Title: Founder and Managing Partner
Company: Opus Advisors
Location: Westport, Connecticut, United States
Holly McCarthy, Founder and Managing Partner at Opus Advisors, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements and leadership in the Staffing and Recruiting Industry.
Ms. McCarthy has established herself in executive recruiting, most notably through her role as the founder and managing partner of Opus Advisors since 2006. Under her leadership, Opus Advisors has evolved from a one-person operation into a prominent executive search firm with 15 employees, recognized as one of the top 10 recruiting firms in the private equity sector.
Opus Advisors is based in the Greater New York City area and specializes in placing finance professionals and management consultants into lateral roles in banking, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds and investor relations. Additionally, Opus Advisors works with technology startups and places C-level executives into portfolio companies of private equity clients. The firm’s focus on private equity investing encompasses a broad range of investment firms, including endowments and family offices across various asset classes.
Ms. McCarthy’s approach to business is deeply influenced by her commitment to fostering a strong team culture. Over the past two decades, only two individuals have left her firm to pursue other goals. Ms. McCarthy has cultivated an environment where collaboration and mutual support are paramount, ensuring that all team members share in the firm’s successes. Compensation is structured so that everyone benefits from all outcomes, which has helped eliminate resentment and foster loyalty.
Having relocated from Ohio to New York, Ms. McCarthy began her journey into executive recruiting, initially seeking employment through agencies, and was recommended for a recruiter position by the wife of a firm’s founder. Initially hesitant but attracted by the commission structure, she quickly excelled and became the top producer within a year. When offered the opportunity to purchase the business, Ms. McCarthy declined, choosing instead to focus on learning from her mentors.
From 2000 to 2004, Ms. McCarthy served as an executive recruiter at Korn Ferry under a top producer. Although she gained valuable experience during her time with the organization, she ultimately decided to apply her expertise independently while balancing motherhood. She began conducting searches from home, securing Goldman Sachs as an anchor client. Despite challenges during the 2009 financial crisis, Ms. McCarthy’s team remained steadfast, supporting each other through adversity and positioning Opus Advisors as a dedicated partner in private equity recruitment.
Earlier in her career, Ms. McCarthy excelled as the vice president at Career Consulting Group from 1995 to 2000. Her early experiences in recruiting laid the foundation for her later success as an entrepreneur and industry leader.
Ms. McCarthy’s educational background included a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and coursework in law at Cleveland State University. Her academic pursuits provided her with critical thinking skills and a strong ethical framework that have guided her professional conduct.
Beyond her professional achievements, Ms. McCarthy is civically engaged as a board member and benefactor for Future Stars in Nairobi, Kenya, and has been involved with Rotary International.
Ms. McCarthy’s professional contributions have been recognized through numerous awards, including acknowledgment among the Top 25 Women in Private Equity by Kayo Conference Series and inclusion on Private Equity’s Recruiting Power 100 List by Hunt Scanlon Media. She was also named to the Financial 50 by Hunt Scanlon Media in 2016 and to the Powerful Most 60 Firms in the Country by Hunt Scanlon Media in 2020, and her firm was recognized among the Top 60 Financial Services Search Firms by Hunt Scanlon Media in 2024.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Ms. McCarthy comes from a family of entrepreneurs whose legacy inspired her own business pursuits. She continues to serve as a role model for women seeking to balance entrepreneurship with family life while making significant contributions to the executive search industry. Looking ahead, Ms. McCarthy aims to achieve ambitious growth goals for Opus Advisors by expanding its recruiting team and doubling its size while extending its presence into new markets such as London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and, potentially, Asia.
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