About Us
Our Mission
Stillwater is a retained executive search firm built on one premise: the best searches happen when the person running them has sat on your side of the table. That's the experience I bring — years inside PE-backed AI and software companies, and a parallel life inside a Family Office. I started Stillwater because that background changes the conversation.
Hi I’m Patrick
Experience
Before starting Stillwater, I spent years inside SAIGroup — first building out their global recruiting function, then as VP of Talent at SymphonyAI, where I was brought in to help unify a large part of the portfolio into a single operating company and rebuild the leadership team from the ground up.
In that time I ran hundreds of searches — board directors, C-suite leaders, and the senior operators who make PE-backed companies actually work. Because I sat inside the investment, I understood what each hire needed to accomplish, not just what the job description said.
That inside perspective is what I bring to every Stillwater engagement. I'm not matching resumes to requirements. I'm thinking about the business problem the hire is meant to solve.
The Family Office practice is a separate chapter. I came to that world not as a recruiter but as a participant — as a member of an operating-focused family office, I've navigated the same complexities my clients face: direct investment portfolios, philanthropic foundations, and the particular challenges of building a professional team around a family's values and long-term vision. When a Family Office engages Stillwater, that lived context is part of what they're getting. It changes the conversation considerably.
I spent years inside SAIGroup — first as Head of Talent Acquisition, then as VP of Talent at SymphonyAI — running executive and strategic hiring across a portfolio of enterprise AI companies. Hundreds of searches. Board directors, C-suite leaders, and the senior operators who make PE-backed companies actually work. I understood the investment thesis before I ever opened a search.
That's the foundation for Stillwater.
