David P. Francis

Dave Francis graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and completed an active duty assignment as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He received his MBA degree from Harvard Business School and joined a California-based electronics firm as Manufacturing Manager. Dave subsequently spent ten years with General Electric where he started a technical venture activity, was Vice President of GE's venture capital operation working with emerging new technology companies and served on Boards of Directors of twelve G.E. investments. He was General Manager of GE Capital's Residential Financing Division, a major consumer financing operation, prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles in 1981 in New York.

In over 20 years with Heidrick & Struggles, Dave completed a large number of senior level assignments for both technology-based and industrial companies including CEO and COO positions for public as well as private and family-owned firms. He has also completed a significant number of CFO, CIO, and other senior level management assignments. He was a Senior Partner of the firm, was formerly the Managing Partner of the New York office and was a founding member of the International Technology and Industrial Practices.

His clients have included Airgas, America Online, AmeriSource, Berwind Group, Black and Decker, Ford, ITT Industries, Eastman Kodak, Nextel, Philips Electronics, Ryder System and Sony Corporation. In addition to larger corporate clients, he has worked for a number of smaller companies and venture capital-backed firms such as election.com, Intermagnetics General, Telespectrum Worldwide and Ultralife Batteries.

Dave was profiled as one of the country's top executive recruiters in the 1995 edition of The New Career Makers, a Harper Collins book.