Leadership Team

Gary Bachrach

Interim Chief Executive Officer

With over three decades in operational leadership, Gary Bachrach has an extensive track record of building and leading high-performance teams. His strong focus on connecting people has helped him develop scalable, customer-centric organizations that drive both client and team growth. As a trusted advisor known for his strategic mindset and collaborative leadership, he consistently delivers world-class experiences for all stakeholders.

Gary’s expertise lies in helping companies align customer needs with exceptional sales and service teams that provide effective solutions and deliver measurable results. His philosophy is simple: everyone is a customer — both external and internal — and every customer deserves our absolute best effort.

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

Gary also recently served as President of the Board of Directors for Hope Loves Company, the only nonprofit dedicated to supporting children living with a loved one battling ALS.

Patrick Sylvester

Senior Managing Partner

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 as an Officer in the United States Navy before his executive search career began in 1993 at Management Recruiters of Cherry Hill — the top-performing office in the world’s largest global recruiting network.

Consistently ranked among the top revenue-producing recruiters worldwide, Patrick founded Banister International in August 1999, expanding its focus 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, ushering in a new era of expansion and innovation.

With the historic merger of Forbes and Banister International, Patrick remains deeply involved in all facets of the business — recruiting new partners and continuing to lead executive searches for marquee clients. His commitment to identifying, mentoring, and elevating high-potential talent ensures that Forbes Global Talent is positioned for long-term success.

His commitment to identifying, mentoring, and elevating high-potential talent ensures that Forbes Global Talent is positioned for long-term success.

David Gassman

Chief Marketing Officer

David Gassman serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Forbes Global Talent, leveraging a diverse background in marketing, branding, licensing, and client services. His current role as Director, Licensing & Branded Ventures for Forbes Media — parent company of Forbes Global Talent — adds a unique advantage in the marketplace by fully leveraging the global influence of the Forbes brand.

While leading teams across multiple marketing agency sectors, David created and sold over 100 marketing campaigns for high-profile film, television, and media clients during his time as VP of Film & Television at A.D.D. Marketing & Advertising in Los Angeles. He’s also held roles in sales, client services, and marketing with the fashion brand Hugo Boss.

As a licensed attorney with a background in private practice, David takes a strategic, multidisciplinary approach to brand growth and development—bringing valuable insight 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 TeleTracking and held positions at Owens-Illinois, General Electric, and Nordson Corporation.

Now, as a consultant with Forbes Global Talent, Banister International, and Eagle Backer Advisors, Mark uses his strategic and operational skills to deliver large-scale RPO projects, executive searches, succession planning, acquisition support, and carve-outs for small companies and Fortune 500s. His industry experience spans 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 is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Clemson University, where he focuses on business strategy and executive succession.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mark leads FGT’s Human Resources and 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 — across private equity-backed, publicly traded, and privately held organizations — has been invaluable to Forbes Global Talent and its clients. She trains new hires and serves as the point person on many of the firm’s most critical senior executive searches.

Before joining Banister International, Emily served as Senior Director of People at SkillSurvey, a leader in online reference checking, sourcing, and credentialing. She built the company’s HR infrastructure, wrote and implemented policies, and automated workflows across departments to streamline operations, while redesigning the recruitment process, elevating talent across the organization to align with evolving business needs and objectives.

Earlier in her career, Emily built and led the HR department at Open Systems Technologies, a strategic staffing firm specializing in national IT placements. As a member of the executive team, she oversaw core HR functions and partnered closely with operations, sales, and client relations to support the firm’s continued growth.

Megan Lowry

Corporate Development

With over five years of recruiting experience, Megan began her career in talent acquisition, playing a key role in building and scaling a fast-growing staffing company. She 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.

Megan 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 growth. Megan later expanded her expertise into account management and financial services, developing a reputation for her strategic, people-focused approach to growth. Before supporting key healthcare clients with secure payment solutions at InstaMed (a J.P. Morgan company), she worked at Morgan Stanley in Private Wealth Management, gaining valuable 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 engagement.

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 talent acquisition at Sigura, a Georgia-based water treatment company, where she supported its expansion and strategic growth across functions including Sales, IT, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Engineering.

Her career also includes key contributions to talent initiatives at Lonza, Pitney Bowes, and Dell Technologies and an impact in the field that has earned her several honors, including the Pitney Bowes Excellent Client Services Award and Dell’s 5-Star Award for Recruiting.

