Daversa Promotes Nine to Managing Director, Strengthening Leadership Across Critical Growth Sectors

Connor Freeborn, Nicole Kaylor, Emma Mango, Danny Nilsen, Alana North, Angela Pezzello, Carly Rizzo, Brittany Rosenfeld, and Kendall Simmons Elevated to Managing Director

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Daversa today announced the promotion of nine leaders to Managing Director: Connor Freeborn, Nicole Kaylor, Emma Mango, Danny Nilsen, Alana North, Angela Pezzello, Carly Rizzo, Brittany Rosenfeld, and Kendall Simmons.

Together, they represent more than seven decades of experience building executive teams for venture-backed companies through critical stages of scale and hypergrowth.

“Connor, Nicole, Emma, Danny, Alana, Angela, Carly, Brittany, and Kendall have earned this through performance,” said Paul Daversa, Founder and CEO of Daversa. “They’ve built deep trust with founders operating in high-consequence environments and have consistently delivered in moments that matter. Their elevation to Managing Director reflects the standard they operate at every day.”

The nine newly promoted Managing Directors have led executive searches across every executive function inside some of the most ambitious high-growth companies in the market. Their work spans defense platforms, critical infrastructure and data centers, frontier AI, enterprise software, digital healthcare, robotics, and culture-shaping consumer brands.

Across these sectors, the stakes are higher and timelines are tighter. Scaling requires executives who can build enduring foundations while executing with urgency. These Managing Directors have repeatedly delivered leaders capable of doing exactly that.

Their promotion reflects sustained performance, deep sector expertise, and a long-term commitment to partnering with founders building what’s next.

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.