Experience & Expertise:
Sandra brings 30 years of executive search experience across nonprofit and private sectors. She leads every search personally, providing clarity, insight, and a candid advisory approach.
Career Path
Sandra Paquette began her career in the charity and not-for-profit sector, spending seven years working inside mission-driven organizations before moving into executive search. Early in her search career, she trained at two of Canada’s leading firms, where she developed a rigorous foundation in executive search methodology, assessment, and advisory work that continues to shape her practice today.
Over the next eight years, Sandra led and supported senior-level searches across the private sector, working with organizations in finance, manufacturing, retail, professional services, and consulting. This experience sharpened her ability to operate in complex environments, navigate competitive talent markets, and assess leadership performance at a high level.
Her work has spanned CEO and principal roles through to functional and operational leaders across marketing, finance, communications, operations, human resources, and manufacturing. As a result, she brings a nuanced understanding of how private-sector leaders think, perform, and make career decisions.
Sandra later returned to mission-driven executive search, bringing with her the discipline, judgment, and perspective of senior private-sector recruiting. Today, she partners with charities and nonprofits to recruit exceptional leaders, particularly when organizations are seeking to attract talent from outside the sector.
Her current focus includes healthcare, education, environment, arts and culture, and social impact organizations—bringing private-sector rigour to work that truly matters.
Approach:
Known for her tenacity, judgment, and listening skills, Sandra treats each search as a partnership. She works closely with boards, CEOs, and candidates to ensure alignment, impact, and long-term fit.