ABOUT US
| Diane Armstrong | Robert Millward |
| Lee Davidson | Sandy Somers |
| Gary McCracken |
Diane Armstrong
416.363.8900 x226
diane@mccracken-partners.com
Diane's search experience includes senior management and executive positions across a variety of executive functions and industries. In particular, she has successfully led and completed numerous assignments in a broad range of financial services organizations, as well as for financial executives in industry.
A thirteen-year veteran of the search industry, Diane's varied career has included positions with both generalist and specialist executive search firms, as well as several years in internal recruiting as a Senior Team Leader in BMO Financial Group's in-house search and recruiting firm.
Prior to entering the search industry, Diane spent more than ten years in the luxury automobile business, primarily as a founding partner in a privately held automotive leasing company. Diane's first career was in healthcare, having first earned her RN from the Wellesley School of Nursing, where she received the Bruce Pin for highest achievement. She has also completed the Canadian Securities Course from the Canadian Securities Institute.
In her spare time, Diane is also one of Toronto's better-known fitness instructors. For well over a decade she has taught daily 7:00 AM fitness classes and, more recently, duathalon training and other specialty programs, at well-known fitness clubs in downtown Toronto. As if all of this isn't enough, Diane is an avid runner and has also recently completed a gruelling, 400 hour, Yoga Teacher training program. Diane is fit!
Lee Davidson
416.363.8900 x221
lee@mccracken-partners.com
With a B.A. in English, French and Education (St. Olaf College, Minnesota), an M.A. in English (University of Florida, Gainesville) and two years of law school (William Mitchell College of Law, Minnesota), Lee’s strong communication skills, both written and oral, are a valued asset as the firm’s resident grammarian and receptionist. With a penchant for detail and organization, she maintains the firm’s database, coordinates calendars and choreographs interview schedules.
Prior to joining McCracken & Partners, Lee contributed her office administration skills to a wide variety of industries, including publishing, law, computer hardware, software development and management consulting.
During the week, in addition to her role as office chatelaine, Lee is an avid walker and solver of crossword puzzles. At week’s end, she enjoys relaxing by listening to a few sets of hot jazz washed down with a cold beer.
Gary McCracken
416.363.8900 x222
gary@mccracken-partners.com
A broadly experienced search consultant, Gary has successfully led and executed numerous search assignments for CEOs, CFOs and virtually all other "C" level executive positions - as well as their direct reports - across a broad range of industries and organizations, both large and small. In particular, he has extensive experience in financial services, having successfully executed search assignments for senior professionals in merchant & investment banking firms, pension funds and investment management firms. He has recruited entire Boards of Directors and inaugural CEOs for newly created entities and enjoyed success recruiting senior executives in both private sector organizations, as well as senior public sector roles.
Prior to entering the search industry in 1995, Gary's career was in banking, first with Royal Bank of Canada, followed by Barclays Bank of Canada where, over a thirteen year career, he held a wide variety of increasingly senior roles. In his last role as Executive Vice President - Commercial Banking, Gary held general management responsibility for Barclays’ core-Canadian banking business, operating in eleven offices located across Canada, as well as executive responsibility for the Toronto-based Leasing & Real Estate divisions.
Beyond his search activities, Gary is a Director of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto, currently serving as a member of the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee. He is a past Director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto, a long-standing supporter and member of the Down Syndrome Association of Toronto and a member of the Empire Club of Canada, the Toronto Board of Trade and The Cambridge Club of Toronto. Gary holds an MBA degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario, as well as a Bachelors Degree in Economics, also from "Western".
Gary lives with his wife and son in mid-town Toronto, where he indulges a range of interests including music, political & public affairs, public & private investing, everything related to Formula 1 and, truth be told, the occasional glass of wine.
Robert Millward
416.363.8900 x300
robert@mccracken-partners.com
As an Associate Partner, Bob advises the firm on select real estate-related executive search assignments and other activities. He is also the founder and principal of R. E. Millward & Associates, a consulting firm providing development and planning services to investors, developers, businesses, municipal governments and community groups.
Prior to founding R. E. Millward & Associates in 1997, Bob was Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Toronto from 1987 to 1996, in which capacity he was actively involved in all aspects of policy formulation, project management and economic development in Toronto. During his term as Commissioner, Bob was Toronto’s chief staff negotiator and strategist, successfully dealing with zoning by-law issues at the conceptual, administrative, political and technical levels in conjunction with major development projects such as BCE Place, the CBC Centre, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Air Canada Centre.
Bob also served as Director of the Central Core and Waterfront Division of the former Toronto Planning and Development Department, Director of Planning for the Toronto Housing Department, Director of Planning for Staten Island, New York City, and other positions within the New York City Department of Planning and Development.
A long-time member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, in 2007 Bob was elevated to Fellow status (FCIP) - the highest honour that can be bestowed by the Institute - in recognition of his outstanding career which, in the words of the Institute, has seen achievements with “professional implications Canada-wide and beyond.” Bob is also a Full Member of the Washington, DC based Urban Land Institute (ULI) and an active contributor to the Toronto Board of Trade where he is a member of the Infrastructure Committee and a past Chair of the Planning and Development Committee.
Bob holds a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from New York University and a BA from the University of Rochester, N.Y.
One of the busiest consultants in Toronto, it only seems like Bob is everywhere at once. In fact, he does actually have a personal life outside of his varied business activities, which he spends with his wife and family, both in and around Toronto and on their varied travels together as accomplished and enthusiastic urban explorers.
Sandy Somers
416.363.8900 x227
sandy@mccracken-partners.com
An executive search generalist with a strong personal background in Sales, Marketing and General Management, Sandy's search focus is to help CEOs, other "C" level executives and their direct reports recruit the best available talent to their results-focused executive teams.
Prior to entering the executive search industry, Sandy was a successful and broadly experienced executive in the packaged goods industry. His last corporate position, as a divisional President of Canada's largest producer and marketer of wine and related products, capped a 25-year career of progressively senior roles with such well-known and highly regarded organizations as Campbell Soup Company Limited, Canada Bread Company Limited, Parmalat Canada and Vincor International Inc. Within each of these organizations, Sandy led business turn-arounds and managed corporate and divisional mergers, integrations and restructurings, all the while building strong management teams committed to achieving outstanding results.
Sandy's strategic insight and extensive corporate background provide him with a unique perspective on the challenges involved in building winning teams, as well as in identifying the necessary ingredients for business success.
Sandy holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario. He currently serves as Vice Chair of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto, having been active in that movement since 1996 and, over the course of his career, has actively served on a number of committees within various industry associations.
Born, raised and still residing in North Toronto, Sandy lives with his wife, Gill, their two daughters, Andrea and Kate, and their Golden Retriever, Tucker. In his spare time, Sandy can often be found pursuing his love of the outdoors on the ski hills of Collingwood, the bicycle trails of Toronto, or the green grass of the Toronto Golf Club.