Every AQ Recruiting engagement is led directly by experienced talent partners who stay close to your business, your candidates, and every decision from search strategy through final hire.
MEET THE TEAM
Two partners.
One shared standard.
Mike Materasso
CEO & TALENT PARTNER
EXECUTIVE SEARCH • LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT • STRATEGIC TALENT
Mike brings more than 15 years of global executive-search experience to AQ Recruiting. He partners with organizations on consequential leadership hires, helping clients define what success requires and identify executives equipped to deliver it.
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His work combines search strategy, leadership assessment, and a practical understanding of how senior talent shapes business performance. Mike is particularly focused on the qualities that separate strong credentials from true leadership impact - including judgement, adaptability, resilience, and the ability to build high-performing teams.
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As CEO and Talent Partner, Mike leads client strategy and remains directly involved throughout every assigment.
COO & TALENT PARTNER
Gina Jacobson
EXECUTIVE SEARCH • GO-TO-MARKET LEADERSHIP • SEARCH OPERATIONS
Gina brings 15 years of experience in go-to-market leadership across customer success, sales, operations, and Chief of Staff roles. Her career spans SaaS businesses, hypergrowth companies, and agencies, giving her firsthand insight into how commercial organizations evolve - and the leadership required at each stage of growth.Â
Gina spent eight years as a foundational customer success leader at Slack, where she helped build the company's East Coast and international organizations. As Slack scaled, she hired dozens of people into the business and developed a deep understanding of how to identify candidates who can thrive in fast-moving, high-expectation environments.
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Having spent much of her career building high-performing teams and partnering closely with senior leaders, Gina approaches executive search with the perspective of an experienced hiring manager. She looks beyond credentials to assess what a business truly needs, how a candidate will operate within its environment, and whether that person can turn the company's priorities into meaningful results.
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As COO and Talent Partner at AQ Recruiting, Gina combines disciplined search execution with a highly personal approach to client relationships. She brings clarity, efficiency, and genuine partnership to every engagement while remaining closely involved with both clients and candidates throughout the process.
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We believe the strongest search partnerships are built on candor, curiosity, and a shared commitment to getting the leadership decision right.
MIKE MATERASSO & GINA JACOBSON • AQ RECRUITING