Advisers with experience and passion

Before becoming partners in Alexander Ross & Company, we walked in the shoes of our corporate and consulting clients.  We too were architects of organizations, change and culture.  That’s why we are confident in our ability to identify transformative talent and contribute sustained value to the enterprises that engage us.

Ben Lichtenstein, CEO

Ben Lichtenstein founded Alexander Ross & Company in 1977 with a vision that human capital expertise would ultimately be seen by leading organizations as a critical component of their performance.  He believed that a boutique firm could deliver top notch expertise by focusing on one functional area and delivering personalized service to each client.  Today, he continues to earn the trust of clients, bringing his deep knowledge of the talent market and his unique expertise in identifying and placing talent to every search engagement.

Prior to founding Alexander Ross & Company, Ben served as Vice President, Operations and Training for The Dunhill Personnel System. There, he was instrumental in building the company into a 365 branch search and recruitment organization.

Ben serves as a talent adviser to many client organizations and is a member of the Organization Development Network.  He studied Mathematics at City University of New York.

Chris Pierce-Cooke, Managing Partner

Chris Pierce-Cooke joined Alexander Ross & Company as a partner in 2009, and became Managing Partner at the beginning of 2010.  He brings an operating executive’s insight, a consultant’s perspective and a rich worldwide network of transformative talent to the firm.

Prior to joining Alexander Ross & Company, Chris held leadership roles in multiple countries and industries.  In the U.S., he served as COO of global law firm Baker McKenzie.  He also led the Global Consulting Business at Right Management and was a key member of the firm’s executive leadership team through its profitable sale to Manpower. 

In Australasia, Chris served as CEO of Organization Culture and Change Management firm Corporate Vision, was a partner in a boutique strategy consultancy Gibson Marlow, and was part of the highly successful executive turn-around team at Westpac, one of Australia’s “Four Pillars” banks.  In the U.K. and Europe, Chris was part of the general and executive management team of British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) where, among other roles, he co-led a significant operating subsidiary.

Chris finds a ready connection with both clients and candidates having been on both sides of the search table.  He is always striving to better understand what makes people and organizations tick.  Chris holds a BSc (Honors) degree in Economics from the University of Wales in the UK, is a qualified lawyer in the UK, and has participated in Executive programs at INSEAD, IMD, Kellogg, AGSM and LBS.