Milton Wood began his professional career in information systems consulting where he was recognized by Information Week as one of the top 50 IS consultants in the United States.  Building upon this knowledge and experience, he founded M. Wood Company in 1970 with a focus on developing solutions through a consultative approach. As a retained executive search and consulting firm, the company initially centered on IS planning and recruiting for technology related management positions.  Later, Wood spearheaded the firm’s successful expansion into change leadership; affected by mergers & acquisitions, electronic commerce, organizational & executive assessment and the development of cross-functional processes. The firm now performs consulting and executive search services nationally and globally through Wood’s partnership in AIMS, the largest executive search network in the world.

In developing the company’s consultative executive search process, Wood has enabled the firm to become industry independent; assisting clients in any industry to better identify the true competitive needs of their organization.  Further, through this consultative methodology, Wood has mastered the art of client relationships, having built selective deep relationships with industry leaders in healthcare, technology, professional services and manufacturing to name a few.  Wood personally makes his deep understanding of business issues – both strategic and tactical – a core offering in every client relationship. 

Wood’s contributions to the organization have resulted in the successful completion of the following searches over the last five years: 27 CEOs · 12 CFOs · 35 CIO/CTOs plus multiple direct reports to these positions. His best practices have also contributed to M. Wood Company being recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the Top 7 Retained Search Firms in Chicago.  Further examples of Wood’s scope and what he has delivered to clients include:

Senior Management (Director through C-level)…
Consulted with a $45 Billion leading healthcare giant in the areas of organizational assessment and design, change leadership, acquisition integration and executive search.  In partnering with senior management within corporate and across its subsidiary organizations, Wood has conducted 50+ Director level and above searches for various functional areas along with 13 CEO searches.  This strategic alliance Wood created exemplifies the true value of a consultative approach to executive search.

Board of Directors…
Partnered with the Board of Directors of a publicly traded, $30 Billion healthcare industry leader to identify, assess and recruit Board talent. After a complete assessment of the organization, Wood guided the Board in determining challenges the new Board Members would be faced with including how to: maximize shareholder value, generate top line growth and increase brand recognition. Subsequently, Wood successfully brought in two Board Members with the battle scars necessary to meet these challenges.

International …

• Consulted with a $100 Billion + global financial services firm to transform the organization to a Pan-European culture from a “country-centric” model.
• Consulted with a publicly traded company during its’ acquisition of a European manufacturer/ distributor. Completed assessment of the newly acquired leadership team and successfully filled the search for a new CEO.
• Partnered with global services leader to plan process for a new shared services model. Subsequently, completed the searches for a CIO, Director of Vendor Management Office and President for the company’s captive offshore BPO in. 

Wood graduated Dakota Wesleyan University and received a doctorate in  Business Law from Lincoln College. Mr. Wood is/has been actively involved in a variety of professional organizations to include: President – Commonwealth Club; Board of Director & Trustee – Lincoln College; Former President /current Board Member – Westmoreland Country Club; Membership Committee – Economics Club of Chicago; Member –  Society of Information Management; Partner – AIMS