Chris Thornhill is a talent strategist and business operator who helps organizations build high-performance teams where people, strategy, and execution align. His background spans executive search, talent advisory, and workforce strategy supporting infrastructure, industrial, and energy organizations.
Chris began his career in human resources before moving into offshore and operations-adjacent environments, later transitioning into commercial strategy roles within oilfield services organizations. This progression provides an end-to-end perspective on talent and organizational effectiveness across complex operating environments.
He subsequently transitioned into management consulting, advising senior leaders on workforce strategy, organizational design, and talent transformation. Chris later joined Spencer Stuart, where he deepened expertise in executive search, leadership assessment, and succession planning.
As Founder & Managing Partner of Hill Search Group, Chris leads executive search and strategic talent advisory engagements, helping organizations design modern talent systems, leadership pipelines, and recruiting operating models aligned to business strategy.
Chad is a commercial operator and revenue systems builder who helps organizations align people, strategy, and execution to scale go-to-market performance. His background spans go-to-market leadership, revenue operations, and talent development across enterprise software, SaaS, and high-growth technology organizations.
Chad built and led Zscaler's APAC commercial operation, scaling the business from $3M to $40M across Australia, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. The build required hiring, coaching, and developing revenue teams and leaders across multiple markets, establishing the recruiting, enablement, and operating rhythms that supported durable commercial growth. Earlier in his career, he led commercial teams at Tableau ANZ and developed his foundation in high-velocity sales execution.
This operator background shapes how Chad approaches hiring. He brings a practitioner's view to talent search, understanding not just what strong candidates look like on paper, but how they perform inside real commercial systems.
As Partner at Hill Search Group, Chad leads executive search and talent advisory engagements for revenue and go-to-market leadership roles, helping organizations identify, assess, and place operators who can build and scale commercial performance.
- National Sales Manager at a global sealing solutions manufacturer
- Owns a $20M+ industrial portfolio with full P&L accountability
- Proven record of 40% YoY revenue growth and 9% margin expansion
- Built and sustained the #1 national Insulation & Radiant Barrier sales record for nearly a decade
- Senior Global Director of Business Development at a global sealing solutions manufacturer
- 15+ years driving growth at the intersection of reliability, emissions, and industrial performance
- Led global and regional BD initiatives across the Americas and major industrial markets
- Trusted advisor to operators on deploying and scaling new technologies in regulated environments
- VP, Operational Excellence at PURIS; former VP Global Manufacturing at Varel Energy Solutions
- Former Director, Manufacturing & Supply Chain at Halliburton (Drill Bits & Services, full P&L)
- 20+ years leading global manufacturing, supply chain, and operations
- Drove margin expansion, cost reduction, and operational turnarounds (Lean-focused)
- Human Resources Director at Kiewit driving enterprise talent strategy across North America and international markets
- Led large-scale hiring for craft and professional workforce across construction, engineering, and infrastructure
- Deep expertise in ATS/CRM systems, recruiting analytics, and global workforce planning
- Board Member at TALK (Talent Acquisition Leadership Keynotes)
- Former EY Managing Director driving enterprise workforce and HR transformation
- Led 75+ transformations integrating AI, HR tech, and operating model redesign
- Expert in GenAI strategy and AI-enabled workforce efficiency (25%+ gains)
- Advisor to C-suite on AI adoption, change management, and future-of-work strategy
Representative Advisory Engagement
A look at how Hill Search Group works alongside leadership teams — combining market intelligence, talent strategy, and operational insight to drive real outcomes.
Practice
timeline
- Assess the company's current commercial and go-to-market structure
- Benchmark competitor operating models and leadership design
- Identify gaps across revenue strategy, organizational structure, and talent capability
- Develop a forward-looking leadership and talent roadmap aligned to growth objectives
- Executive-ready assessment of current operations
- Competitive and market analysis
- Recommended organizational structure and leadership design
- Talent roadmap aligned to 12–24 month growth plans
Leadership entered board discussions with greater clarity around organizational priorities, leadership needs, and sequencing required to support future scale.
Let's Build Your Next Advantage
Whether you're scaling your team, filling a critical leadership role, or building a more strategic hiring framework — tell us where you are and we'll take it from there.
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