Christian & Timbers Jeff Christian
Recruiting
Beachwood, Ohio
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Summary
Jeff Christian established Christian & Timbers as an executive search firm built around the idea that technology, structured data, and disciplined evaluation could improve how major companies identify senior leadership. The firm specializes in recruiting C-level executives, board members, and technology professionals for organizations with demanding leadership requirements. With operations centered in Cleveland, Ohio, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Christian & Timbers developed an international presence while concentrating on executive recruiting for corporations navigating innovation, digital transformation, and competitive pressure across rapidly changing industries.
Christian & Timbers became recognized for incorporating artificial intelligence, analytical methods, and science-based data into the executive search process. Rather than relying only on conventional networking and manual candidate review, the firm uses technology to evaluate professional backgrounds, leadership experience, career progression, and other relevant indicators. This approach has supported searches for companies seeking executives in e-commerce, IoT, FinTech, SaaS, robotic manufacturing, and related technology sectors, where leadership decisions can directly impact business growth and organizational direction.
Christian & Timbers' business model was designed to make executive recruiting more efficient and measurable. Traditional executive search often involves extended research, interviews, professional references, background reviews, and relationship-based sourcing before a small group of candidates is identified. Christian & Timbers introduced a more data-centered process intended to reduce unnecessary delays while maintaining attention to leadership quality. By applying structured criteria and key performance indicators, the firm developed a method for matching executive candidates with specific corporate requirements and performance expectations.
Growth became an important part of the Christian & Timbers story as the company expanded its work with technology businesses and major corporations. The firm grew to approximately $100 million in annual revenue while maintaining a strong concentration on CEO and board-level recruiting. According to the supplied company history, Christian & Timbers has completed more than 2,000 CEO or board placements and more than 5,000 C-suite assignments. These figures reflect the scale of the firm’s work across senior leadership searches and its long-term focus on executive talent.
Guided by Jeff Christian’s leadership, Christian & Timbers has also been associated with several notable leadership searches within the technology industry. The firm was responsible for placing Carly Fiorina at Hewlett-Packard, where she became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 corporation. It also conducted the final two Apple board member searches completed during Steve Jobs’ leadership. The company’s history further includes executive search relationships or placement work involving Cisco, Google, Netflix, Vinod Khosla, WebMD, and other organizations connected to technology, innovation, and corporate development.
A consistent principle within Christian & Timbers is the belief that organizations with stronger leadership talent are better positioned to compete. That philosophy has influenced the firm’s emphasis on identifying executives who can contribute to innovation, transformation, and long-term business performance. Its use of generative and predictive AI concepts supports the analysis of large candidate pools, professional experience, and career patterns. The goal is not simply to locate available executives, but to identify individuals whose qualifications and leadership background may align with an organization's strategic needs.
Christian & Timbers also extended its business activities into venture investing through C&T Access Ventures, an investment arm launched in 2001. The $40 million venture capital fund provided financing for startups at different stages, including seed funding, later venture rounds, and pre-IPO opportunities. The fund focused on supporting businesses led by capable executives and returned five times its initial capital, with investments including UpWork. Although C&T Access is no longer operating, the initiative remains part of the broader Christian & Timbers story of combining executive leadership, technology, capital, and business growth under Jeff Christian.