Finding Hawai‘i’s talent, for Hawai‘i’s future

Prior to founding Alaka‘i Executive Search in 2017, Eric Heenan spent twenty years working in executive search and IT sales in Japan. Most recently, Eric led the technology team at JAC International, part of the JAC Group, one of the nation’s largest search firms. Prior to JAC, Eric worked for Cisco, Apple, EMC and was the Japan Country Manager for two $200M + companies.

Eric grew up in Honolulu, where he attended ‘Iolani School. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from U.C.L.A. and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Owen Graduate School of Business at Vanderbilt University. He also spent one year studying at Nanzan University in Nagoya and is fluent in Japanese.

Eric is a member of the U.S.-Japan Council and the TRUE Initiative. He previously served on the Boards of the ‘Iolani Alumni Association and the Filipino Community Center.

Sean was born and raised in Hawai‘i and given a great opportunity to explore his interests on the mainland for 24 years before returning home so he could raise his daughter closer to her grandparents and extended family.

Sean’s career began in Engineering and then moved into Product Development where he was fortunate to meet many big thinkers, disruptors, and innovators along the way. He worked for various companies at different stages of their growth within the tech space. A few of those companies were able to take the market by storm and exit via acquisition and IPO.

One of the areas these leaders consistently embraced without fear is the willingness to adapt to the changing world around them. This constant change creates new opportunities where Sean can leverage his experience to help Hawai‘i find and develop transformative leaders that can grow the presence of sustainable, world class organizations in Hawai‘i.

Yuki brings 15 years of global HR and recruiting experience to the Alaka’i Executive Search team. She first came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange student in high school, fell in love with the people, and ended up staying the next 10 years through college and her first two jobs.

She moved back to Japan to further pursue her passion in Human Resources, and spent 8 years in Tokyo and 2 years in Germany, helping organizations find talent(recruiting), keeping them happy (employee engagement), and bringing them to their best potential (talent development).

Her dream came true and she moved to the beautiful island of Oahu with her family two years ago. Yuki is a professional recruiter, who knows the full cycle of recruiting with in-depth knowledge of Human Resources and is looking forward to connecting top talent to Hawaii’s leading employers.

Jill Miiko Lee is a serial entrepreneur and has started two different businesses here. Her first business was in telecommunications and she led a sales team of fifteen individuals and sub-agents, achieving record sales for a period of ten years. After she sold her first business and attended culinary school, she founded and developed Honolulu Gourmet Foods.

Jill was born and raised in Honolulu and now raises her own family in this beautiful city. Her passion is to help exceptional people find careers that are fulfilling and meaningful to them.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Kehau has been fortunate to have diverse opportunities across both the non-profit and corporate sectors.  She recently underwent a career transition from sales to executive recruiting. After 20 years in business development, she was ready for a new challenge and wanted to find a role that allows her to leverage her skills in a new way.

In her new role as Director at Alaka’i Executive Search, she feels empowered to help connect talented individuals with their dream careers and is excited to bring her natural ability to connect people and find solutions for clients.

Greg joins the Alaka’i Executive Search team after 12 years of agency recruitment work on behalf of investment bank and hedge fund clients in New York City. He has been living in Honolulu since 2021, and is excited to bring his experience to helping local Hawaii companies find talent.

He began his career helping London-based boutique search firm Webber Chase grow their business in NYC. He then joined New York-based Revolution Search as one of the first employees at the newly formed firm. At Revolution Search, he spent over ten years successfully completing senior placements for clients in the financial and technology sector.

Growing up in the midwest in St. Louis, Missouri, he developed a love of community, sports, and entrepreneurship. Greg graduated from Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied Economics and East Asian Studies, and met his wife. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and playing tennis.

Originally from California, April was fortunate enough to move to Hawaii in 2019 through her career in medical sales. She consistently surpassed targets, developed exceptional relationship building abilities, and significantly impacted patient lives. With a recently completed MBA, she brings a unique combination of relationship management expertise and strategic business acumen to the world of executive recruitment.

April’s transition to recruiting stems from her natural ability to connect with people and genuine interest in helping both employers and job seekers thrive. She has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that the right talent can have on an organization’s success, having personally helped source several open positions at Abbott. She is  following her passion and channeling her persistently curious energy to contribute to her home community of Hawaii.

Kori Briones is a local girl who is passionate about Hawaii’s culture, surfing, food and people. She is fortunate to be able to raise her three kids here surrounded by family and friends.

As a former K-6 teacher, she has taught in the public and private sector on Oahu for over 18 years. She is now embarking on a new journey that will help her continue to serve others and build new relationships—just in a slightly different capacity. Her education background and interpersonal relationship skills will serve as a solid foundation in connecting qualified candidates to Hawaii’s top businesses.