“No other platform combines the power, flexibility, reach, and network effects”
CIVITAS International –
a Worldwide Partnership
Our promise: Coverage and Collaboration
In the ever-evolving world of business, talent is the foundation on which success is built. In order to serve our clients around the globe, CIVITAS has expanded and built an international partnership of organizations adding unique strengths and creating a new global benchmark in the world of executive search and organizational consulting. Our common entrepreneurial DNA, technological edge and commitment to excellence ensure highest quality.
Zavala CIVITAS Executive Search
Zavala CIVITAS specializes in executive search and organizational consulting services, delivering transformative results for global businesses. Zavala CIVITAS aims to help clients enhance and expand their businesses across markets. The firm operates through its offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Athena Executive Search & Consulting
We maintain physical offices across Europe, Americas and APAC and have successfully executed projects all over the world.
Our International Partners
Europe
Fernando Zavala brings a truly global perspective, with over 11 years of experience across the Americas, 12 years in Europe, and 7 years in the Asia-Pacific region. His career has been primarily dedicated to the HR sector. He established Zavala Civitas Executive Search offices in both Shanghai and Barcelona, following his earlier success as founder of IntuuChina, an award-winning placement firm based in China. A graduate of the University of Otago in New Zealand, he was awarded a full postgraduate scholarship to Georgetown University. Recognized by the Choiseul Institute as one of Spain’s high-potential young leaders, he was also named among the top 10 management consultants in the country by Nova Talent. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Contact us
Fernando Zavala
Partner | Spain
Pedro Gasset brings over ten years of experience in business development and sales strategy, with a strong focus on placing executive-level talent. His expertise spans managing senior-level client relationships, consultative sales, complex negotiations, and the design and execution of end-to-end commercial strategies. He also brings solid capabilities in data analysis and team leadership. Throughout his career, he has held key positions such as Senior Associate Director of Business Development at IE Business School and Principal for Tech & Digital at Robert Walters.
Contact us
Pedro Gasset de Leyva
Partner | Spain
Ivan Rodríguez combines an international background in Human Resources and Psychology with over six years of specialized experience in talent acquisition, particularly within Executive Search. He leads a multicultural team of consultants and oversees the end-to-end execution of global search projects. His role blends research excellence, leadership, team management, and strong attention to detail. Ivan has directed assignments across regions including Spain, Canada, Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), and China. His fluency in both Spanish and English allows him to operate effectively in cross-cultural and international environments.
Contact us
Ivan Rodriguez
Partner | Spain
Sergio is a senior insurance and reinsurance executive with over 20 years of international experience across Latin America, Europe, and Asia. He has led large-scale turnarounds, M&A transactions, and strategic growth initiatives in the Property & Casualty sector. As CEO of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in Mexico, he tripled premiums, returned the company to profitability, and launched innovative products recognized by the market. Previously, at Talanx, he managed a regional portfolio across multiple countries, acquiring over 14 companies and scaling revenues from USD 400M to 1.9B. Fluent in Spanish, English, German, and Portuguese, Sergio is known for his strategic vision, multicultural leadership, and ability to drive transformation.
Contact us
Sergio Bunin
Director | Portugal
Jorge has over six years of international experience in London, where he built his career in financial services, notably as Associate Vice President at the investment firm iM Global Partner. He has worked with global financial institutions across the UK, US, Europe, and Asia, gaining deep expertise in Asset Management, Wealth Management, and Private Equity. His in-depth knowledge of the financial sector and its leadership landscape makes him particularly well-suited to advising on executive talent and strategic hiring in finance. He holds a degree in Economics from the Autonomous University of Madrid and a postgraduate diploma from the University of London. Jorge is fluent in Spanish and English.
Contact us
Jorge Ramos
Principal | Spain
Andrea has developed a strong cross-sector career, with a focus on the pharmaceutical and automation industries in the Italian market. He brings deep expertise in technical executive search, particularly within the life sciences and industrial automation sectors. He holds a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Pisa and has completed further studies in law and economics. Fluent in Italian, English, and Spanish, Andrea brings an international perspective to every project.
