The Team
Brian McGowan
Managing Partner
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With over two decades of consumer goods and executive search experience, Brian McGowan’s approach to consulting consists of helping clients think through solution alternative to achieving their vision and delivering the leadership teams capable of making an immediate and sustainable impact. His clients range from Fortune 50 market leaders to equity-back growth companies. He has completed over 250 executive search assignments.
Prior to founding Aquinas Search Partners, Mr. McGowan was a partner and consultant with two other global executive search firms. He has led search projects on a global basis and offers well developed senior management expertise across consumer oriented businesses, healthcare, and industrial markets.
Before entering executive search, Mr. McGowan acquired his marketing and business development expertise in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings. He spent 14 years in the consumer packaged goods industry at The Coca-Cola Company and Campbell Soup Company, where he developed a strong reputation for identifying and creating new business ventures, products, and channels. Additionally, he has built and commercialized two successful start-up companies.
Mr. McGowan is an active author and contributing speaker focusing his topics towards the needs of aspiring career minded executives. He has a M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor’s degree from Grove City College. Mr. McGowan and his wife, Christine, reside in Atlanta with their five young sons.
Jeffrey A. Neppl
Managing Partner
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Prior to leading Aquinas Search Partners, Jeffrey A. Neppl was a partner with another retained executive search firm where he led the Consumer and Technology practice areas. He specializes in “C” level, officer, and Board of Director searches for public and private clients in the areas of operations, technology, sales, marketing and business development.
Throughout his career Mr. Neppl has a proven track record of attracting key leadership talent and developing high performance work team environments. Most recently he served as CEO of Recordant, a venture capital backed company pioneering an $8 Billion market in capturing and analyzing face to face communication. He successfully led the company from start up through two successful venture capital funding rounds. Prior to Recordant, he served as CCO of The Evercare Company, a private equity backed consumer products company based in Alpharetta. He also served as EVP of Purchasepro leading one of the five most successful IPOs of 1999.
Mr. Neppl has served in senior roles in some of the most respected consumer oriented companies in the world including Managing Director of Field Sales and Marketing for Coca-Cola, Vice President of Sales for Campbell Soup and numerous roles of increasing responsibility for Procter and Gamble. With a broad range of experience ranging from Fortune 50 to successfully leading startups and new businesses across numerous industries Mr. Neppl leverages the knowledge and experience of these diverse roles to assist our clients in building world class organizations.
In addition to serving on corporate boards, Mr. Neppl has served on the boards of Catholic Charities, Students in Free Enterprise, Ezekiel 22, and the advisory board of Catholics Come Home. He earned a degree in marketing from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Mr. Neppl and his wife, Susan, reside in John’s Creek with their two teenage children.
Clinton S. Browning
Partner
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Clinton S. Browning is a key member of the firm’s financial services and insurance practice and leads our sports industry slate of offerings. Mr. Browning offers clients and the markets he serves front-line exposure to the realities and nuances of identifying and delivering best-in-class talent. Mr. Browning has conducted senior-level executive search and consulting assignments for clients across a broad range of industries including insurance, financial services, banking, health services, collegiate and professional sports, professional services, consumer products and manufacturing.
Prior to joining the Aquinas team, Mr. Browning functioned as managing director and owner of the Atlanta office within the Sanford Rose Associates network, was an EVP with DHR International, and a Senior Associate with Korn/Ferry International where he held the responsibility of global associate lead in the firm. Mr. Browning has played a significant role in launching strategic internal initiatives to enhance the overall client experience and guiding the enhancement of the diversity platform on a global scale. Prior to Korn/Ferry, he worked with a boutique executive search firm in a business development capacity driving growth in all sectors, with emphasis on diversity. Later, with Ajilon, he led executive search teams in the southeastern United States.
A native of Atlanta, Mr. Browning is an alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley where he played football for the California Golden Bears and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance.
Mr. Browning’s honors, recognitions, and memberships include:
Published weekly on Examiner.com specific to career related issues
Mentor – Brown University Investment Club
Featured speaker University of Georgia: Business School panelist “Preparing for the C Suite”
Featured speaker University of Georgia: Transition and Career Management
Past Board Member ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Organization
Member – the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Michael Donahue
Director, Service Delivery
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Michael Donahue joined Aquinas in July 2010 as Manager of Service Delivery. In September 2011, he was promoted to Director of Service Delivery. With 16 years in executive search, he has completed approximately 190 assignments in the fields of accounting/finance, marketing, sales, operations and supply chain management for positions including staff accountant to the C-suite.
Previously, Donahue worked with a global executive search firm playing a significant role in the completion of two of the most successful large-scale recruitment process outsourcing projects in the firm’s history. He also served as senior consultant on high-level search assignments for industry leaders such as Walmart and UPS.
He is a graduate of Tulane University with a BS in Management, in addition to an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta School. Donahue lives in Buckhead and enjoys Crossfit, cooking on his Big Green Egg, and traveling when he is not working.
Justin Seymour
Principal
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Justin Seymour conducts executive search assignments at Aquinas Search Partners nationwide and overseas for Fortune 500 clients, as well as small-medium enterprises. Mr. Seymour works in multiple industries with a specialty focus in telecom/mobility and consumer products.
Prior to joining Aquinas in 2011, Mr. Seymour managed his own executive search firm. He has also consulted on searches with Perimeter Search Group, a leading boutique firm in consumer packaged goods. His clients have included Nintendo, Belden, Novelis, Georgia-Pacific and TE Connectivity.
Before entering executive search, Mr. Seymour enjoyed a 15 year career in sales and marketing. He was Head of Sales for Viscom International/BEST Mexico brands and negotiated advertising sponsorships for Turner Broadcasting System-Latin America.
Mr. Seymour holds a BA in advertising and marketing from the University of Central Oklahoma. He served for three years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer working on community agriculture projects in Bolivia, South America, and is fluent in Spanish and conversational in Portuguese. Mr. Seymour is a past President and Chairman Emeritus of the Atlanta Junior Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife Christine reside in Avondale Estates.