Excel Search & Advisory (formerly Nolan Partners) is the premier leadership consultancy and executive search practice specializing in sports, media, and entertainment worldwide. Leveraging decades of expertise, industry-leading research, and a global network, we excel in sourcing exceptional leadership talent, building high-performing cultures, and developing management teams.
Services
Services
Executive Search
Identifying and attracting exceptional leaders requires experience, subject matter authority, and a trusted reputation. We’ve spent two decades carefully understanding and shaping the sports and entertainment industries, with senior leadership appointments reaching 29 countries and 37 sports.
Advisory
Our experienced team of business psychologists and management consultants complement our search work by conducting a series of interviews and psychometric assessments that aid in the selection process. We also provide robust onboarding programs, organizational health assessments, compensation benchmarking, and culture transformation work.
Insights
Dive into the Excellent Leadership Podcast to gain valuable insights from industry leaders in sports and entertainment.
In addition to our content, we host various events: invite-only roundtables with CEOs and GMs, a Sports HR Summit for top HR executives in the industry, and more.
Placements
Chief Executive Officer
(Women’s)
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
(DACH Region)
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Team President
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Financial Officer
President
Chief Communications Officer
Director of Football Operations
Chief People Officer
Team President
Chief Marketing Officer
Director of Medical & Performance
Chief Communications & Marketing Officer
Head Coach
(Women’s)
Head Coach
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Bears ownership looked to replace a CEO who was retiring after working with them for nearly 40 years. The organization’s stability was its strength, but significant change was on the horizon with a stadium project and the corresponding organizational changes to support those efforts. We recruited Kevin Warren, the Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. Kevin competed against a talented candidate pool from world-leading brands. The Bears have since made significant progress on their stadium developments, hired new leadership in select business roles, and signed a new Head Coach.
Ownership hired us this summer to recruit a President who could transform the brand, enhance community relations, drive global passion, and increase revenue. We recruited Melanie Harris, GM of Nike’s Jordan Brand. We compared endemic NBA executives against Presidents of other teams and the broader business world. Finalists all brought deep passion and commitment for basketball, yet their career journeys included teams, leagues, and large corporates such as Nike.
