James Dell'Olio
Co-Managing Partner

Prior to founding SIGHTHOUND in 2020, James spent 18 years at Ferguson Partners, where he served as the firm's President for 14 years. He opened and ran Ferguson's New York office in 2001 and London office in 2006. In his years at Ferguson, he spearheaded the growth of the New York business and positioned the firm as the leading player in the New York and London markets. Although a generalist who has worked across all segments of the real estate industry, James' particular focus is real estate investment management and private equity, family offices, commercial real estate lending and capital markets, REITs, real estate securities, New York owner/operators, development and construction. James graduated with BA with high honors from Vassar College and earned Maguire Fellowship for two years of study in Europe. He then went on to earn an MA magna cum laude from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.

James lives in Greenwich Village with his wife Yoko and their daughter Miyu. He also begrudgingly lives with Peanut, a very naughty labradoodle who has a taste for Italian leather shoes.

Shabnam Boettle
Co-Managing Partner

Before joining SIGHTHOUND in 2020, Shabnam was Founder of Scale Recruiting, a boutique real estate executive search and advisory firm. Prior to Scale, she was Managing Partner at Sousou Partners, with responsibility for the firm’s real estate practice across North America. Before that, Shabnam spent over 17 years in the financial services industry, as Head of Global Research at Coleman Research Group and Founder and President of HCRC. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and MS/BS degrees from American University.

Shabnam lives in Manhattan with her husband Greg and two daughters. To help balance out the family with another male member, they have a cheeky longhaired miniature dachshund named Finnegan.

George Gilmartin
Partner

George has over 25 years of executive search experience and has specialized in the commercial real estate space for the past fifteen. His background includes broad coverage working on senior and mid-level executive assignments in real estate financial services and with owner/operator/developers and private ownership and corporate real estate. Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND, he spent five years as a Managing Consultant as a senior member of the Korn Ferry team in New York. Earlier work includes nine years with Ferguson Partners working on senior real estate assignments with diverse clients. George earned his B.S. Economics from Fordham University.

George is a native New Yorker and resides in the Hudson Valley. He enjoys the outdoors and hiking the Appalachian Trail and he’s known for his love of language, puns, and trivia.

Emma Neef
Managing Principal

Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND Search Partners, Emma was an Associate at SG Partners in New York, where she focused on search for private equity and financial services clients. Emma has a BA in Psychology from the University of Calgary and a post-graduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Ryerson University in Toronto.

Emma lives in Manhattan and when she is not searching for new restaurants or recipes, she is spending time with her Italian Greyhound, Grappa.

Chris Clarey
Principal

Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND Search Partners, Chris was a Director at Ferguson Partners in New York where his focus was executive search within all areas of real assets including development, investment, construction, and infrastructure. Prior to joining Ferguson Partners, Chris worked as a Consultant with two major international search firms in Heidrick & Struggles and Korn Ferry. Chris earned his BBA from the University of Mississippi along with a Minor in Mandarin.

Chris lives in Houston with his wife Alex and two kids, Logan and Chase. He likes to stay active with his family and friends in his spare time and they especially enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, be it swimming, pickleball, or golf.

Zach Skypeck
Principal

Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND Search Partners, Zach was an Associate at Options Group in New York where he focused on search for alternative credit investment professionals across real estate, structured products, and corporate debt. Before this, Zach started his career as an Analyst at a Goldsmith & Co. in New York. Zach has a BA in History from Columbia University.

Zach lives in Brooklyn and spends his free time raising his mini goldendoodle puppy, searching for the next best concert to attend, or brushing up on his 20th century world history.

Mike Zadlo
Principal

Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND Search Partners, Mike was a Senior Associate with major international search firm Korn Ferry and started his career focused on Life Sciences recruitment with Planet Pharma in Chicago, IL. Mike earned both his MS and BS in Neuroscience from Tulane University

A native Chicagoan, Mike now lives in Manhattan and spends his free time finding new live music shows and concerts to attend or enjoying new films in theaters.

Ryan Stoudt
Principal, Research

Ryan has a decade of executive search experience as a research specialist, covering the traditional, alternative, and real estate investment management industries. Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND, he was Director of Research at a well-known boutique, and previously was a Vice President in Ferguson Partners executive search practice in New York. Ryan holds an MA from The New School and a BA from Indiana University - Bloomington.

When he’s not in the office, you can find him in pursuit of a good iced coffee or catering to the needs of his fun-loving poodle, Brenda.

Maureen A. Doane
Principal, Operations

Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND in 2020, Maureen worked at Ferguson Partners as Office Manager and assisted with search logistics. Prior to joining Ferguson Partners in 2009, Maureen was Head of Investor Relations at Loeb Partners where she assisted in raising $1.5 billion for the Loeb Arbitrage Fund. She began her career in the United States as an Administrative Assistant and subsequently Manager of the Radiology Department at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Maureen holds an MBA in Finance and a BBA degree in Human Resources, Organizational Behavior from Bernard Baruch College.

Maureen is a resident of Tarrytown, New York and a sports fanatic who loves to cook. She knows she will be making a lot of Trinidadian buffalo wings and dishes for her colleagues.

Kerri Anne Bigornia
Search Coordinator

Prior to joining SIGHTHOUND Search Partners, Kerri Anne was a Fulbright Taiwan English Teaching Assistant in Taipei. She holds a BA in Asian Studies from Bard College.

Kerri Anne escaped the New Jersey suburbs and currently resides in the idyllic Hudson Valley. When she's not cooking or tending to her family of indoor plants, you can find her dabbling in the flute and guitar.

Gareth Upton
Search Coordinator

orn and raised in the UK, Gareth Upton trained in Journalism at the University of Wales, Cardiff and Missouri School of Journalism before starting his professional career in television production in London. With an initial focus in comedy Gareth worked as a Production Coordinator across a range of popular shows before moving to Los Angeles in 2005 where he transitioned into feature films, working as a Development Executive for Luc Besson’s production company EuropaCorp. Here Gareth covered a variety of commercially and critically successful films before setting out independently as a Production Manager and Producer.

Over the years these varied projects have taken Gareth on many adventures around the globe, but he is now happily settled in the Hudson Valley, where he enjoys a pastoral countryside very familiar to his UK roots, with the added bonus of a best dog-friend, named Hooper.