Amity Search Partners

Your Search Begins With Us

We are an executive search firm dedicated to serving
the global recruiting needs of industry-leading investment firms.

Our Expertise

Expertise

Collectively, the Amity Search Partners team is responsible for having placed thousands of
professionals into top asset managers and high-growth companies.

Private Equity

Private Equity

Growth Equity & Venture Capital

Growth Equity & Venture Capital

Family Office

Family Office

Hedge Funds

Hedge Funds

Real Estate

Real Estate

Investor Relations & Business Development

Investor Relations & Business Development

Capital Markets

Capital Markets

Credit

Credit

Alternative Asset Managers

Alternative Asset Managers

Portfolio Company / Corporate

Portfolio Company / Corporate

U.S. Coverage

U.S. Coverage

Amity Office Amity Office
In-person Candidate Meetings In-person Candidate Meetings
Candidate Placements Candidate Placements

Amity's Global Reach

Amity's Global Reach

In-person Candidate Meetings In-person Candidate Meetings
Candidate Placements Candidate Placements

Approach

Smart,
Organized
& Strategic

Amity searches out top performing investment professionals – at every career level – in an effort to form lasting and productive partnerships with premier investment management firms around the world. Drawing upon our team’s collective industry experience, insight, and network of relationships, Amity identifies and cultivates the intellectual and professional resources necessary to meet and exceed expectations.

We seek to build long-term relationships with buy-side clients and candidates around the world, with the understanding that these relationships form the foundation of a best-in-class search firm. Guided by this principle, we have developed a truly team-oriented approach to placement wherein the entire team is dedicated to finding the right candidate for the position. We offer a tailored approach and partner with our clients to create lasting business solutions.

Our ability to build these long-term relationships is rooted in our deep industry experience in search as well as experience within the industries we serve. The senior members of the Amity team each have experience in the private equity, hedge fund, or asset management industries, allowing us to understand the nuances of what makes a successful placement within these specialized fields. Amity offers smart, organized, and strategic solutions to complicated and competitive processes, with a focus on making productive and enduring connections between the right people.

Founded In
1900
 

Experienced Team of
0
Professionals

Placed Over
0
Candidates

Placements in
0+
Cities Worldwide

 

Strategy:

  • Long-term relationship-driven
  • Team-oriented
  • Focus on measurable results and continuous improvement
  • Tailored, consultative approach

Edge:

  • Women-owned and women-led executive search firm with a proven track record
  • Outstanding team with extensive recruiting and investing experience
  • Passion for what we do
  • Reputation of integrity and professionalism

Clients

Our clients are a diverse group in terms of geography, strategy and culture and include:

Diversity

Amity has extensive experience translating client-specific
diversity priorities into inclusive recruiting processes.
 

Demonstrated success by our all-female team in implementing strategies for our clients seeking to attract diverse talent at all levels

Amity participation in and/or sponsorship of industry accessibility nonprofits and conferences:

Team

Pamela Hickory Esterson
Founding Partner & CEO
Florida

Pamela Hickory Esterson

Founding Partner & CEO
Florida

Pam is a Founding Partner & CEO of Amity Search Partners. With over three decades of experience in the private equity and investment management space – initially as an investment professional and subsequently as an advisor, Pam counsels alternative-asset firms on their recruiting and talent needs. Prior to executive search, Pam spent four years executing senior debt and mezzanine loans at Prudential Capital Group in New York where she also led the firm’s MBA recruiting team. Pam began her career in finance at Allied Capital in Washington, D.C. Pam graduated from Trinity College with a B.A. in Political Science. She also earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. Pam, who was raised a US Air Force brat, currently resides in Palm Beach, Florida.

Susanna Nichols
Founding Partner
New York

Susanna Nichols

Founding Partner
New York

Susanna is a Founding Partner of Amity Search Partners. With over three decades of experience in the private equity and investment management space – initially as an investment professional and subsequently as an advisor, Susanna counsels alternative-asset firms on their recruiting and talent needs. Prior to launching her recruiting career, Susanna was a Vice President at J.H. Whitney & Co. in the Mezzanine Investment Group. Susanna also has previous corporate finance and banking experience with Brown Brothers Harriman, NBD and Irving Trust. Susanna graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. Susanna lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Katherine Barrette
Associate
New York

Katherine Barrette

Associate
New York

Katherine joined Amity Search Partners in 2021 and is an Associate in our New York office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidates sourcing and communication, and scheduling. She received a B.A. in English from College of the Holy Cross. Katherine is originally from Medfield, Massachusetts.

