Jill De Forest
President, De Forest Search Powered By Talento
Meet Jill
With over 30 years of executive search experience, Jill De Forest is a force in the world of consumer brands, lifestyle products, and transformative leadership. As the founder and former CEO of De Forest Search, Jill built one of the industry’s most respected boutique firms, known for its deep expertise and successful placements across marketing, creative, product development, and operational leadership.
Since joining TalentoHC in 2022, Jill has played a pivotal role in expanding the firm’s reach—helping evolve it from a boutique agency into a global executive search powerhouse. Today, she leads De Forest Search Powered by TalentoHC, a dedicated division specializing in leadership talent across toy, entertainment, gaming, beauty, wellness, food & beverage, fashion, and tech.
Jill’s career began in corporate recruiting at Mattel, where she cultivated long-standing partnerships with some of the most recognizable names in the industry. Her ability to understand brand vision and align executive talent with strategic business goals has made her a trusted partner to global organizations, high-growth startups, and Fortune 500 companies alike.
A business builder at heart, Jill thrives on developing meaningful client relationships and delivering talent solutions that drive lasting impact. She’s placed hundreds of mid-to-C-Suite leaders across the U.S.—and she’s just getting started.
Industry Expertise
Consumer & Lifestyle Brands | Toy & Entertainment | Beauty & Wellness | Gaming | Food & Beverage | Fashion | Tech (Fintech, Data, SaaS, CPaaS) | Marketing Agencies | Automotive | Environmental & Climate Tech
Functional Expertise
Marketing (Brand, Digital, Retail) | eCommerce | Product Innovation | Licensing & Development | Sales | Human Resources | Legal | IT & Data Science | Operations | Supply Chain
Outside the Office
Jill’s passion for her work is matched only by her love for family, real estate investing, and rescue dogs Bentley and Bosco Bear. When she’s not developing client partnerships or mentoring rising talent, she’s spending quality time with her husband Steve and their three kids, Dane, Lexi, and Cole.
Jill had represented and placed me in the role of EVP at Disney Consumer Products and I have worked with Jill throughout the years when hiring for my teams at Mattel, Disney and Play Monster. Jill is very well-rounded and knowledgeable in the toy and entertainment industry. I have always found Jill to be a great resource for my critical hiring needs as she knows the talent and moves quickly.
Tim Kilpin
President, Toys, Games, Licensing & Entertainment – Hasbro
I have known and worked with Jill De Forest for over 25 years, whether it was to provide recommendations or to discuss a possible role for me, she has always been diligent and thoughtful in her approach. Jill placed me as the Head of Global Consumer Products at both Fox and Miraculous Corp. Jill always goes above and beyond to accommodate in respect to relocation needs and even suggesting interim housing options. I highly recommend Jill and De Forest Search for any hiring needs in the toy and entertainment industries.
Roz Nowicki
Head of Global Consumer Products – Miraculous Corp
TalentoHC has significantly streamlined our talent acquisition process. I believe we have significantly reduced the time spent on candidate search and selection timelines. This efficiency allows our hiring teams to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks.
Andy Yeatman
CEO – Miraculous Corp
I was pleased that Jill De Forest at Talento introduced this CEO role at Lancer Skincare to me. Jill and I have worked together over the past 10 years, at De Forest Search and Talento, and she has been a consummate professional and amazing partner
Marc Kravets
CEO of Lancer
Discover How Top Talent Can Elevate Your Brand
Connect with Jill to learn how her specialized expertise and deep industry connections can help you find game-changing talent.