Search firm True adds to its Climate Tech Practice’s leadership team to meet client demand

Haddonfield-based True, a global executive search firm, on Thursday said it promoted Paul Gilkerson to co-head of the Climate Tech Practice and Wrendon Hunt was brought on to lead Climate Tech’s industrial and manufacturing sector.

“Paul and Wrendon exemplify the innovative leaders that make True the world’s best talent partner to clients taking advantage of the investment opportunities of today,” Andy Towne, co-head of the Climate Tech Practice, said. “Paul’s experience co-founding a sustainability startup and his intense customer focus, along with Wrendon’s deep expertise in public and PE industrial and manufacturing work, will expand and differentiate the services we offer clients.”

Gilkerson brings over a decade of leadership experience in the climate tech industry to his new role at True. He specializes in C-suite placements across venture, private equity and publicly traded companies, including Powin Energy, Array Technologies, Pivot Bio and Global Thermostat. He has also placed principal investors at some of the leading funds in the world, including Decarbonization Partners, Quantum Energy Partners, Energy Impact Partners and Closed Loop Partners. Gilkerson came to executive search from the company he co-founded, Sealed Inc., a venture-backed startup, which designs, manages and finances home weatherization and electrification projects.

“Our goal is to solidify True search as the first place any global investor turns when they have executive talent needs in climate tech,” Gilkerson said. “Our practice is built on over 25 years’ experience in industrial technology, sustainability and decarbonization. This experience allows us to tackle the most difficult searches in both established and emerging areas of climate tech, and to serve as valuable advisers to our clients.”

Houston-based partner Hunt is a force in Fortune 500 and PE talent acquisition across energy, petrochemicals, machinery testing, manufacturing and sustainability. Before entering the executive search industry, he was a leader for Dow Chemical Co., serving as commercial director for its solar energy business and general manager of a global commodity chemical line. The West Point and Harvard Business School graduate began his career as a surface warfare officer in the Navy, completing two Western Pacific deployments. He also was director of a financial advisory and asset management firm, and was a White House Fellow, serving as a special assistant and advisor to the U.S. secretary of labor.