Omaira Brightman
Partner
Texas

Omaira Brightman

Partner
Texas

Omaira joined Amity Search Partners in our San Francisco office in 2012 and is a Partner currently based in Austin. Omaira has over 15 years of experience in finance and private equity – initially as an investment banker and private equity investor and subsequently as a recruiter, where she executes private equity, hedge fund, and asset manager searches at all seniority levels. Prior to joining Amity, Omaira was an investment professional at two firms, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Kohlberg & Company. During her tenure at THL and Kohlberg, Omaira helped evaluate, execute and monitor investments in the business services, consumer/retail, healthcare, manufacturing and publishing industries. She began her career as an investment banking analyst in the industrial group at Lehman Brothers in New York. At Lehman, in addition to serving as the analyst team leader for Duke recruiting and serving on firm outreach programs to business schools and SEO groups, Omaira led multiple modules for Lehman's U.S. analyst and associate training. Omaira graduated from Duke University with a B.S.E. double-major in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering and a Certificate in Markets and Management Studies. Omaira grew up in Miami Beach, Florida and is originally from Venezuela. Omaira is fluent in Spanish.

Sara Burpeau
Associate
New York

Sara Burpeau

Associate
New York

Sara joined Amity Search Partners in 2022 and is an Associate in our New York office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidate sourcing and communication, and scheduling. She received a B.S. double-major in Statistical Science and Psychology from Duke University. Sara is an alumna of The Kinkaid School and is originally from Houston, Texas.

Maggie Caputi
Vice President
New York

Maggie Caputi

Vice President
New York

Maggie joined Amity Search Partners in 2018 and is a Vice President in our New York office after spending two years in our San Francisco office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidate sourcing and evaluation and client communication. Previously, Maggie worked in account management at Wayfair, a home goods e-commerce company based in Boston. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Middlebury College, where she was a member of the women’s varsity lacrosse team. Maggie is an alumna of Holderness School and is originally from Brunswick, Maine.

Savrana Gayadin
Associate
New York

Savrana Gayadin

Associate
New York

Savrana joined Amity Search Partners in 2024 as an Associate in our New York office.  In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidate sourcing and communication, and scheduling.  Previously, Savrana worked in investment banking at Piper Sandler in the FIG Group.  She received a B.B.A. in Accountancy and an M.S. in Finance from Baruch College.  Savrana is an alumna of Bard High School Early College Queens and is originally from New York, New York.

Hilary Wilson Hurley
Principal
New York

Hilary Wilson Hurley

Principal
New York

Hilary joined Amity Search Partners in 2013 and is a Principal in our New York office. She has experience working on a range of sectors, including consumer, healthcare, industrials and TMT, and has led a variety of engagements across platforms, including private equity funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, corporates, and family offices. Hilary has experience working on both Amity’s senior level mandates as well as pre-MBA searches. She was recently named as one of the rising stars of Wall Street headhunting by Business Insider. Hilary received an A.B. in History from Princeton University and is an alumna of Bryn Mawr School. Hilary is originally from Baltimore, Maryland.

Risa Kaplan
Principal
New York/Florida

Risa Kaplan

Principal
New York/Florida

Risa joined Amity Search Partners in 2020 and is a Principal splitting her time between our New York and South Florida offices. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including candidate evaluation, search implementation and client management. Previously, Risa worked as a TV news reporter and communications professional, most recently as the Director of Communications for a fraternal organization. She received a Bachelor of Journalism with a minor in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin. Risa is originally from Parkland, Florida.

