Spencer Stuart has appointed Colin Graham to lead its Global Board and CEO Practice, with Sandy Ogg and Chris Gagnon joining to strengthen executive performance, transformation and value creation advisory.
Appointing a chief executive is one of the most important decisions a board can make. Yet the work of leadership extends well beyond selecting the right person. Helping CEOs translate their priorities into lasting business performance is equally important.
Global leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart is expanding its CEO and board advisory capabilities, announcing three senior appointments on October 8, 2026, to strengthen its support for executives throughout their leadership journeys.
The appointments bring together expertise in succession planning, leadership effectiveness, organisational transformation and enterprise value creation.
Colin Graham Takes Global Leadership Role
Colin Graham has been appointed Global Head of Spencer Stuart’s Board and CEO Practice, effective immediately.
Graham brings 25 years of experience advising chief executives, boards and senior leadership teams on succession, executive assessment and the relationship between leadership capabilities and business strategy.
He previously led Spencer Stuart’s Global Industrial Practice and has been closely involved in the firm’s Board, CEO and Private Equity practices.
His appointment places an experienced internal leader at the centre of the firm’s expanded advisory offering.
Two Experienced Advisers Join the Firm
Spencer Stuart has also announced the appointments of Sandy Ogg as Senior Advisor and Chris Gagnon as Partner. Both join from CEO.works, a leadership advisory firm founded by Ogg.
Ogg brings more than three decades of experience working with CEOs and executive teams. His previous roles include Operating Partner at Blackstone and Chief Human Resources Officer at Unilever.
Gagnon brings experience in management consulting, private equity and organisational performance. Before joining CEO.works, he was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he helped develop its OrgSolutions group and co-led its Global Organization Practice.
Together, their backgrounds add expertise in connecting leadership decisions with the business priorities that drive organisational performance.
Supporting CEOs Beyond Succession
The expanded offering reflects Spencer Stuart’s intention to provide more connected support across the full CEO journey, from succession and transition to performance acceleration and transformation.
Jordan Brugg, Chief Executive Officer of Spencer Stuart, said the appointments would enhance the firm’s ability to help clients connect leadership priorities with their broader value-creation agendas.
The emphasis is on identifying where leadership can make the greatest contribution, aligning the right executives with critical roles and helping organisations translate strategy into action.
For Graham, the opportunity lies in bringing the firm’s established capabilities together around the defining moments of a CEO’s tenure.
A Broader View of Executive Success
The announcement points to an increasingly integrated approach to leadership advisory.
Rather than treating succession planning, executive development and organisational transformation as separate activities, Spencer Stuart is strengthening the connections between them.
For boards and chief executives, this approach places leadership effectiveness alongside business strategy, recognising that long-term value depends not only on who leads an organisation, but also on how its leaders work together to deliver results.
Sources: Spencer Stuart, official announcement, October 8, 2026; Spencer Stuart Board and CEO Advisory
