About Us: Leonard

We thought you might like to get to know us a little better, so we'll begin with Leonard...

In December 2001, Leonard opened his own recruiting firm with the goal of providing corporate and not-for-profit clients with better personal service. Prior to 2001, he was a Managing Director at two of the world’s largest recruiting firms. He's recruited 190 CEOs and conducted over 300 searches overall for corporations, national societies, associations, and not-for-profits, Leonard has amassed more than 25 years of experience in the executive search industry. He’s seen a lot and can be very helpful to boards worried about the complexities of hiring a new CEO.

He's recruited CEOs, Executive Directors, and senior executives with backgrounds in finance, general management, government relations, legal, telecommunications, etc. Some of these searches you may have heard of, such as the CEOs for: Country Music Foundation, K.I.D.S., Medic Alert, National Association of REALTORS, Osteoporosis Foundation, Special Olympics, United Way of America and 2 Postmaster Generals for the Postal Service. (That was a tough one.) He also recruited CEOs, CIOs, SVPs, senior executives, and General Counsels for: ALCOA, Champion, Fleetwood, Lafarge, Mars, McDonalds, and Sprint.

Prior to relocating to Washington, Leonard was an executive recruiter in New York. There he focused on recruiting assignments for Bankers Trust, Citibank, and Goldman Sachs. Prior to New York, he managed the San Francisco office of a management-consulting firm and opened their operation in Honolulu. (That was fun!) Previously, he was on the executive staff at American Express.

Leonard has given speeches at major universities and conventions and authored various news articles on ethics and executive recruiting. He has served on the Boards of not-for-profits and understands their dynamics. His board service includes: National Blood Foundation, National Building Museum, Center for Missing Children, Special Olympics Men’s Committee, and on the Finance Committees of the National Symphony, Project Hope and the Head Injury Foundation.

Leonard, the oldest of 7, learned group dynamics at an early age. He grew up in suburban New Jersey, holds a BA and MBA from Harvard, and was commissioned a Lt. in Military Intelligence. He skis, attempts to play tennis, and sometimes does aerobics. Earlier in his career, he was a choker-setter in an Oregon logging camp (of course, we all know what that is!), and baled hay on a horse ranch in Montana.

About Us: Zara

Zara Sulayman - Senior Associate Recruiter

Zara is a senior associate recruiter at LP&CO and has been working with Leonard Pfeiffer since 1996 when she started working with him at Korn/Ferry International and subsequently moved with him to Heidrick & Struggles.

In 2002, when Leonard opened LP&CO, Zara joined him as an associate and was instrumental in helping him get the business up and running. As a senior associate, Zara works closely with Leonard and the respective clients and candidates, and is an integral part of the search process from research to writing job descriptions to developing target candidates and conducting initial screenings to participating in the actual client interviews and final negotiations.

Zara has worked on CEO searches for a variety of associations around the USA such as the Association for Corporate Growth (Chicago, IL), American Orthotics and Prosthetic Association (Alexandria, VA), Building Owners & Managers Institute, International (Annapolis, MD), Instrumentation Systems and Automation Society (Raleigh, NC) and the National Association of REALTORS (Chicago, IL & Washington, DC) to name a few.

Prior to 1996, Zara worked in Accounting at a large Washington DC law firm. Zara grew up in Europe and went to school in the UK.

When not working on searches, Zara enjoys reading and listening to music.

Congratulations to these new execuitves!

We've wrapped up a hand full of searches and wanted to share the good news.

National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA)
Tampa, FL

NMEDA is a trade association representing mobility equipment dealers, driver rehabilitation specialists, and other professionals dedicated to broadening the opportunities for people with disabilities to drive or to be transported in vehicles that have been modified with mobility equipment such as chair lifts or hand controls.

The mobility dealership industry is rapidly expanding. NMEDA was seeking a new CEO/ED who can take them to the "next level" including strengthening their Quality Assurance Program, focusing on local and state licensing of products, and providing members with continuing education programs. Dave Hubbard, formerly of ShowMax Marketing Affiliation, was selected as the new CEO/ED.

Arizona Association of REALTORS (AAR)
Phoenix, AZ

AAR was looking to replace a long-standing, well-liked CEO to run their 53,000+ membership, $8M+ professional association. Although, financially healthy, AAR was facing challenges due to the state of the real estate market. They needed someone who could identify business trends and opportunities, shape AAR's position with regards to public policy, and continue to build strong mutually beneficial relationships with various constituencies related to AAR.

After a nation-wide search, AAR selected their Vice President, Government Affairs, Tom Foley, as CEO and to continute to build upon the strenghts of AAR.

Building Owners and Managers Institute, International (BOMI)
Annapolis, MD

Founded in 1970, BOMI International is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit education institute. They are the trusted educational resource of choice for today's top corporations. BOMI's mission is to provide learning opportunities that enhance individual performance and add value to organizations in the building and facilities industry.


BOMI was seeking a new President & CEO. Jeffery Horn, formerly CEO of the Somerset County Business Partnership, was selected.
Congratulations to Dave, Tom and Jeffery. LP&CO is glad to have had the opportunity to work with these organizations and help them accomplish their goals.