Executive search firm ZRG Partners promoted London-based executive James Absalom to the position of chief commercial officer – international. Absalom joined ZRG upon its December 2021 acquisition of Walter James, which he founded. In his new role, Absalom will oversee growth of ZRG’s international footprint in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Australia. He will also work closely with the board to identify, acquire and integrate M&A targets internationally.

Upwork Inc. added Kelly Monahan as managing director to launch the Upwork Research Institute. In this new role, Monahan will expand Upwork’s existing body of research to study how scalable workforce models perform in unpredictable periods, adapt to new technologies like generative AI and ultimately transform organizations and drive business growth. Monahan joins Upwork from Meta, where she was a director of future of work research; she held previous research roles at Accenture and Deloitte.

Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., a Chicago-based provider of executive search, on-demand talent and consulting, appointed John Berisford to its board of directors as an independent director and member of its human resources and compensation committee. Berisford most recently was president of S&P Global Ratings; prior to that role, he was executive VP of human resources for S&P Global and was instrumental in the company’s growth plan, which resulted in the creation of S&P Global after the sale of McGraw-Hill Education. With the appointment, Heidrick & Struggles’ board will comprise eight directors, seven of whom are independent.

New York-based Solomon Page named Tricia Weathers as VP of business development for its healthcare staffing division, which provides medical staff including nurses, allied resources and locum tenens. Based in Georgia, she will lead Solomon Page’s expansion on a national level under the direction of Ron DeGasperis. Weathers has worked in the staffing industry for more than 20 years in both recruiting and business development positions.

Velocity Global, a global employer-of-record provider, appointed Ann-Christel Graham as chief revenue officer. She has 25 years’ experience driving growth at SaaS software companies and most recently was chief revenue officer at Talend; prior to Talend, she held a variety of roles during a long career at SAP Concur.

CareerPhysician, a provider of executive search and leadership development in academic pediatrics, appointed Jon Hayes as executive VP, Child Health. His responsibilities include the overall recruitment strategy as well as relationships with healthcare organizations. Prior to joining CareerPhysician, Hayes was president of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital; previous experience also includes director, finance and administrator for the department of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.