David Ain, based in Toronto, leads Egon Zehnder’s Private Equity Practice in Canada and focuses on C-suite and board succession including search, assessment and development. He works extensively for large and midmarket Canadian enterprises, family businesses, and private equity firms while leveraging his expertise across the retail, consumer, services, traditional and digital media, and hospitality sectors. David is an active member of Egon Zehnder’s Consumer, Services, Board and CEO Succession 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 the VP of Strategy & 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 firm, 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 with a particular focus on consumer goods and retail.
David earned a BA from Princeton University (Phi Beta Kappa) and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University (Beta Gamma Sigma). He is 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 also chairs the Governance Committee of the board of directors of Pathways to Education, a non-profit organization that has markedly improved secondary school graduation rates across Canada.