Contact us
Andrea Molinas
Principal | Spain & Italy
Leonor has served as HR Director for three of Ferrovial’s most globally oriented business units—Services, Construction, and Toll Roads—during a period marked by the company’s strategic transformation and rapid international expansion. With dual Mexican and Spanish citizenship, she played a key role in supporting Ferrovial’s growth across North America. Prior to joining Ferrovial, she held senior HR leadership roles in diverse industries, including technology (Bull), media and broadcasting (Televisa), and banking (HSBC), bringing a broad and adaptable perspective to her work in talent and organizational development.
Contact us
Leonor Pablos
Senior Advisor | Spain
Fernando has developed his career across the recruitment industry, holding key roles in both in-house and consultancy settings. Prior to joining Zavala Civitas, he worked at Hays, where he played a 360º role in business development and talent acquisition for high-level positions across Spain, with a particular focus on the finance and IT sectors. He also collaborated in international projects covering EMEA, managing recruiting strategies and performance metrics in highly dynamic environments. In earlier roles, Fernando gained hands-on experience in large-scale recruitment projects, stakeholder engagement, and candidate coaching for senior profiles.
Fernando holds a double degree in Business Administration and International Relations from Universidad Villanueva. A native Spanish speaker, he is fluent in English and French has a strong interest in cross-cultural environments, having worked extensively across Europe.
Contact us
Fernando Igartua
Consultant | Spain
Beatriz has over 40 years of experience advising companies and boards on corporate governance, with a focus on stakeholder engagement, ESG, and sustainability. Formerly a partner at Baker McKenzie, she led the firm’s top-ranked Corporate Governance practice. She has held global advisory roles, including co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Responsible Investing and member of its Climate Governance Community of Experts.
Currently an independent board director, she holds the INSEAD IDP-C Certificate in Corporate Governance. Beatriz has been featured in 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards and recognized with awards such as Euromoney’s Best in Corporate Governance and Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyer.
Contact us
Beatriz Baker Araujo
Senior Advisor | United Kingdom
Americas
Mr. Zavala has more than 30 years of experience in executive search and leadership advisory, guiding multinational companies as they expand across geographies and sectors. He is the founder of Zavala Civitas and previously served as Partner and Managing Director at Russell Reynolds, where he was instrumental in launching the firm’s offices in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Over the past five years, he has regularly delivered lectures on leadership, influence, and power at ESADE Business School in Madrid and Barcelona, as well as at the IUE in Florence. He is fluent in Spanish, English, German, and Portuguese.
Contact us
Lorenzo Zavala
Partner | Mexico
José Carlos (Joey) Hassan Suarez spearheaded the launch of the firm’s Canadian operations from Toronto. He brings a truly international background, with professional experience across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. His career has focused on Executive Search and Private Banking, having held roles at BNP Paribas and JP Morgan, and co-founding the travel company Mondevia. He holds a double master’s degree in Business Administration and Law from Universidad San Pablo CEU. Joey is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Contact us
Jose Carlos Hassan
Partner | Canada & United States
Based in Washington, D.C., Marsha specializes in executive search for the commercial real estate sector, placing senior leaders in both public and private real estate and construction firms. She was a founding partner of Equinox Search, a boutique search firm, following her tenure at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she co-led the global real estate practice. Marsha also co-founded the firm’s Mexico City office—its first in Latin America. Fluent in Spanish, she brings a global perspective shaped by her upbringing across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Contact us
Marsha Pearcy
Director | United States
Barbara has built a distinguished career over more than 20 years in executive search, with a strong focus on the real estate and financial sectors. She was a Partner at Equinox, where she led numerous senior-level searches in real estate. Previously, she spent eight years as a Principal at Rhodes Associates, a respected retained search firm specializing in real estate leadership. Earlier in her career, she held key positions in the financial industry, contributing to talent strategies at Mutual of New York and Bankers Trust Company. Barbara holds a BA from Hood College, an MA in Educational Psychology from Northwestern University, and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Contact us
Barbara Beck
Director | United States
Aura Gómez is an experienced executive search and talent acquisition professional, with a strong academic background in psychology and people management. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Universidad de Los Andes, a Master’s in People Management for Organizations from the University of Navarra, and completed a Project Management program at CEF Centro de Estudios Financieros. With a holistic perspective that bridges executive search, HR, and talent strategy, Aura brings valuable insight to a wide range of organizational contexts.
