Exexutive Advisory Attempted to extract a service fee of $2,900 to provide services related to Corporate Board Placement but would not allow us to meet them, get referrals or provide details on Corporate Boards with whom they have worked. Chicago IL
While I did not follow through with a payment for their services, the Executive Advisory "staff", both Elizabeth and Jim Johnston, guaranteed a board seat placement within 45-90 days. In our efforts to diligence their services, a friend of mine and I asked for referrals of both clients and corporate boards with whom they have worked.
We were both told that this was not their practice in terms of privacy policy issues. We asked to visit their offices and were refused. If you look for Elizabeth on LinkedIn, she has NO presence. Jim has 89 contacts on LinkedIn, all of which are private and one referral from a corporate executive. The company is listed there with only Jim and some student interns at the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park neighborhood in which they have a "second" office.
The level of services they offer do not seem feasible for the fee they propose charging. Two hours to prep your resume and cover letter, hundreds of calls and letters to go out on your behalf, follow up calls, etc. It is pennies on the hour they would make if they did all this. The testimonials on their website seem contrived and also show up in 2 positive Yelp reveiws - word for word. It all just seems too fishy and while I did not lose a dime, I decided to steer clear and so should you.