Stacy Levine
Partner
New York

Stacy Levine

Partner
New York

Stacy joined Amity Search Partners at its inception and is a Partner in our New York office. Stacy has over 15 years of private equity and hedge fund recruiting experience placing candidates at all levels in North America and key international markets. Stacy has spoken on panels at various conferences including the SEO Alternative Investments Conference and the Women’s Private Equity Bootcamp. Prior to beginning her career in recruiting, Stacy was a teacher and athletic coach at Greenwich Academy and The Waterside School. Stacy graduated from The George Washington University with a B.A. in Spanish Literature and holds a Master’s degree in Education from Manhattanville College. She is also an alumna of Hopkins School. Stacy is originally from Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Audrey O’Byrne
Recruiter
New York

Audrey O’Byrne

Recruiter
New York

Audrey joined Amity Search Partners in 2020 after being a summer intern and is currently a Recruiter in our New York office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including candidate evaluation, search implementation, and communication. She received a B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College and is an alumna of Convent of the Sacred Heart. Audrey is originally from New York City.

Joelle Rauh
Managing Director
Texas

Joelle Rauh

Managing Director
Texas

Joelle joined Amity Search Partners in 2019 in our San Francisco office and is a Managing Director currently based in Austin. Joelle has over 15 years of finance, corporate development and management experience. She began her career at JPMorgan in the TMT sector. She then moved into corporate development and strategy, holding such positions at The Walt Disney Company, Comcast and Yahoo!. More recently, Joelle founded Wagfield, a pet tech startup. Joelle also founded Princeton Alumni Angels, an investment network dedicated to engaging alumni and broadening the Princeton entrepreneurship ecosystem. Joelle graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Anthropology and a minor focus in Economics. She received her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. Joelle is originally from Kelowna, British Columbia.

Maggie Sachvie
Principal
New York

Maggie Sachvie

Principal
New York

Maggie joined Amity Search Partners in 2014 and is a Principal in our New York office. In addition to private equity searches, she has worked on many of Amity’s credit, hedge fund, growth/venture, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and corporate mandates across a range of sectors including consumer, healthcare, industrials and TMT. Maggie has experience working on both Amity’s senior level mandates as well as pre-MBA searches. She received a B.S. in Media Communications from Cornell University and was captain of the women’s varsity squash team. Maggie is an alumna of Choate Rosemary Hall and is originally from Locust Valley, New York.

Weatherly Saunders
Vice President
New York

Weatherly Saunders

Vice President
New York

Weatherly joined Amity Search Partners in 2018 and is a Vice President in our New York office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidate sourcing and communication, and scheduling. She received a B.A. in History from Trinity College and is an alumna of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Weatherly is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Danielle Schickele
Vice President
California

Danielle Schickele

Vice President
California

Danielle joined Amity Search Partners in 2018 and is a Vice President in our San Francisco office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidate sourcing and evaluation,  and client communication. Previously, she worked on the attorney recruiting teams of two global law firms, most recently at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. Danielle received a B.A. in Cognitive Science with a minor in Economics from Pomona College, where she was a member of the Pomona College Choir and Glee Club. Danielle is originally from Davis, California.

Marian Skelly
Managing Director
California

Marian Skelly

Managing Director
California

Marian joined Amity Search Partners in 2021 and is a Managing Director in our San Francisco office. Marian has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, with a focus on investor relations and operations. Prior to joining Amity, Marian was a Vice President of Investor Relations at Third Point, an institutional investment manager that employs an event-driven, opportunistic strategy. From 2016 to 2018, Marian was an Investor Relations Associate at Archer Capital Management, an event-driven fund, where she led the operational due diligence effort for the firm. She began her career at Oppenheimer & Co. in the Private Equity and Special Investments group, where she managed the day-to-day investor operations of various proprietary funds including an activist fund of funds, a solar-focused fund, a peer-to-peer lending focused fund, and three real estate funds. Marian received a B.A. in History from Trinity College and is an alumna of Kent School. Marian is originally from Westchester County, New York.

Meredith Whitman
Associate
New York

Meredith Whitman

Associate
New York

Meredith joined Amity Search Partners in 2022 and is an Associate in our New York office after spending a year in our San Francisco office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidates sourcing and communication, and scheduling. She received a B.A. in History and Global Studies from Colby College. Meredith is originally from Nashville, Tennessee.

Isabelle Yonce
Associate
New York

Isabelle Yonce

Associate
New York

Isabelle joined Amity Search Partners in 2023 after being a summer intern and is currently an Associate in our New York office. In this role, she is actively involved in all aspects of search execution including research, candidate sourcing and communication, and scheduling. She received a B.A. in Art History from Trinity College. Isabelle is an alumna of St. Paul’s School and is originally from South Hamilton, Massachusetts.