Director

Sarah J. Mitchell

Sarah Mitchell has more than 20 years of recruiting experience, the majority of which have been with The Alexander Group. As a member of the San Francisco office, she focuses on legal, marketing, human resources, finance and information technology leadership positions across a broad range of industries, with an emphasis on life sciences, professional services and not-for-profits.

Ms. Mitchell has also worked in-house as a recruiter for Amazon.com in Seattle. When she’s not busy finding top talent for our clients’ most critical positions, she can be found on a hike in the Berkeley hills with her husband, in a yoga or Pilates studio, or on stage as a theater actor.

"We are a small firm with a hands-on approach and commitment to excellence and ethics. When you engage The Alexander Group on a search, you get a true team member and partner."

Education

  • Rice University

    Bachelor of Arts, Political Science

Industry Experience

Legal and Professional Services
Life Sciences and Healthcare
Not-for-profit
Insurance
Medical Aesthetics
Real Estate
Food and Beverage
Energy

What do you think differentiates The Alexander Group from other executive search firms?

Our resilience and creativity in the face of a challenging search. Yes, we have a rich of exceptional executive leaders across diverse industries who can either be the right candidate or lead us to the right candidate for our client’s executive role. However, our research-based approach means that there is always another way to solve the problem when the network is exhausted. We will calibrate, we will brainstorm, and we will reframe until we are successful with our client.

What’s the highest compliment a client can give you?

Giving me their trust. That starts with engaging in a search in the first place – that takes trust. I don’t take that for granted! When they trust me to think about a search differently and/or consider a candidate that they didn’t initially think fit the profile. When they trust me by coming back for another project.

What do you love about your work?

Having impact! That impact can be as significant as helping a client company reach new heights because we helped them hire the right leader for a critical role, or as small as making someone laugh on a tough day. And what a thrill to see executive teams enjoying working together successfully over years (sometimes decades!) knowing that I played the matchmaker role for them long ago. It always goes back to relationships.

Recent Articles

Six Things To Consider When Contemplating a Board Seat

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is “How do I get on a corporate board if I’m not already on a board?” The hardest board will be your first board. Here is what you need to know. 1) The Process Is Different than Applying for a Full Time Position A board seat

Is an Industry Outsider Right for your Organization?

Looking Outside the Box for Your Inner Circle “We want someone who can think outside the box.” As a well-worn business cliché, this phrase elicits groans from hiring executives and recruiters alike. But considering the competitiveness of the executive talent market, driven by the lowest unemployment rate since 1969—along with increasing awareness of the need for

Hello, I’m the Internal Candidate…Remember Me?

A few years ago, we received an email from an internal candidate we’d interviewed for a client: “John, you and I met over a year ago during the course of my firm’s Chief Financial Officer search, where I was the internal candidate. While I was not chosen for the position, you communicated often during the