Brian Kasser

Background

About Brian Kasser

I am the Partner leading Talent for the technology franchise of private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS). In my role, I understand that the companies in our portfolio are only as strong as the women and men who lead them. I come to WCAS with more than a decade of executive search experience placing hundreds of leaders in many of the technology industry’s top organizations, both across the United States and worldwide. In recent years, I dedicated my efforts full-time to the technology investing sector, helping to build high-performance management teams within portfolio companies. Since its founding in 1979, WCAS has organized 17 limited partnerships with total capital of over $26 billion. The firm has a current portfolio of approximately twenty companies – its strategy is to partner with outstanding management teams and build value for its investors through a combination of operational improvements, internal growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. I most recently served as Partner and head of executive talent for Lightspeed, a venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations in the technology industry. Earlier I was a longtime partner at Russell Reynolds Associates, one of the world’s leading executive recruiting firms. Notably, I conducted CEO and President searches for Symantec, Unisys, Palo Alto Networks, Invoca, SafeNet, PTC, Lookout, AVI Networks, Sumo Logic, Extrahop, Avago, Borland, Extreme Networks, WatchGuard, TriZetto, Peoplefluent, Vendavo, Gainspeed, and Involver, among others. Prior to my career in Executive Search, I was a senior professional in the Investment Banking industry at Salomon Brothers, Lehman Brothers and Thomas Weisel Partners. I received my undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University where I played Varsity Football for the Commodores and also served as the Interfraternity Council President. I received my MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.