Tania 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).

Amy Cowell

Senior Recruiter

With over twenty years of experience in talent acquisition management from Fortune 100 to startup companies, Amy is known for her ability to pivot between organizational verticals and functions. She also holds expertise in project management, analytics, and expansion services.

She has led recruitment initiatives across a wide range of industries — including sports & entertainment, engineering, healthcare, and life sciences — with a focus on aligning talent strategies with broader organizational goals. Amy is especially passionate about greenfield projects, team building, and process optimization.

Amy is AIRS-certified and a Certified Behavioral-Based Interviewer Trainer and holds a BA in Oral Communication and Journalism from Webster University, where she graduated with Presidential Honors.

Among her many career accolades, Amy was recently awarded Randstad’s President’s Club in 2023 — an exclusive honor recognizing the top 1% of recruiters in the U.S., based on both client nominations and performance.

Elise Tapper

Human Resources Leader

Elise Tapper is a forward-thinking HR leader with deep expertise in organizational development, change management, and enterprise HR transformation and a proven ability to design and lead strategic people initiatives that align with business goals and drive sustainable growth. She is highly 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. She is 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 drives high-impact results in performance management, DEI-focused talent acquisition, and leadership development. A champion of transformation, she consistently integrates people, processes, and technology to enable business readiness, accelerate growth, and future-proof the workforce.

With over 20 years of experience, Elise holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pace University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development from Columbia University. She is PROSCI-certified in change management and also holds 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 across program management, recruiting, human resources, brand strategy, and business operations.

She spent 12 years at NCR Corporation, holding roles across Learning & Development, HR, Marketing, and Employee Experience, where she consistently improved internal systems and processes.

She later moved into strategic consulting, supporting a diverse range of clients with needs spanning operations, recruiting, HR, payroll, branding, social media, communications, leadership development, technology, and process improvement.

Known for leading cross-functional teams and delivering effective, people-first solutions, Kate is deeply passionate about creating exceptional experiences for staff, customers, and clients alike.

Jill Arnold

Senior Recruitment Manager

As a current Senior Recruitment Manager partner of Forbes Global Talent, Jill Arnold brings senior-level recruiter and account manager expertise to assist with the recruitment efforts pertaining to their RPO business sector.

Jill has worked in the staffing and recruitment industry since 2006, with deep expertise in Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Medical Device, and CMO/CRO companies, complemented by experience across IT, Sports Management, and Marketing/Communication. Jill enjoys working strategically with clients to address recruitment needs ranging from small engagements to large-scale initiatives.

Known for her straightforward and honest approach, Jill is passionate about the people and organizations she supports—always aligning her work with the core principles of each client.

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

Roderick Ragland

Senior Recruiter

With over 15 years of high-performance talent acquisition experience, Roderick Ragland is recognized as a brand ambassador and strategic recruiter. He focuses on recruitment processes that deliver sustainable results — identifying top talent, leading and managing passive sourcing strategies, and fostering workforce development through strong stakeholder relationships.

Roderick has a proven ability not only to identify high-potential candidates but also to motivate and support their ongoing development. He thrives in independent, fast-paced environments with little direction, while remaining a collaborative team player committed to achieving division-level and corporate objectives.

Throughout his career, Roderick has supported a wide range of industries, including Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Consumer Packaged Goods, and both blue- and white-collar Manufacturing. Most recently, he has expanded into the sports industry through a new partnership with Forbes Global Talent.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from Tennessee State University, an MBA in Human Resource Management from Fitchburg State University, and is AIRS certified, with plans to further his expertise by obtaining his SHRM certification.

Emily Mattson

Senior Recruiter

Emily is currently partnered with Forbes Global Talent as a Senior Recruitment Manager, working primarily with the United States Soccer Federation.

With 25 years of experience in the Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, and Medical sectors, Emily is a dynamic recruiting partner specializing in both contract and permanent placements. She also brings experience as a Business Development Manager, known for her exceptional customer service and client relationship skills.

A proactive self-starter, Emily sets ambitious goals and builds strong relationships rooted in trust and integrity. She takes a practical, common-sense approach to solving problems and delivering results.

Emily studied Mental Health and Paralegal/Criminal Law at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. She has a strong passion for the sports and entertainment space and is excited to continue growing her career in this arena.