Leadership Team

Patrick Sylvester

Chief Executive Officer

Founder and CEO Patrick Sylvester has been a pioneering force in executive search for three decades, achieving trusted partner status with many of the world’s most respected companies.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Patrick served his country as an Officer in the United States Navy. His executive search career kicked off in 1993 at Management Recruiters of Cherry Hill, the top performing office in the world’s largest global recruiting network.

Consistently ranked as one of the top revenue-producing recruiters worldwide, Patrick launched Banister International in August 1999, expanding beyond Executive Search to include Advisory services, M&A Consulting, succession planning, interim executive placement, and global project outsourcing. In 2003, he acquired Banister from publicly traded CDI Corporation, propelling it into a new era of expansion and innovation.

With the historic merger of Forbes and Banister International, Patrick remains actively involved across all aspects of the business, recruiting new Partners while continuing to orchestrate executive searches for marquee organizations. His dedication to recognizing, hiring, and mentoring high-potential talent ensures that Forbes Global Talent will continue to thrive for years to come.

Gary Bachrach

Chief Operating Officer

Gary Bachrach is a senior operating executive who has built and led high performance teams for over three decades. Through his focus on connecting people, he has developed scalable, customer-centric organizations that drive client and team growth and retention. He is recognized as a trusted advisor to customers and a strategic and collaborative leader who delivers world-class experiences for all stakeholders.

Gary’s expertise includes helping companies achieve their goals by aligning customer needs with exceptional sales and service teams that provide solutions and deliver quality results. His philosophy is simple – everyone is a customer, external and internal, and every customer deserves our absolute best effort.

Prior roles include Chief Operating Officer for a global healthcare company expanding its U.S. footprint, and General Manager, Global Service for Integra Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: IART). Most recently, Gary led the home care business at The Joint Commission, the nation’s most prestigious healthcare quality and safety organization, where his team delivered record revenue growth while increasing customer retention.

Gary recently served as the President of the Board of Directors for Hope Loves Company, the only nonprofit providing emotional and educational support for children living with a loved one battling ALS.

David Gassman

Chief Marketing Officer

David Gassman serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Forbes Global Talent, leveraging his experience and diverse background in marketing, branding, licensing and client services. David’s background, and his current role as Director, Licensing & Branded Ventures for Forbes Media, the parent company of Forbes Global Talent, provides a unique and valuable asset for Forbes Global Talent in the marketplace while fully leveraging the global influence and impact of the Forbes brand.

While managing multiple marketing agency sectors, David has created and sold over 100 marketing campaigns for high-profile film, television, and media clients while serving as VP, Film & Television, at A.D.D. Marketing & Advertising in Los Angeles. Adding to his portfolio, David served a variety of roles in sales, client services, and marketing on behalf of fashion brand, Hugo Boss.

Also a licensed attorney with a background in private practice, David combines a strategic, multi-disciplinary approach to brand growth and development, offering valuable insights across marketing, licensing, and legal landscapes.

Mark Andrekovich

Senior Managing Director

Before joining Forbes Global Talent (FGT), Mark founded Eagle Backer Advisors, a business advisory firm serving public and private companies. He served as Chief Human Resources Officer for several large multinational companies, including MAXIMUS, Cytec-Solve, and Tele Tracking. Early in his career he held positions at Owens-Illinois, General Electric, and Nordson Corporation.

As a consultant with Forbes Global Talent, Banister International, and Eagle Backer Advisors, Mark has used his strategic and operational skills to deliver large-scale RPO projects, executive searches, succession planning, acquisition support, and carve-outs for small companies and the Fortune 500. His industry experiences include Consumer Packaged Goods, Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Sports Entertainment, Manufacturing, Software, and Food and Beverage.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Monmouth University, and a Ph.D. Candidate at Clemson University, where he is focused on business strategy and executive succession.
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mark leads our Human Resources & CFO Practice areas, including executive search, succession planning, organizational change, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing.

Emily Mosier

Vice President

Emily’s functional expertise in Human Resources, Technology, Team-Building, and Executive leadership within private equity-backed, publicly traded and privately held organizations has proven invaluable to Forbes Global Talent and their clients. Emily trains new Forbes Global Talent hires and acts as point person on our most critical senior executive hires. Emily is a seasoned HR leader with a demonstrated track record in Staffing, Software, and Advertising.

Prior to joining Banister International Emily worked as the Senior Director of People building the HR infrastructure for SkillSurvey, the leader in online-reference checking, sourcing, and cloud-based credentialing process management. While in this role she wrote and implemented policy and leveraged technology to automate processes across each business line to build an overall internal HR platform. Emily designed the recruitment process and as such elevated talent across each department to meet the needs and objectives of the business.
 
