Peter Crist

Chairman

In 2022, Peter Crist entered his 45th year of executive recruiting. Beginning in 1977 with Russell Reynolds Associates in Chicago, he helped build and run one of the most successful senior level recruiting offices in the country, becoming Co-Head of North America and a member of the Executive Committee for the Firm by the time he was in his late 30s. While at RRA, he also helped launch the Board Practice.

In 1995, after 18 years with Russell Reynolds, Peter launched Crist Partners in Chicago. Focusing on CFO searches, Crist Partners quickly became a national boutique with clients such as Eastman Kodak Company, CVS Corporation, Ecolab Inc., Whirlpool Corporation, The St. Paul Companies, and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.

Korn/Ferry acquired Crist Partners in 1999, and, at age 47, Peter was named Vice Chairman of the Firm and Chairman of the Global Board Services Practice while focusing on C-level searches. After building the Board Practice and completing all obligations to Korn/Ferry, in January, 2003 Peter launched Crist Associates. The Firm handles a small number of public company searches at the CEO, COO, and CFO level. In 2008, the Firm became Crist|Kolder Associates.

One of the few senior level recruiters with Corporate Governance experience, Mr. Crist is Chairman of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC). He also served as Chairman of the Board of Wintrust for nine years, and was Chairman of the Compensation Committee prior to that. Peter is also a Board Member of Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he serves as Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for the parent, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare Corporation. Mr. Crist received an A.B. degree from Brown University.

Peter was named to the “50 Most Influential Search Consultants in the World” list produced by BusinessWeek in January, 2008. He was also profiled in the 1995 and 1992 editions of Career Makers and the 1998 edition of The Global 200.