John Koopman leads the firm’s Industrial Practice and co-leads the Financial Officer Practice in Canada. His recruiting experience spans a broad spectrum of companies in industrial sectors, including automotive, building materials, aircraft and manufacturing. During his career, John has completed more than 400 executive officer and board level searches and helped place more than 250 senior finance leaders. He previously led the firm’s Toronto office.
Governance expertise
- John is an active commentator and student of business and public policy issues. His articles have been printed in publications as diverse as the Globe & Mail, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, MacLean’s magazine, Journal of Commerce and Canadian Manager. He was also on the faculty of Webster University, where he taught a course on corporate strategy in the M.B.A. program.
- Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, John spent eight years as an international strategy consultant, first for McKinsey & Co. in Amsterdam and later for Mercer Management Consulting. He led strategy projects in diverse industries, including airlines, railways, fashion, professional sports, chemicals, textiles, banking, and property and casualty insurance. At Mercer, he was the partner in charge of Canadian recruiting.
- Earlier, John held senior sales and marketing positions at Mexx, an international clothing manufacturer and wholesaler. John began his career as a corporate and commercial lawyer in Calgary, Alberta, with Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer, one of western Canada’s leading law firms. He is a member of the Law Societies of Alberta and Upper Canada.
A Queen’s Jubilee award recipient, he received his L.L.B. from Queen's University in Kingston and received an M.B.A. (Honours) from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. He speaks English, French and Dutch.