Areas of Expertise

  • Executive & Leadership Search
  • Fractional Executives
  • Interim Management

Industries of Expertise

  • Building Products & Construction
  • Energy
  • Financial Institutions
  • Food & Beverage
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing & Fabrication
  • Real Estate
  • Retail & Consumer Goods
  • Telecom & Technology

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), University of Witwatersrand, South Africa (1989)

Biography

Charlene Bergman is the Managing Director & Partner of the Executive Search & Interim Management practice at B. Riley Farber. Her expertise lies in building long-term relationships by supporting clients to meet their corporate and strategic business goals and candidates by impacting their careers and realizing their aspirations.

With over 25 years in the search and recruitment industry, Charlene is a recognized business partner and trusted advisor, collaborating with organizations to develop strategic talent plans and execute them to build exceptional executive teams. She has placed leaders and emerging leaders who have transformed organizations and contributed to their successes. Her methodical search process involves:

  • Deep analysis of business needs aligning their talent strategy to meet these objectives
  • Engaging her deep and broad network whilst conducting an exhaustive mapping of the market
  • Identifying and methodically evaluating the best-suited candidates based on the organization's immediate and long-term needs
  • Securing and onboarding exceptional leadership and supporting them through their successful integration

Charlene places an emphasis on supporting the career journeys of executives. She particularly enjoys these candidate interactions and maintains long term relationships with her candidate network.

Prior to joining B. Riley Farber, Charlene established a deep network working for leading global and national recruitment firms in Toronto.

Recent placements include:

  • VP People for a growing Canadian consumer packaged goods and retail business, adding a strategic HR leader to their executive
  • Canadian President for a US-based global manufacturer and distributor of apparel, scaling their business in Canada
  • VP Operations for a family-based national distributor, replacing a retiring long tenured executive
  • CFO for a Not-for-profit in the music arts industry, a recognized arts organization in Canada and North America
  • Head of Canadian Infrastructure for a global advisory organization, adding to their growing North American practice
  • CFO, CHRO, Treasurer and Corporate Controller for a Canadian division of a multinational automotive manufacturer, expanding their operations across the Americas
  • President of a family-based Canadian manufacturer, building out their executive team for succession planning
  • CFO and COO for a municipal Hydro with related environmental portfolio companies in the GTA, undergoing growth
  • CFO for an early stage global distributor hiring their first Finance executive
  • COO for a global investment bank, supporting their growing business in the Toronto market
  • Various senior finance, HR and operations roles across multiple industries in the GTA and other centers in Ontario

B. Riley Advisory Services works with lenders, law firms, private equity sponsors and companies of all types. Our Advisory Services are a unique mix of Valuation and Appraisal Services including asset-based lending (ABL) Valuations; Restructuring and Turnaround Management; Forensic Accounting and Litigation Support; Operations Management; Compliance, Risk & Resilience Services; and Transaction Support Services including Due Diligence and Quality of Earnings Reviews. B. Riley Advisory Services is the trade name for GlassRatner Advisory & Capital Group, LLC, Great American Group Advisory & Valuation Services, LLC, Great American Group Machinery & Equipment, LLC, and Great American Group Intellectual Property Advisors, LLC.