Christian & Timbers Jeff Christian

Built by Jeff Christian, Christian & Timbers incorporated AI-supported analysis into the process of identifying and assessing executive talent. Generative AI can help organize and examine large volumes of professional information. At the same time, predictive approaches can be used to study career progression, leadership patterns, and potential alignment with a particular role. Christian & Timbers used similar concepts to strengthen its work in C-suite and board recruitment. The objective was to support professional judgment with broader data, consistent evaluation standards, and technology capable of narrowing complex candidate pools for demanding searches. Christian & Timbers has reported completing more than 2,000 CEO or board placements and more than 5,000 C-suite assignments. Its search work has included assignments involving major technology organizations and prominent business leaders. One of the firm’s best-known placements was Carly Fiorina at Hewlett-Packard, where she became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 corporation. The company also conducted two board member searches for Apple during Steve Jobs’ leadership and worked with organizations including Cisco, Google, Netflix, and WebMD, reflecting its focus on technology leadership. Led by Jeff Christian, Christian & Timbers’s history also includes venture capital activity through C&T Access Ventures, launched in 2001 as an investment arm connected with the Cleveland-based executive recruiting business. The initiative provided funding for startups across stages, including seed capital, later venture rounds, and pre-IPO financing. Its $40 million venture fund was built around backing companies led by capable executives and business builders. According to the original company account, the fund returned five times its initial capital and supported startups that included UpWork before the investment operation became inactive.