Q & A with Dan Veitkus, CEO & Managing Partner of Corsica Partners, LLC

The Gulf Coast CEO Forum’s primary purpose is building a true community. By bringing our region’s business leaders together to collaborate, learn and share, members grow their organizations and expand their skill set while also becoming better mentors and contributors to our thriving area.

Dan Veitkus, CEO & Managing Partner of Corsica Partners, LLC, a global strategic talent management firm, has been a member of the Gulf Coast CEO Forum since 2019. An author, entrepreneur and Broadway producer, he is an active advisor to CEOs and boards and a former distinguished mentor and executive coach for the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. Read his unique experience with the Gulf Coast CEO Forum in this exclusive Q&A.

Q: Can you tell us more about your role with Corsica Partners?

I serve as the Managing Partner of Corsica Partners, where my role centers on building the organizational health of our firm and creating a winning field of play for our partners and associates. I’m focused on leading an AI-forward organization that strengthens our research and search capabilities and elevates the value we deliver to clients. The majority of my time is spent working directly with CEOs and boards as a talent and strategic advisor. I lead our Board and CEO Practice, serve as Advisor to several CEOs and firms with particular focus on leadership strategies and organizational health and I’m always cultivating long-term relationships with some of the most sought-after executive talent in the market.

Q: How does Corsica Partners differ from other talent management companies in the area?

As retained headhunters, we’re proud of the fact we’re locally based but our capabilities are global. We serve clients worldwide with the lion’s share of customers here in the U.S. followed by the European market. We’ll celebrate our 20th year of recruiting executives, building leadership teams and scaling high growth companies in 2026 and we’re very proud to call SRQ home. We moved the company headquarters from Boston in 2017, and we’ve continued to grow and scale in support of private equity, venture capital and family office-backed firms and the assets they own and manage. 

As former operating executives—and my specific background was in telecom, software and corporate learning—we have decades of real-world experience, and we speak the language of business. We’re not simply headhunters. We invest extensive time to understand our clients’ business, culture and ethos, their strategic objectives and challenges, all with an eye towards contributing to their enterprise value expansion by identifying the “right fit” and right executives for their business. We’re particularly good at intersecting our operating experience with competitive insights to help identify and close the best candidates. 

Q: How has the Gulf Coast CEO Forum helped you and your business?

The Gulf Coast CEO Forum has provided something that’s difficult to find at the senior level: genuine peer accountability. The ability to discuss challenges confidentially with other CEOs—people who’ve led through scale, crisis and change—has helped me make more confident, grounded decisions. It has been a source of support, perspective, and rigor that directly benefits my business. And as a result of the terrific slate of keynote speakers we welcome to the Yacht Club each month, the membership gets exposure to other successful entrepreneurs, investors CEOs, thought leaders, and subject-matter experts whose perspectives influence how I evaluate risk, align teams and drive performance.

Q: What would you tell others who may want to join the Gulf Coast CEO Forum? 

For CEOs evaluating whether to join, I’d emphasize the caliber of the membership and the quality of thought leadership offered throughout the year. What I tell everyone is this: if you’re a CEO who values honest conversation, real peer support and a place to grow as a leader, the Gulf Coast CEO Forum is unmatched. You’re surrounded by people who understand the pressure and the opportunities you face. It’s a community that challenges you, supports you and makes you better—professionally and personally. And if you’re looking for a place where leadership isn’t romanticized—where people talk candidly about growth, challenges, and accountability—this is it. The Gulf Coast CEO Forum gives you a trusted circle of peers who push you to think bigger, execute smarter and stay grounded. It’s one of the best investments they can make in themselves and for their business. 

Q: In December, the Gulf Coast CEO Forum is hosting a Big Event featuring Jesse Itzler. What are you most looking forward to?

What excites me most is Jesse’s belief that exceptional leaders are defined by clarity of purpose. He does a great job of challenging people to be intentional about how they invest their time, energy and intentions with relationships. For CEOs and executives, this is a particularly important and always timely message. In a world of constant noise and competing priorities, leaders who act with clarity create companies that execute with conviction.

I’m also looking forward to Jesse’s insights on culture and energy. He’s built businesses by surrounding himself with exceptional people and then outworking everyone in the room. His message—that leaders set the emotional tone for their organizations—is exactly what CEOs, operators and investors need to hear right now. High-performance cultures don’t happen by accident; they’re created by leaders who bring clarity, curiosity and relentless follow-through to their organizations.