David Ain leads the firm's Private Capital Practice in the country. David focuses on C-suite and board succession including search, assessment and development, partnering with large and midmarket Canadian enterprises, family businesses, and private equity firms. David is an active member of Egon Zehnder’s Board, CEO Succession and Consumer practices and has particular specialization in Chief Financial Officers and Family Businesses.
I’m at my best when helping fast-paced clients make investment decisions in key people. Clients tell me that my main strengths are synthesis, creativity, and empathy.
Prior to joining Egon Zehnder in 2005, David was VP, Corporate Development at Indigo Books & Music, a leading Canadian retailer. Before that, he served as President of Skulogix, a private equity portfolio company in supply chain outsourcing, where he led a management buyout. David has also been involved in a number of digital startups. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Toronto office of the Boston Consulting Group.
David earned a BA from Princeton University (Phi Beta Kappa) and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Beta Gamma Sigma). He has been a producer and performer of music, theatre, and film, and runs an independent record label on the side. David is devoted to his musician wife, his two sons, and his tight-knit extended family. He sits on the Board of Directors and chairs the Governance Committee of Pathways to Education, a non-profit organization that has markedly improved high school graduation rates across Canada.
