Advius Group phoenix mark Advius Group

About Advius Group

We make leadership transitions work.

Advius Group is a retained executive search and advisory firm based in Phoenix, Arizona, built on one conviction: leaders rarely fail for lack of talent. They fail because the system was not ready to receive them.

Craig Devereaux
Founder
Mason Brown
Operator
Karen McClendon
John Merseck
Adwoa Devereaux
Nick Matarazzo
Advisors

The founder, the operator, and the four advisors behind the firm.

01Why Advius Exists

We couldn't watch another great leader fail because the system wasn't ready to receive them, so we built Advius Group.

We make leadership transitions work, for people, not just positions. Leadership transitions are the most disruptive force in business, especially when done poorly.

Failure rates hover between 40 to 60% within the first 18 months. That's not just unsettling. It's costly. To culture. To momentum. To people.

We built Advius to disrupt the disruption. We build systems that help people flourish. Sometimes that means growth. Sometimes it means change. Either way, it starts with honesty.

Too many transitions are built on speed and a false sense of relief, the comfort of filling a seat instead of preparing the system to receive what's next. Too many firms take orders instead of preparing teams. Too many good people fail, not for lack of talent, but because the system wasn't ready for them.

Advius exists to fix that. To make leadership a living system, not a transaction. When you align people, purpose, and process, you don't just fill a role. You protect culture. You accelerate impact. You restore trust.

That's the work. It's part science, part empathy, and all stewardship.

That's why every Advius engagement runs through the first 120 days after placement, not just to the offer.

Craig Devereaux

Founder and CEO, Advius Group

02 What we believe

The Clarity, Precision, and Momentum framework.

Principles Outcome Clarity Precision Momentum A ready team Ideal Candidate Profile The right fit Integration Readiness Score Tailor-madeintegration 120-day integration plan We learn and we get better. Advius

The talent deficit in global leadership is not a lack of people, but a lack of alignment.

03The Problem We Solve

40–60%

of executive transitions fail within the first 18 months.

  • A ready teamThe organization is prepared to receive the leader before day one.
  • The right fitFit measured against the system the leader walks into, not the resume alone.
  • Tailor-made integrationA transition plan built for this leader, this team, this moment.

Advius is a retained, boutique firm working directly with CEOs, CHROs, and private equity partners. We are built for speed to impact, not speed to fill, so the leader lands well, builds trust fast, and moves the organization forward.

04Founder & CEO
Craig Devereaux

Founder and CEO

Craig Devereaux

Craig started his career in recruiting. Over ten years of watching what happens after the offer letter taught him the industry had the wrong scoreboard. A search closes and a leader arrives but the organization is not ready. Culture takes the hit. Momentum takes the hit. People take the hit.

He built Advius Group to disrupt the disruption. His conviction is simple and hard-won. Leadership is a living system, not a transaction. Align people, purpose, and process, and you don’t just fill a role. You protect culture. You accelerate impact. You restore trust.

That is the work he has spent his career preparing to do. Part science, part empathy, and all stewardship.

“Leadership transitions should enable leaders to land well, build trust fast, and move their organizations forward. Deliberately, confidently, and together.”

05Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Mason Brown

Mason is the operator behind the operations. He owns the systems that make Advius run, building systems and giving strategic insights based on data and analytics to help Advius improve day after day.

His work is the practice of Clarity, Precision, and Momentum applied to how the firm itself operates. If the process is the product, Mason builds the factory.

“The system is the product. My job is to make sure it runs whether or not anyone is watching.”

Mason Brown
06Advisory Board

The advisors behind the firm.

Four executives and operators who put their names behind the Advius model.

Karen McClendon

Karen McClendon

Executive Leadership Advisor and CHRO

John Merseck

John Merseck

Executive Leadership Advisor and CEO

Adwoa Devereaux

Adwoa Devereaux

Executive Advisor and CHRO

Nick Matarazzo

Nick Matarazzo

Executive Advisor and President

07Begin

Start a confidential inquiry.

Tell us what you are facing. You will hear back from the founder within one business day, in confidence, with a working point of view.