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John F. Salveson

Co-Founder and Principal

Salveson Stetson Group

John Salveson Headshot

John Salveson is a successful entrepreneur, business leader and board director with expert knowledge of human capital management, leadership transition and succession, business strategy, and governance. John has more than 30 years of experience in professional services, assisting a broad range of clients from diverse industry sectors. He serves as a trusted advisor to business owners, senior executives, investors, and board directors, helping them create shareholder and stakeholder value through the effective combination of business and organizational strategy and talent.

John is Co-Founder and Principal of Salveson Stetson Group, Inc. (SSG), a firm dedicated to helping organizations attract and retain talent. SSG is a multi-specialty practice, focused on retained executive search in human resources, sales and marketing, finance, and general management. From its start in mid-1996, SSG has sustained rapid growth and is currently ranked 19th on Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms. SSG is a member of IIC Partners, one of the top ten retained executive search groups in the world with 53 offices in 35 countries. SSG’s clients range from Fortune 50 companies to private small and mid-sized firms. Since its founding, SSG has performed successful executive search assignments for more than 150 companies in the United States and Europe. Industry specializations include pharmaceuticals, wholesale distribution, distributed services, healthcare, non-profit, manufacturing, and business/professional services. Search assignments include Board Directors, President/CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CIO and other senior level executive positions. John is also President of Salveson Leadership Advisors, LLC. In this role, he works with non-profit CEOs and their boards on issues related to strategy, governance, and organization effectiveness.

Through his leadership roles with several large non-profit organizations, John has recruited and developed executives and board members and served as a subject matter expert on human resources, talent management, governance, succession planning, executive coaching, and organization development. During his ten years as a Board Member, Vice Chairman and Member of the Executive Committee for The Philadelphia Orchestra, he played a critical role in the search for two CEOs, the transition to a new Board Chair, and helped manage a host of issues related to the Orchestra’s transition into and out of bankruptcy. Currently, John serves as Chairman for two major Philadelphia Region non-profit organizations. WHYY is the region’s largest public broadcaster, with a national reputation for innovation and excellence. United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is a nearly 100-year-old institution dedicated to ending intergenerational poverty. John recently served as the Chair of the Governance Review Task Force for United Way, helping to reinvent and rejuvenate this indispensable organization. In the for-profit sector, John serves as a Director at Bellrock Intelligence, an early stage company focused on the social determinants of health.

John is also the Founder and President of the Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse, Inc. (FACSA). He has been a frequent public speaker on the issue of child sexual abuse and has received international print, radio, and television coverage in his role as an advocate.

John holds both Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Notre Dame. He received the 2015 Eleanor H. Raynolds Award, given annually to an executive search professional who combines excellence in search with a strong commitment to volunteerism.