. He previously launched and managed the California practice for Egon Zehnder International. He served as Managing Partner and was head of the Financial Services Practice.
Prior to entering the executive search industry, Mr. Matus served as President and CEO and a Member of the Board of Directors of Iwerks Entertainment, which designs and manufactures proprietary and patented high-tech giant screen equipment and projection systems, with operations in 28 countries. Mr. Matus was a Director for seven years and served as President and CEO from 1999 until 2002. He completed a profitable merger with Canadian-based SimEx in 2002 and continues as a Director of SimEx.
Concurrent with the activities above, Mr. Matus served as a Partner with BeneVenture Capital Group, a venture capital firm focused on financial services, internet, communications, and semiconductor projects. Mr. Matus provided the CEO, CFO, and CMO direction to a number of the firms in BeneVenture's portfolio.
Formerly, Mr. Matus was Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Bank of America, responsible for all corporate marketing, product management, and brand management. Before that bank assignment, Mr. Matus was Executive Vice President and Industry Manager of Bank of America's Entertainment & Media Industries Group. In that capacity, he managed the bank's global entertainment and media portfolio, with over $5 billion in commitments serving nearly 200 clients. Mr. Matus began his career as a National Brands Product Manager with Colgate Palmolive.
Mr. Matus earned a BA from California State University, Los Angeles, an MA from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Thunderbird, School of International Management where he also serves on the Board of Trustees. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Governor’s Council on Information Technology. Mr. Matus also completed the Director Education & Certification Program at University of California, Los Angeles.
Patricia Palleschi / Partner
Patricia Palleschi joined AV Search Partners in January 2018 to provide supplemental capabilities to the extraordinary search group in succession planning, executive coaching and management development.
As a coach for top executives, Pat has created individual strategies that help companies retain and develop top talent. As Vice President at the The Walt Disney Company, she developed and implemented the first succession plan for the top 100 Executives (presented to the Disney Board). She also helmed the Disneyland University, developing/implementing strategies to attract, develop and retain approximately 5,000 cast members yearly.
Formerly, Pat was Senior Vice President of Training for Bank of America during one of the largest bank mergers in history. Consequently, her Bank of America team was named "Best Training Department" by the American Society for Training & Development (now, ATD). She also served as Vice President of Organization Development for Security Pacific Bank, managing all Human Resources and myriad other responsibilities for the California bank.
As Founder of The Executive Agency, she has an elite roster of executives who wish to strategize the path to new positions. She is an advisor to a prelaunch start-up, Sweetscore.com.
Pat has served on several non-profit Boards including Goodwill SoCal and the Southern California Leadership Network. She is currently on the Women on Boards 20/20 Leadership Committee.
Pat earned a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, a certificate from the Claremont in the Advanced Management Program, and numerous awards including honorary membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for collegiate schools of business.
She chaired the Speech Communication Department at Loyola Marymount University, and currently teaches at California State University at Fullerton.
Sarah Sawaya / Partner
Sarah Sawaya is part of AV Search Partners’ founding team. Previously, she was with RSR Partners and prior to that she was with Egon Zehnder International. Her executive search experience has focused on Board and C-Suite recruiting.
Previously, Sarah was a talent Manager with Teitelbaum Artists Group, an entertainment management company. Before joining Teitelbaum Artists Group, she was a Finance Associate in the Production / Production Finance division of ABC / Touchstone Television.
Sarah earned an AB in Economics from Harvard University. While there, she spent time studying at the University of Sydney. Prior to attending Harvard, she was a LEAD scholar at Columbia University.
Sarah and her family live in Los Angeles where she is active in civic and community affairs, including being a member of the Board of Beverly Hills Presbyterian Preschool and a member of the Board of Crayon Collection.
JOHN CORNFIELD / SENIOR ADVISOR - GROWTH AND EMERGING SECTORS PRACTICE
John has over 20 years experience in strategic advisory work for early stage growth companies seeking corporate partnerships and institutional capital. John has provided counsel to dozens of seed and venture backed firms, as well as recruiting investor, advisor and executive boards.
Earlier in his career John worked at two California based management consulting firms providing strategic planning for technology growth firms. As a senior economic development official for the Governor’s office of California, John created investment conferences and directed trade missions in these fields, leading to over $10 billion in investments for California headquartered companies. CAL IT, the conference he created was acquired by CNET, and BioPartnering became the largest life sciences early stage investment conference on a global scale.
John was also previously a partner at Ambient Capital, a private equity partnership in Los Angeles, and CapFin Partners, an institutional capital markets advisory firm in Irvine.
John studied at UCSD (BA), and did graduate work at Stanford and the London School of Economics.