Daversa President Laura Kinder Honored as Executive of the Year

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Daversa proudly announces that Laura Kinder, President of the firm, has been named as an Executive of the Year at the 2025 Herizon Awards, presented by the Business Intelligence Group. This award honors women creating measurable change and shaping the future - and few leaders embody that mission more fully than Laura.

Over the past 15 years, Laura has helped scale Daversa from a standout search firm into an industry-defining partner to the tech and venture ecosystem. She’s led more than 1,000 executive searches, built one of the firm's most high-performing practices, and partnered with firms like Bond, Thrive, NEA, Addition, and IVP to place leadership teams that have changed the trajectory of their companies.

From OpenAI and Clay to Sierra, DraftKings, MongoDB, GM, Auger, and Crusoe, Laura has played a behind-the-scenes role in building some of tech’s most influential executive benches. Her work spans Product, Engineering, and Operations—areas where the stakes are high and precision is non-negotiable. What sets her apart is not just her ability to recruit elite talent, but her instinct for what growing companies actually need—and when they need it.

Today, as President, she’s driving firmwide growth, mentoring the next wave of leadership, and continuing to deliver for founders and investors at the highest level.

As Paul Daversa, founder and CEO of Daversa, puts it, "Laura doesn’t move the needle, she builds the machine. She’s been the architect behind some of our firm’s biggest plays and has done it all while building culture and legacy. Her fingerprint is on every corner of this company, and this recognition is not just deserved, it’s inevitable.”

The Herizon Awards celebrate women who don’t just talk about impact - they deliver it. Winners are selected by a panel of business leaders who evaluate nominations based on outcomes, influence, and momentum.

About Daversa

Daversa is the executive search firm shaping the future of everything. For nearly three decades, we’ve partnered with the most ambitious founders and top investors to unlock the top 1% of leadership talent.

The executives we place change industries, create categories, and leave legacies. We are a mission-driven team of disrupters, thought leaders, and risk-takers powering the companies entirely changing the world we live in.

For more information on Daversa please visit daversa.com.