C-suite search is executive search focused on the very top of an organization: the CEO, CFO, president and other C-level roles that set direction. Karpel Associates handles renewable energy CEO and CFO search, along with COO, CTO, CMO, CSO and CRO appointments, for companies across the US, from venture-backed startups to established operators.
Which C-suite roles do we recruit?
We recruit for every seat on the executive team. What each one needs to deliver varies, and the profile we build reflects that.
| Role | What the board usually needs from the hire |
|---|---|
| CEO | Strategy, capital raising and credibility with investors and partners |
| President | Running the business day to day while growing revenue |
| CFO | Capital structure, tax credit monetization, investor reporting and cost discipline |
| COO | Scaling delivery, construction or manufacturing without losing quality |
| CTO | Technology roadmap, product development and engineering leadership |
| CRO and CSO | Revenue growth, commercial strategy and sales team performance |
| CMO | Brand, positioning and demand generation in a crowded field |
What makes a great renewable energy CEO or CFO?
Renewable energy companies are capital intensive, policy sensitive and often growing fast, which puts unusual demands on their top leaders. A strong CEO needs to raise money, manage a board, read regulatory shifts and still keep the team pointed at a few clear priorities. A strong CFO needs more than clean books, because tax equity structures, project-level debt, credit transferability and lender relationships often decide whether projects get built at all. Regulated businesses add another layer: utilities often want a CFO fluent in rate cases and allowed returns, a profile we know well from our work in the utility and grid sector.
We look for evidence, not titles, and past placements show what that evidence looks like. At one $100M company, the CFO we placed trimmed $1M from costs within six months of starting. Elsewhere, a President we recruited lifted new business revenue 120% year over year and, at the same time, cut five of the ten largest annual expenses. Outcomes like these are what we probe for when we assess candidates.
How C-suite searches differ from other executive hires
Top-level searches carry more stakeholders and more risk. Boards, founders and investors often all have a say, and their views on the role do not always match at first. We use the discovery call to align those views into one clear profile before outreach begins, which saves time later in the search.
Confidentiality is also stricter. The strongest candidates are usually sitting executives who will not respond to a posting and cannot be seen exploring a move. Eight in ten of our placed candidates have never used a job board, and we reach them directly and discreetly through a private database covering 40,000+ people in the sector, plus a LinkedIn network of over 30,000 connections. C-level appointments run as dedicated engagements under our retained executive search model, following the same four steps as every search we run.
Succession is another common trigger. A founder stepping back, a CFO retiring after a sale, or a president moving up to CEO all create a seat that needs filling without unsettling employees, investors or customers. We plan the timing and messaging of the search with you so the transition feels orderly from the outside.
Why leadership teams choose Karpel Associates
Stacey Karpel brings over two decades of executive search experience, with the last 15+ years devoted exclusively to renewable energy. She earned her MBA at Haas, the business school at UC Berkeley, and many fellow Haas graduates have since become renewable energy CEOs who now come back to us as repeat clients. Her full biography and the firm's history are on our about Karpel Associates page.
For each C-level mandate we put three to five finalists in front of you, and every one must satisfy 90% or more of the role's required skills. The typical search wraps up in under 28 days, our offer acceptance rate stands at 98%, and 94% of the leaders we place remain with the companies that hired them.
Begin your CEO or CFO search
Appointing a chief executive or finance chief is one of the biggest decisions a board makes. Speak with us about your C-suite search and we will show you how we would structure it.