New York, NY, March 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New York, NY– March 4, 2026 — Riviera Partners, the leading global executive search firm specializing in technology leadership, announced today the promotion of Chris Rice to Managing Partner and General Manager of Paragon, the firm's global high-volume recruiting division supporting technology founders, leaders, and investors.
Rice previously served as Partner and General Manager of Paragon since 2024, leading the growing division's work with engineering and product organizations to grow and transform teams from individual contributors through directors.
“Talent remains the clearest advantage in the AI era,” said Michael Newcomer, Chief Executive Officer of Riviera Partners. “Companies are rebuilding product and engineering teams faster than planning cycles can keep up. Chris's leadership will ensure Paragon has the operating discipline and talent-market perspective to help clients build teams that can continually execute, adapt, and deliver.”
“From growth-stage companies through enterprises, hiring teams are carrying bigger mandates with tighter timelines,” said Rice. “Paragon is built to partner with internal recruiting and business leaders to deliver consistent, high-volume hiring and strategic insights so that technology teams can scale talent capacity quickly and keep quality high as the market shifts.”
Rice, an eight-year veteran of the United States Army, joined Riviera Partners in 2020 after serving as Director of Talent at JUUL Labs and Head of Global Talent Acquisition, for Intel's Artificial Intelligence Division. His extensive experience also includes talent acquisition leadership roles for engineering, R&D, data, digital, IT, and quality and regulatory organizations.
About Riviera Partners 
Riviera Partners is a global executive search firm specializing in technology and product leadership. With over two decades of experience and a proprietary platform that combines deep recruiting expertise with data-driven insights, Riviera is the go-to talent partner for venture capital, private equity, and public companies. Learn more at rivierapartners.com. 
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Ben StephensonRiviera Partnersbstephenson@rivierapartners.com
Chris Rice
