About us
How it all began
We built our firm on the pillars of objectivity, undiluted ethics, and enlightened aggression.
With a process that’s rooted in relationships, data, and intellect, we’ve provided professional judgments that have made a lasting impact on our partners.
Our judgements are simultaneously inspired by instinct and pragmatism, resulting in balanced outcomes designed to endure.
Our mission and vision
A note from our founder
‘We sit in the mud...and reach for the stars’
- Ivan Turgenev, Fathers & Sons
Each in our own fashion, we sat in the mud in 2012. I had just retired from a 25-year career at Fidelity Investments and moved from Boston to New York. John had just completed his MBA without much of a clue as to how to build his career anew after having toiled for a decade on Wall Street.
With common resolution, an intergenerational conspiracy was hatched, one which allowed us to reinvent ourselves. We reached for the stars in creating a family business. I would find a new creative platform to ply a trade honed over three decades in Boston and John would get a fresh start in a business which he had witnessed me practice throughout his youth.
Thus, Occam was born. A fusion of hard-earned wisdom and amorphous creative vigor. Our collaboration has yielded a richly successful global search firm, one dedicated to helping entrepreneurs realize their vision. Occam’s culture is rooted in intuitive team play, mutual respect, warmth of spirit, uncompromising ethics and clarity of purpose – family values.
Bill Holodnak
Bill & John Holodnak
Values you’ll see embodied
in our practice
01
Professionalism
Driven by discipline
and objectivity
02
Transparency
Guided by open
communication
03
Creativity
Inspired by both improvised
and structured thinking
04
Ethics
Fueled by an unrelenting
commitment to results
BEHIND OCCAM
We built our firm on the pillars of objectivity, undiluted ethics, and enlightened aggression.
The medieval philosopher William of Occam serves as the firm's adopted patron saint. William spoke plainly and his thoughts were infused with rigor and humanity. These qualities yielded elevated ideas that advanced Western philosophy but also got him into a few dust ups with the Vatican.
His enduring concept, Occam's Razor, embodies an unrelenting focus on essentials in problem-solving. His and our solutions strive for elegant simplicity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Occam Global provides global executive recruiting, board recruiting, and leadership advisory services.
With associates in New York, San Francisco, London, and Los Angeles, Occam serves clients across Europe the US, and Asia
Life Sciences Executive Search is a specialized recruitment service that helps companies identify and place senior leadership and board-level positions in the life sciences industry. This includes positions in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical devices, and healthcare sectors. Occam Global serves both the life sciences and technology industries which uniquely positioning them in techbio executive search, at the intersection of both industries.
Life science executive search firms bring industry-specific knowledge, experience, and a vast network of potential candidates. These firms are adept at finding executives who possess the necessary technical skills and align with your organization’s strategic goals and culture. By partnering with a life sciences executive search firm, you gain access to top talent who can drive innovation and growth within the life sciences sector. For technology-driven roles, technology executive recruiters provide similar benefits but with a focus on tech expertise.