Contact us
Aura Gomez
Principal | United States
With more than 15 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, Tomás applies a strategic and analytical lens to leadership identification focused on driving transformation and results. He holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Project Management. His expertise includes in-depth regional knowledge of Latin America and over five years of professional experience in Europe. Known for his cross-cultural agility and sectoral insight, Tomás excels at evaluating talent across diverse industries. A native Spanish speaker, he is also fluent in English.
Contact us
Principal | Argentina & Spain
Mariana Veras is a senior Human Resources executive with deep experience across the Americas, specifically: Brazil, Latin America, and the United States. As HR Director Latam at ED&F Man Commodities, she led cultural, digital, and organizational transformations, managed the Americas regional teams, and oversaw major projects in talent development, workforce planning, and diversity & inclusion. Mariana has also held leadership roles at Cummins Inc. and Morgan Advanced Materials, delivering measurable improvements in employee engagement, operational processes, and HR strategy. Fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, she is recognized for driving high-impact HR initiatives in complex, multicultural environments. Mariana has an Economics Major in the prestigious Presbyterian University Mackenzie of Brazil and holds an MBA from the prestigious Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Contact us
Mariana Veras
Consultant | Brazil
APAC
Bhavishya Sharma is a seasoned executive search and leadership advisory professional with over 20 years of experience. Trusted by global clients for C-suite and board-level searches, he is known for his sharp ability to identify and assess high-impact leadership talent. His advisory expertise includes strategic talent management, market entry strategy, HR due diligence, board and leadership assessments, and compensation benchmarking.
Bhavishya also advises leading organizations in the Technology and Professional Services sectors on M&A-related talent and organizational matters. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, he blends technical rigor with strategic insight to deliver transformative solutions.
Contact us
Bhavishya Sharma
Partner | India
María has served as HR Director for APAC and Africa at Prosegur for 8 years, managing human resources across Singapore, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Africa. In this position, she led major workforce transformations, streamlined recruitment processes, and negotiated complex labor agreements.
Her earlier roles include senior talent acquisition positions at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Oliver Wyman, and McKinsey & Company, where she spearheaded strategic hiring across global markets. In 2024, María was recognized as a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and is widely respected as a thought leader in HR and talent strategy.
Contact us
APAC Managing Director | China
Jessica Jiang is an Executive Recruitment Consultant at Zavala Civitas Executive Search in Shanghai, specializing in C-level and cross-border placements. She supports companies in identifying and attracting the best-fitting executive talent, both locally and internationally. With a global academic background and deep insight into the Chinese market, Jessica brings a unique perspective to executive search and leadership consulting.
Contact us
Jessica Jiang
Executive Recruitment Consultant | China
Ekta brings close to 15 years of experience in executive search, with a career spanning India and Hong Kong. She has successfully led complex talent advisory and search mandates for clients across industries including Fintech, Power & Mining, FMCG, and Media, among others. Known for her structured approach and commitment to open, ongoing communication, she ensures transparency and alignment throughout the search process. A natural relationship builder, Ekta is skilled at understanding stakeholder needs and translating them into actionable talent strategies. She holds a Master’s degree in Administration and is a certified Cognitive Behaviour Coach.
Contact us
Ekta Wadhwa
Principal | India
“No other platform combines the power, flexibility, reach, and network effects”
+86 186 1680 047 2F, No.15, Lane 523, Middle Fuxing Road, Huangpu District, 200025, Shanghai, P.R.C
+34 659 566 062 C. Velázquez 50, 28001 Madrid, Spain
+1 647 564 9028 Queen St W, Toronto, M5V 0P5, ON, Canada
+55 16 988 422 318 Tower Funchal Regus- Rua Funchal, 418, 34º andar, Sao Paulo, Brazil
