ForceBrands Appoints Brian Waivada as Head of Executive Search

Veteran search leader joins ForceBrands to expand its executive search capabilities for consumer brands and investors

NEW YORK — September 21, 2026 — ForceBrands, the leading hiring and talent solutions partner for the consumer industry, today announced that it has strengthened its Executive Search practice with the addition of Brian Waivada. Waivada will lead the team and oversee the practice’s continued expansion.

Waivada brings more than 28 years of retained executive search and in-house talent acquisition experience, including extensive work with private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

“This appointment builds on the strength and momentum of our Executive Search practice,” said Rob Ganjon, CEO of ForceBrands. “We’ve spent 20 years building this company into the category leader, and adding an executive with Brian’s depth of experience will ensure we stay there.”

Waivada’s career spans both sides of the talent equation: advising organizations through retained executive search and building talent acquisition functions within major global organizations.

Most recently, Waivada served as a Partner at JM Search and a member of the firm’s Technology Practice. Over the course of his career, he has completed more than 500 executive searches. Executives he has placed have gone on to participate in more than 50 company exits representing over $35 billion in enterprise value. His experience includes searches for CEOs and general managers, CFOs and senior finance leaders, and private equity operating partners.

Previously, Waivada was a Partner at Bespoke Partners, where he led the firm’s CEO and Financial Officer practices as the organization scaled and ultimately completed a sale to private equity. Before that, he was an early Partner at True Search and played an instrumental role in its growth from approximately 30 employees to more than 300. His work at True focused heavily on CEO, CFO, COO, and Operating Partner searches for private equity-backed companies.

Earlier in his career, Waivada led global talent acquisition functions at McKinsey and BlackRock and worked in private equity executive search at Heidrick & Struggles and Patriarch Partners.

His combination of search expertise, operating experience, and deep familiarity with the private equity ecosystem will strengthen ForceBrands’ ability to support investors and consumer businesses navigating increasingly complex leadership and organizational decisions.

“I’m excited to build on ForceBrands’ 20-year track record and trusted relationships across the consumer industry,” said Waivada. “The firm’s category expertise and broader talent platform create a powerful foundation for Executive Search. I look forward to helping clients find the leaders they need for what’s next.”

For more information, visit ForceBrands.com.