Prior to her time with SkillSurvey she built and led the HR department for a strategic staffing firm, Open Systems Technologies. Open Systems specializes in contract IT placements primarily for large financial services firms on a national scale. While instrumental in supporting all aspects of the business as it relates to HR functions. While serving on the executive team she partnered with operations, sales initiatives, and client relations

Megan Lowry

Senior Recruiter

With over five years of recruiting experience, Megan began their career in talent acquisition, playing a key role in building and scaling a fast-growing staffing company. They specialized in hiring top-tier talent across multiple functions — including Managing Directors, Recruiters, and Business Development Executives — and became known for a strategic, people-focused approach to organizational growth.

Building on that foundation, Megan later expanded into roles in account management and financial services. As an Account Manager at InstaMed, a J.P. Morgan company, they managed key client relationships and supported healthcare providers with secure payment solutions. Earlier, they worked on a Private Wealth Management team at Morgan Stanley, where they gained experience in high-net-worth client service, operations, and relationship management.
 
This unique blend of recruiting, account management, and financial services experience enables Megan to bring a well-rounded, business-savvy perspective to every professional environment.

Tania Jackson

Talent Acquisition Leader

With over 20 years of experience, Tania Jackson is a recognized global leader in Talent Acquisition. She has successfully built recruitment functions from the ground up, led high-performing teams, and cultivated strong partnerships with business leaders across industries.

Most recently, Tania led the Talent Acquisition department at Sigura, a water treatment company based in Alpharetta, GA. There, she spearheaded hiring efforts across Sales, IT, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Engineering—driving the company’s expansion and supporting strategic growth. Her career also includes notable contributions to talent initiatives at Lonza, Pitney Bowes, and Dell Technologies.

Tania’s impact in the field has earned her multiple accolades, including the Pitney Bowes Excellent Client Services Award and Dell’s 5-Star Award for Recruiting.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Tarleton State University, a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Communication from Lamar University and is an AIRS Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR).

Elise Tapper

Human Resources Leader

Elise Tapper is a dynamic and forward-thinking Human Resources Leader with deep expertise in organizational development, change management, and enterprise HR transformation. Proven ability to design and lead strategic people initiatives that align with business goals and drive sustainable growth. Skilled in guiding organizational redesigns, spans and layers analysis, and workforce optimization to improve agility and performance across complex global environments.

A trusted advisor to executive leadership on HR strategy, Elise has led enterprise-wide change initiatives—including system implementations, cultural transformations, and leadership transitions—delivering scalable, future-focused solutions. Recognized for building robust talent management frameworks and succession planning strategies that strengthen leadership pipelines, close critical skill gaps, and support long-term organizational health.

Combining strategic insight with operational excellence, Elise delivers high-impact results in performance management, DEI-focused talent acquisition, and leadership development. A champion of transformation, she consistently integrates people, process, and technology to enable business readiness, accelerate growth, and future-proof the workforce.

Elise is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pace University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development from Columbia University. Elise is PROSCI-certified in change management and holds additional certifications in DiSC and various other talent assessment tools.

Kathleen Back

HR and Operations Leader

Kathleen (Kate) Back is an empathetic and detail-oriented HR and operations leader with over 18 years of experience spanning program management, recruiting, human resources, brand strategy, and business operations.

She spent 12 years at NCR Corporation, a global software, consulting, and technology company, where she held various roles across Learning & Development, Human Resources, Marketing, and Employee Experience, consistently delivering impactful solutions and improving internal processes.

Kate later transitioned into strategic consulting, working with a wide range of clients to support their needs in operations, recruiting, HR, payroll, branding, social media, communications, leadership development, technology, and process improvement.

Known for her ability to lead cross-functional teams and implement effective, people-first solutions, Kate is deeply passionate about creating exceptional experiences for staff, customers, and clients alike.

Jill Arnold

Senior Recruitment Manager

Jill Arnold is a senior level recruiter and account manager currently partnered with Forbes Global Talent as a Senior Recruitment Manager assisting with the recruitment efforts pertaining to their RPO business sector.

Jill has worked in the staffing and recruitment space since 2006, specializing in supporting Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Medical Device, and CMO/CRO companies. She has also worked in other industries such as IT, Sports Management, and Marketing/Communication. She enjoys working strategically with clients to meet their recruitment needs from small to large scale initiatives. Jill is very passionate about the people and organizations she works with, utilizing a straight-forward and honest approach focusing on the key principals of each client she supports.

Jill holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Virginia Tech and is currently based in Wilmington, NC.