Founder and Managing Partner
Anna Maria Larsen has centered her career, her successful business and her community service on a talent for seeking truth, a skill for intuitive listening and a zest for life. Whether leading Lumenis Partners’ executive searches for rapidly growing smaller companies or for Fortune 500 companies, or serving on local and national not-for-profit boards, she’s found life to be a continuous flow of adventure and learning. Anna Maria has an uncanny talent for asking the right questions to get to the true needs of organizations and individuals.
Anna Maria began her career in the executive search profession with two Denver firms, Horn Fagen Lund and later the Fitzgerald Group. In 1990 she founded the executive search practice within Larsen Consulting International, now known as Lumenis Partners. Grabbing the reins of this business allowed her to expand the scope of her searches to national, international, and across numerous business verticals. It also allowed Lumenis Partners to develop the personalized and conversational approach so valued by clients and to focus on C-level and VP/Director searches. Her natural and intuitive abilities to articulate the needs of her search clients and her ability to assess candidates has led to a successful retained practice for a mix of large and small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Joining Anna Maria in Lumenis Partners is her husband, Les Larsen, who brings tremendous knowledge and technical background in technology, telecommunications, energy, and small business sectors.
As an outgrowth of her work with senior executives, Anna Maria developed a growing Executive Mentoring practice after seeking additional training in leadership and executive coaching through Harvard and Georgetown Universities. “It all comes down to listening and reflecting back to individuals who they really are,” Anna Maria says. “If a person is questioning or not satisfied with how or what they are achieving in their life, I walk with each of them to help them refocus and rediscover their own strengths and enable them to once again be driven by passion.” She views her practice as one of transitional mentoring rather than problem-solution exercises.
Anna Maria’s passion for truth and her innate curiosity do not stop with Lumenis Partners. Anna Maria is an enthusiastic advocate and volunteer for many local, national and international non-profits serving communities and business. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Denver Botanic Gardens. “The Gardens speak to the soul, it’s a place where people can be lifted by the beauty of nature” she says. She recently completed two terms on the National Board of Governors of the American Red Cross. In her role she was instrumental in the selection of the new CEO for this $3 billion organization. Anna Maria is most proud of her work with her fellow Board colleagues as an architect for transformative change in this 130 year-old organization.
Anna Maria co-chaired the transition team for former Colorado Governor Bill Owens, leading a team of 170 business and community leaders in reviewing state government departments and identifying qualified individuals to fill Cabinet posts and key governmental positions. Other past civic activities include Chair of the Governor’s Commission on Community Service, First Vice President of the Denver Rotary Club and President and Trustee of its Foundation, and an advisory board member of the Mile High Council of Girl Scouts. She served on the Board of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Working with the Chamber, she helped establish the Small Business Profit Center and founded the Women Business Owners Network, which focused on the needs of entrepreneurial women. Active within the Roman Catholic Church, Anna Maria was appointed to a four-year, national term as lay advisor to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Anna Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in Washington, D.C. as well as a certificate in Organizational Leadership and Not-For-Profit Management from Harvard University. Additionally she holds a post graduate certification in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University and is credentialed by the International Coaching Federation.