KENT BURNS

FOUNDER & CEO

Kent Burns is the Founder and CEO Simply Driven Executive Search. Simply Driven has grown over 500% in the past three years and is consistently ranked in the Top 10 amongst 170+ offices that comprise the Sanford Rose Associates network. Simply Driven delivers talent in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Robotics & Engineering, Finance/Accounting, Information Technology, Point of Sale Retail Technology, Human Resources and Workforce/Staffing Solutions.

In 2019, Burns received the Corporate Mystic Award, the highest individual honor within Sanford Rose Associates. He is a former CPA and corporate CFO who entered the recruiting business in 1999. Prior to founding Simply Driven, Burns was a Partner with MRINETWORK. His success there included being the Top-Producing Individual Account Executive worldwide, outperforming approximately 3,500 recruiters in 38 countries.

He is the author of “What’s Your Why?” and “The Why Guide to Your First Job – College Edition.” He has been featured in publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, CFO Magazine, HR Magazine, The Journal of Accountancy, The Boston Globe, Reuters, The Houston Chronicle, The Indianapolis Business Journal and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

4to1

INTERVIEW
TO HIRE RATIO

10day

AVERAGE TO DELIVER
WINNING CANDIDATE

(RETAINED SEARCHES)

99+%

PLACEMENT RETENTION
12 MONTHS AFTER HIRE

41%

OF PLACEMENTS HAVE
BEEN DIVERSE HIRES

31%

OF PLACEMENTS PROMOTED
WITHIN 24 MONTHS

  • Cate Bray
    Practice Lead

    Cate Bray leads the Human Resources Practice at Simply Driven.  In 2023, she was ranked #22 in total production within the Sanford Rose Associates Network, which comprises over 180 recruiting firms worldwide.

    Her HR recruiting team fills role across the human resources spectrum from Talent Acquisition to CHRO.

    Prior to Simply Driven, Cate was a top performer with two of the largest recruiting firms in the United States.

  • Garrett Butcher
    Practice Lead & Managing Partner

    Garrett Butcher leads the Automation, Robotics & Engineering Practice at Simple Driven. He is one of America’s leading recruiting experts in this space and his performance ranks him nationally among the Top 9 recruiting firms in the United States. A former elite athlete, he played on both Butler University’s NCAA Final Four Men’s Basketball teams.

  • Jim Fisher
    Retail Point Of Sale Practice Leader

    Jim is a former United States Navy Intelligence Officer. He is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s been a winner his entire life – and TODAY he leads the Information Technology Point of Sale Recruiting Practice for Simply Driven Executive Search.

  • Mariah Parker
    Executive Recruiter

    Mariah Parker leads the Corporate Accounting/Finance recruiting practice at Simply Driven.  Her recruiting team fills roles across the spectrum from staff to VP/C-level.

    Prior to Simply Driven, Mariah was a top performer with a global leader in HR solutions as part of their Executive Recruiting Division.

4to1

INTERVIEW
TO HIRE RATIO

10days

AVERAGE TO DELIVER
WINNING CANDIDATE

(RETAINED SEARCHES)

99+%

PLACEMENT RETENTION
12 MONTHS AFTER HIRE

41%

OF PLACEMENTS HAVE
BEEN DIVERSE HIRES

31%

OF PLACEMENTS
PROMOTED WITHIN
24 MONTHS

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Talent acquisition doesn’t focus on “why” first; it focuses on “what” and “how” – and all parties are guilty: employers, employees, job candidates and search firms.  Not us.  We start with “why”.  And by doing that, we improve lives.

Human capital is an economic variable.  How do you attract and acquire great talent when both marketplace noise and marketplace skepticism are at all-time highs?  We start with “why”.

Attracting great talent starts with the message and the messenger.  We deliver your message – your story – better than your competitor delivers theirs.  Great talent doesn’t need you; they have no shortage of opportunity.  We get through to the people you can’t, because we know how to identify, engage and gently awaken in them curiosity about your opportunity.  And, we start with “why”.

Success depends more on those you don’t hire than those you do. Bad hires are toxic, creating fissures in your enterprise that fracture over time.  Bad hires result in cascading, painful consequences that impact short-term performance and long-term outcomes.  We are experts in discernment; specially attuned to avoiding the wrong hire – it rarely happens on our watch.  Because we know the “why”.

I’ve spent thousands of hours perfecting our process. Corporate internal recruiting teams rarely demonstrate such proficiency. We act as an agent, brokering the angst-ridden space of the job change. Further, we evaluate candidate fitness every step of the way, including formal psychometric assessment for clients desiring that additional step of talent review.

We are valued as an essential ally organizations looking to separate themselves from their competitors. NFL owners don’t travel to college games to watch recruits; they depend on seasoned scouts to assess and recommend the best prospects. We act in much the same way; experts in the field making detailed and exhaustive assessments of a skilled pool of players.

Don’t settle. Insist on people with integrity, drive, mental and social acuity, and verifiable histories of outstanding achievement. Our thesis is that we are better than you at doing this. If we are right about that, can you really afford to continue business as usual?

At Simply Driven, we improve lives.
Because people matter And talent wins®.

At Simply Driven,
we improve lives.
Because people matter.
And talent wins.

Regards,
Kent Burns