--- title: "About Black Powder Search | Our Team and Our Standard" description: "Black Powder Search was founded to place Special Operations veterans who have already proved themselves commercially. Meet the seven-person team behind it." url: https://blackpowdersearch.com/about --- About # Built by the people who had to make this transition themselves. Black Powder Search exists because two worlds that need each other keep failing to connect. On one side, companies that would hire a proven operator tomorrow if they could identify one. On the other, Special Operations veterans whose records are genuinely exceptional and completely illegible to a keyword screen. ## The standard we hold Most veteran hiring initiatives are built around good intentions and a transition window. That work matters, and two of our founders have run organizations doing exactly it — Robert Kirila as CEO of the Special Operators Transition Foundation, Mark Whaling as its Chairman. Black Powder Search is a different thing. We are a search firm, and the standard we hold is commercial: **A candidate who has proven themselves in three separate arenas rather than one: academic achievement, service in U.S. Special Operations, and a documented record of results in a civilian business role.** That third filter is the one that makes the difference. It is why our candidates arrive with a record a hiring committee can evaluate on its own terms, and why an employer engaging us is not being asked to take a chance on anyone. ## Where we sit Black Powder Search is part of the Black Powder family of companies. The distinction matters when you are trying to work out who does what: - **Black Powder Holdings** — Purpose-driven holding company investing in and supporting America's founder-owned infrastructure service businesses. - **Black Powder Partners** — Investment arm of the same family of companies. - **Black Powder Search** — the executive search business. This site. At a glance What we are Executive search and talent acquisition firm Who we place U.S. Military and Special Operations veterans with a commercial record Where United States Team 7 The team ## Who you will actually be dealing with - ![Mark Whaling, Co-Founder, Business Development](#) ### [Mark Whaling](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/mark-whaling) Co-Founder, Business Development Co-founder of Black Powder Search and Chairman of the Special Operators Transition Foundation, after 25 years in institutional securities. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/mark-whaling) - ![Robert Kirila, Co-Founder, Business Development and Veteran Relations](#) ### [Robert Kirila](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/robert-kirila) Co-Founder, Business Development and Veteran Relations Co-founder and Managing Partner across the Black Powder companies, after 26 years in the U.S. Army leading Special Operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/robert-kirila) - ![Erik Wisecup, Partner, COO](#) ### [Erik Wisecup](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/erik-wisecup) Partner, COO COO of Black Powder Search and a U.S. Navy Special Operations veteran, with an MIT MBA and an M.S. from Columbia. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/erik-wisecup) - ![Tal Bruno, Business Development](#) ### [Tal Bruno](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/tal-bruno) Business Development Leads new business development at Black Powder Search, after scaling go-to-market teams at Intent, Torc and a boutique SaaS search firm. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/tal-bruno) - ![Sean Locke, Senior Advisor](#) ### [Sean Locke](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/sean-locke) Senior Advisor Founder of The Locke Group and a Senior Advisor to Black Powder Search, with two decades of front-office search in alternative investments and asset management. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/sean-locke) - ![Colin Brune, Special Advisor](#) ### [Colin Brune](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/colin-brune) Special Advisor Special Advisor with 20+ years in talent acquisition at Aerotek, TEKsystems, The Onin Group and Akkodis/Adecco. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/colin-brune) - ![Denise Kermode, Chief Administrative Officer](#) ### [Denise Kermode](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/denise-kermode) Chief Administrative Officer Chief Administrative Officer at Black Powder Search, with 25 years of finance experience at Canaccord Genuity, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. [Full biography →](https://blackpowdersearch.com/team/denise-kermode) Affiliations and background ## The company we keep ### Organizations we serve - ![Special Operators Transition Foundation](#) Special Operators Transition Foundation — Mark Whaling is Chairman; Robert Kirila is a former CEO. A charity, not a client. ### Partner firms - ![The Locke Group](#) ### Where our team came from Institutions our people worked in before Black Powder Search. Listed as background, not as clients. - ![BofA Securities](#) - ![ABN AMRO](#) Next step ## Tell us the role. We will tell you who is already ready for it. An onboarding call with our COO and the lead recruiter, and you will know within the week whether the person you need is already in our pool. [Start a search](https://blackpowdersearch.com/for-employers#start) [Join the talent pool](https://blackpowdersearch.com/for-candidates#join)