Home - Minority Executive Search International

Matching leaders with organizations so you can achieve your big goals.

WE BELIEVE IN YOUR SUCCESS.

You need leaders who can navigate our dynamic world.

Our experts bring training in Change Management; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Oppression; Leadership Development; Succession Planning; and Board Governance.

Our Mission is to build high performance leadership and management teams that produce staunch, sustainable world class results for our clients in all private and public sector organizations—with agility, resilience, empathy and energy.

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Our goal is to use our unique platform to attract the top Executive Search and Talent experts from locations around the world.

We continue to build industry best practices. And, enable other top professionals to help serve growing organizations around the globe.

Our team identifies, attracts, acquires, retains and develops world class talent.

We help organizations recruit and select leaders who create environments where everyone, from any background, can do their best work—- be their best selves.

Minority Executive Search International is a joint venture of Minority Executive Search (est 1985) created by a group of the most experienced and successful Executive Search Consultants, in North America.

Meet the Principals and Partners who have over thirty years of experience in the leadership and talent industries:

R. David Kinley

Chief Executive Officer
Bluenose & Company

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Dave started his career as an entrepreneur in the medical imaging field. After a successful run leading the growth of a new division at the beginning of the technology ramp up, Dave was recruited by the largest technology search firm in the world, based in the US. After taking on the role as CEO of Canada and a Managing Partner, Dave made a name for himself identifying and acquiring the predictable, high performing leadership needed by growth companies to support their scale and driving incredible value creation. After being voted to the Board of the Company by his Partners, he spent a few more years building a deep set of experiences and relationships in Palo Alto, Boston, NYC and Toronto.

Always stricken by the entrepreneurial bug and armed with a wealth of empathy and experience coaching, developing and supporting growing CEO's, he took VC investment of his own and launched his own Search firm. He has now built three different firms for himself, his investors and Partners, ranging from $5-$12 million in revenue and 35 employees. He played a major role in one of the most successful growth companies to ever grow out of the Stanford Alumni network placing 30 executives and supporting their successful growth to North of $7 Billion in Revenue.

Dave now focuses his efforts on helping fellow CEOs build the talented teams needed to grow, scale, perform and execute on M&A strategies. He has particular depth in recurring revenue models, SaaS, Digital Health, Clean Tech, Fintech and broader technology solutions. He is passionate about technology and innovation in Canada; acting as an advocate, involving himself early on as a Commercialization Committee Member at Roberts Research Institute, Advisory Board Member to a VC Fund, Advisor to the Board and CEO of MaRS, and is Certified in Board Governance. He is a Graduate of Dalhousie University.

Eral Burks

Founder & Owner (est 1985)
Minority Executive Search

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Eral Burks, Founder, Owner & CEO, established Minority Executive Search, a Cleveland based company in 1985. In 2021, he co-founded Minority Executive Search International of which he is currently a partner.

Minority Executive Search provides nationwide professional and executive level recruiting across most industries and competencies with a diverse focus. His mission is to offer maximum choice and flexibility while taking the initiative to develop a clear understanding of the client's needs.
Mr. Burks has a vision to assist under-represented minority professionals in their quest to seek career opportunities amongst the top Fortune 500 companies. He has been successful in establishing on-going relationships with Amazon, Cummins, WL Gore, Amgen Pharm, Stanley, Black&Decker, Gilead, Cox Communications, Verizon, Chrysler, General Electric, Microsoft, Kraft Foods, Prudential, Kimberly Clark, Toyota, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nationwide Insurance, Sherwin Williams, PNC Bank, WellsFargo, Scott's Miracle Gro, IBM and Coca Cola to name a few.

In each assignment undertaken he has a clear focus on the client's expectations making certain it mirrors that of the candidate. His ideology has made it possible for him to place candidates in various positions.

He is committed to the need to diversify the workplace. His forward thinking philosophy has been published in such renowned publications as Black Enterprise, Ebony and CFO Magazine. He has participated on diversity issue panels for companies and conferences such as National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), National Association of Black MBA (NBMBA), and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA). He is also a Certified MBE from Northern Ohio Minority Business Council, President Councils Emerging Entrepreneurs and an active member of 100 Black Men of America. BA Degree from Dyke College, Attended the Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth and also graduated from The Diversity Center of NEO 2014 class.
"My personal commitment is to see the professional individual align their education, work experience, and career desires with the demands of Corporate America. I intend to do this by taking the qualified individual and bringing him/her within the reach of our corporate clients who may not fully be aware of the diverse pool of professional/executive talents which exists in today's job market."

Heather Connelly

Partner
Bluenose & Company

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Heather is one of North America's most respected leadership search executives.
Heather brings over 30 years of executive search and consulting experience throughout the broader public and non-profit sectors across Canada. Heather is one of North America's most respected leadership search executives.

Known for her "high-touch" style in her relationships with clients and candidates, Heather has spent much of her career dealing with the complex processes associated with leadership transition at the senior executive and board level. Heather has a high level of expertise in the broader public sector (not-for-profit organizations/charities, universities, colleges, school boards, regulatory bodies, municipalities, crown corporations and healthcare organizations. She is a former Partner with KPMG, Heidrick & Struggles (Head of Not-For-Profit Practice), and Caldwell Partners.

Heather is the former Chair of the Learning Partnership (a partnership between public education and business, nine years), a past member of the Board of Directors of the Change Foundation (Ontario Hospital Association - eight years), past Board member of the Council for Canadian Unity, the National Ballet School, and a past member of the VON Ontario Board of Directors (9 years).

She is a former Coach with the Not-for-Profit Executive Director Institute co-sponsored by York University and the Maytree Foundation. She is currently on the Board of the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) where she chairs the Management Resources Committees having also chaired the Governance Committee of POGO.

She is the founder of the 30% Club in Canada to advance more women on publicly listed corporations, crown corporations, large charities and private sector corporations. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada.

Heather is a graduate in Education from Dalhousie University and has lived and worked across Canada - Nova Scotia, Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Quebec, and Ontario.

The War For Talent has stayed in Boardroom discussions since even before McKinsey’s landmark study on the War For Talent in 2000.

Issues that have driven this war to new heights; COVID-19, globalization, advancing technology, EDI, Anti Oppression, changing demographics, and modern working relationships, are at the centre of skills and experiences of our team.

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A Selection of Companies We've Worked With

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We’d love to talk with you if you’re a firm with a big goals. We can help you get the right leadership team in place.

We’d love to hear from you if you are resilient, innovative and unique and are interested in a job opportunity.

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