Compass Carter Osborne opens New York office bringing specialist healthcare executive search to investor-backed markets
April 16th 2026
Press | April 2026
Compass Carter Osborne (CCO), the specialist executive search and advisory firm dedicated to the private healthcare sector, is proud to announce the formal launch of its US operations, extending its investor-focused offering to the world’s largest healthcare market.
Operating from its new US base at 250 Park Avenue, New York, CCO will deliver the same partner-led executive search and advisory solutions that have made it the go-to partner for investors in the UK’s private healthcare sector; now available to private equity, venture capital and growth equity firms investing across the US healthcare landscape.
The move into the US market is a natural evolution for the firm. Since its founding, CCO has built a reputation as one of the most trusted executive search partners in investor-backed healthcare, supporting private equity investors and their portfolio businesses to attract and place board-level and C-suite leadership that drives value creation and long-term growth. That track record, built across hundreds of senior mandates in the UK, has increasingly attracted the attention of US-headquartered investors — many of whom already work with CCO on their UK-based healthcare assets.
Commenting on the launch, Adam Carter, Senior Partner at Compass Carter Osborne, said:
“This is a milestone we have been working towards for some time, and one that reflects the confidence our investor clients have placed in us over the years. A significant and growing number of our relationships are with US funds who have assets in the UK, and they have consistently asked whether we can support them with leadership challenges across their wider portfolios. The US healthcare market presents enormous opportunity — it is dynamic, it is complex, and it is exactly the kind of environment where specialist executive search and advisory capability makes a material difference to outcomes. We are ready to deliver that.”
CCO’s US practice will focus specifically on investor-backed healthcare businesses, working across sub-sectors including healthcare services, primary and specialist care, behavioural health and senior living across the full breadth of elder care. The firm’s offering spans board and executive leadership search, interim executive appointments, leadership assessment and board advisory — solutions that are purpose-built for the demands of private equity ownership and the pace of investor-driven transformation.
Sam Leighton-Smith, who will lead business development for CCO in the US, added:
“The US investor-backed healthcare market is one of the most active and sophisticated in the world, and yet it remains a market where truly specialist, sector-dedicated executive search capability is genuinely scarce. CCO brings something distinctive: a deep understanding of what investors need from leadership in healthcare businesses, a rigorous and relationship-driven approach to search, and a track record that speaks for itself. We are here to build long-term partnerships with the US investment community, and we are looking forward to getting started.”
The launch of CCO’s US practice builds on the firm’s established position as a strategic partner to the healthcare investment community in the UK, where it has worked alongside leading private equity houses to build leadership teams at some of the sector’s most significant businesses. CCO is a strategic partner of the European Health Investor Alliance (EHIA) and has been recognised across the healthcare and investment communities for the quality and impact of its executive search work.
Seeking a specialist executive search partner for your healthcare portfolio in the US?
CCO brings deep healthcare sector knowledge, a proven investment-oriented methodology, and an exceptional network of C-suite and board-level talent. Our investor clients rely on us to build the leadership teams that deliver results.
