Our story starts in 1970 with the vision and ambition of a prolific talent recruiter in Toronto named Harold Perry. The founder and chairman of Mandrake, Harold Perry, opened the first Mandrake office at Bloor and Bay in Toronto.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Mr. Perry and his fast-growing team established Mandrake as one of the most innovative recruitment firms in the country, producing its first CEO hires for Nestle, Pillsbury, and Max Factor.

By the mid 1980’s, Mandrake completed its 1000th executive search – no small feat for a 10-year-old company – pioneering in recruitment in Canada. In 1987, Stefan Danis joined Mandrake, ushering in a new era of growth and creativity at the company.

The 1990’s saw us formalize our philanthropic efforts, launching the first annual Skate for Kids Charity Event in 1991. To date, Skate for Kids has raised almost $1,000,000 for local children’s charities.

Gaining momentum, Mandrake passed the tipping point of its success in the 90s, garnering win after win in executive search. At the start of the new millennium, the office grew to a larger footprint on St. Clair West and, within a year, Mandrake launched a suite of new brands like wwwork! and NEXCareer.

The former targeted small- to medium-sized employers searching for better talent in non-management roles, while the latter helped employees transition to new roles. Onboarding and transitioning employees became important topics in businesses across Canada and the US.

Over the past 10 years, led by our Co-Presidents, Louise Daigneault and Lori Hansford, Mandrake has continued to shine, completing its 10,000th search and continuing to grow our presence. In 2018, we opened Mandrake Place, our spectacular office building in Toronto’s prestigious Yorkville community. And in 2020, Mandrake celebrates its 50th anniversary.