Carlos F. Cata is the managing partner of Caldwell’s Chicago office and the Modern Marketing and Growth Officers practice. He is often asked to advise on strategies to unlock growth in the areas of marketing modernization and digital transformation.

He excels at advising clients at the intersection of talent, growth and innovation where companies and brands seek to play a more relevant role in enhancing customer experiences. His search practice spans across the spectrum of commercial leadership functions for financial services, consumer, fintech and PE-backed companies. He also brings a special focus on coaching and developing Latino leaders as they embark on C-suite and board roles.

​Prior to joining Caldwell Partners, Carlos enjoyed a 14-year executive search career in which he led the CMO and Marketing Practices at both Heidrick & Struggles and DHR Global. As an executive, he spent 18 years as a marketing leader, entrepreneur, and consultant working for some of the world’s premier companies including Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, and as a founding partner of Frontera Foods which was later sold to Conagra Brands.​

Carlos currently sits on the Board and Executive Committee for the American Cancer Society for Illinois. He previously served on the National Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation as Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee as well as on the Executive Committee. He previously served on Duke’s Fuqua School of Business Minority Advisory Board and Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s Foundation Board.

In addition to his non-profit board work, Carlos is on the Advisory Board of the Hunt Club, a high growth tech enabled recruiting platform. He has published numerous articles on the role of marketing as a contributing editor for Forbes, Hispanic Executive and Advertising Age. In addition, he was featured in Crain’s Business for his work on recruiting Latino leaders and was a Distinguished Guest Speaker for the Goizueta Latinx Business Association.

Carlos earned an MBA, with distinction, from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, as well as a B.S. degree in Finance, magna cum laude, from Miami University.