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Board

Thames Fulton

Role at RSR Partners

Thames is a senior member of the firm’s Board Recruiting practice and Head of the firm's Family Enterprises practice. He also supports the firm’s Chief Executive Officers and Industrial practices. He is a functional specialist working on board recruiting, corporate governance consulting, and best-in-class succession planning for both board members and CEOs. He serves as a board- and CEO-level advisor assisting clients with ascertaining and recruiting the optimum balance of skills and experience required to build robust and effective boards and corporate governance processes in support of successful businesses.

Experience and Expertise

He has more than 25 years of experience executing board search and governance-based consulting engagements. His search practice spans a wide variety of sectors including industrial manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and financial services. Thames’ clients include Fortune 500, mid-cap, and small-cap corporations, as well private, family-owned enterprises. Prior to joining RSR Partners, he built and led a successful national boutique board practice for a smaller firm. Before that, he worked for 11 years with two global recruiting firms, Heidrick & Struggles and Russell Reynolds Associates. Thames’ earlier career includes experience as a research analyst at Euromonitor International, a global market research firm, and as a project manager at Mitternight Boiler Works, a manufacturer of ASME pressure vessels, distillation columns, and heat exchangers for the chemical and petroleum industries. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, implementing agro-forestry and natural resources management projects.

Outside of RSR Partners

Thames earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He and his wife Mary live in Geneva, Illinois with their four children. He enjoys spending as much time with his family as he can. Thames’ other pursuits include bass fishing, bird hunting, cooking, and gardening.

Perspectives

Featured Insights

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  • General Counsel & Legal Officers

    Stewardship as a Governing Obligation

    Governance has meaning only when a board confronts uncomfortable questions honestly. Much of what passes for governance—process, cadence, reporting—accumulates regardless. Stewardship begins only when a board takes responsibility for what must be preserved, and what must change, so that the enterprise’s continuity is meaningful rather than merely nominal.

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  • Insights

    An Insider’s Perspective to Selecting Your Family Office CFO

    With more than three decades of experience advising family offices, our team has witnessed a clear and growing shift: the demand for strategic CFOs is accelerating. This trend is particularly pronounced in family offices, whether newly formed or well-established, as they look to increase their assets, prepare for succession, or elevate their operational capabilities.

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  • Insights

    The Secret of Great Chairs

    In the high-stakes world of boardrooms, where decisions can make or break billion-dollar enterprises, the effectiveness of a board often hinges on one pivotal role: the Chair.

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