In a world racing toward AI and automation, two dreamers from different continents crossed paths — united by a simple, timeless belief: people come first.

Han Ruan, a visionary human capital strategist and Executive MBA candidate at UC Berkeley Haas, had spent years navigating global talent markets. Beyond her accolades as a Fortune 500 executive search partner and Managing Director in Silicon Valley, she carried a quiet ambition — to build a future where technology elevates humanity, not replaces it.

Brian George Penkoff, a writer and family business leader, spent over a decade chronicling human stories. His fascination with Asia’s rise and the resilience of its people ignited a dream to tell untold stories — and help others find theirs.

They met online. Two lives, two cultures, one vision.

Executive Headhunting LLC was born from this connection — a human-centered firm blending executive search, career planning, and career transition solutions. Bridging East and West, tradition and AI, it exists to empower executives, displaced professionals, and ambitious companies to navigate the future of work with heart and clarity.

But this wasn’t sudden. The roots stretch back to 2019, when Han, a celebrated headhunter in Greater China, began questioning what success meant. In 2022, she left her thriving business and stepped into the unknown, pursuing deeper knowledge in AI and global leadership at UC Berkeley. The dream quietly took shape.

In 2025, with years of vision and resilience behind them, Han and Brian launched Executive Headhunting LLC in California — a new kind of firm for a new kind of world.

Today, their story powers every connection they make. The company stands for empathy before efficiency, legacy through leadership, and a belief that the future belongs to those brave enough to build it.

This is not just a company.
It’s a movement.
And it’s only just begun.