On September 10, under a canopy of lights at the Pedro de Osma Museum in Barranco, Lima, Cornerstone Peru marked its 20th anniversary with an evening of celebration, connection and memorable conversations. Clients, candidates, strategic partners, advisory board members and the Cornerstone team came together to recognize two decades of shared history, meaningful relationships and positive impact — while looking ahead to the opportunities that lie ahead.
A Night Twenty Years in the Making
More than an anniversary gala, the evening was an opportunity to bring Cornerstone’s story and purpose to life. Months of ideas, planning and countless details went into an evening designed not only to recount 20 years of history, but to make people feel it — from the illuminated “20” installation at the museum’s entrance to the stories shared on stage.
“When we positively impact one person’s life, the impact never stops there,” shared Diego Cubas, CEO of Cornerstone Peru and President of Cornerstone Latin America, during the celebration. “It reaches their partner, their children, their family, their colleagues and everyone around them.”
Watch the Celebration
From a Bold Vision to a Regional Benchmark
Cornerstone Peru’s story began in 2006, when Manuel Cubas, Diego Cubas’s father, and his team introduced the Cornerstone brand to the Peruvian market. At the time, executive search was still an emerging professional service in the country, and the opportunity to support organizations in building stronger leadership teams was significant.
Twenty years later, that vision has evolved into Cornerstone’s largest operation in Latin America — a team of 300 consultants across five specialized business units: Executive Search, CL Selection, Outplacement & Career Services, Talent Solutions, and HR Tech. Today, the Peru operation serves 18 markets across the Americas, generates approximately US$10 million in annual revenue, accounts for around 30% of the group’s regional revenue, and has delivered sustained double-digit growth for the past eight years.
A significant part of this journey has been closely connected to the evolution of family-owned businesses in Peru. As these organizations have grown and professionalized, Cornerstone has supported their transition toward more structured management models, stronger executive teams and increasingly sophisticated corporate governance practices.
With family-owned businesses representing a substantial share of Peru’s business landscape, leadership succession remains a critical challenge. An estimated 40% of family businesses lack a formal succession plan, while Cornerstone’s Salary Guide 2026 indicates that only three in ten CEO search processes include an identified internal successor actively participating in the evaluation.
Yet the conversation has evolved. Succession planning, leadership development and the professionalization of executive management are increasingly recognized as strategic priorities rather than matters to be addressed only when a leadership transition becomes unavoidable.
At the same time, advances in technology and artificial intelligence are reshaping the executive search industry, creating new opportunities to enhance talent mapping, assessment and decision-making.
The Flywheel Behind Growth: Culture and People
Asked how the firm has managed to grow continuously for 20 years, Diego Cubas draws inspiration from Jim Collins’ flywheel concept, introduced in Good to Great. The principle is straightforward: lasting transformation is rarely the result of one defining decision. Instead, it emerges from consistent actions that reinforce one another, gradually building momentum over time.
For Cornerstone Peru, that momentum has been driven by two essential pillars: a strong organizational culture and exceptional people. The firm’s culture is grounded in a clear vision, a meaningful purpose and six shared corporate values that guide its decisions and relationships. Equally important is a team that embraces challenges, thinks beyond conventional boundaries and continuously seeks new opportunities to create value.
This philosophy was reflected throughout the anniversary celebration. Every detail, from the visual identity and atmosphere to the stories shared on stage, reinforced the same message: Cornerstone’s brand is not defined solely by what it communicates, but by the experiences it creates and the impact it leaves on people.
Latin America: A Region of Opportunity
Cornerstone Peru’s growth has also contributed to the firm’s broader expansion across Latin America. The Peruvian operation has served as a reference point for developing new markets, sharing best practices and strengthening regional capabilities, including expansion initiatives in Paraguay, Puerto Rico and other markets.
As organizations across Latin America continue to professionalize their leadership structures, strengthen corporate governance and navigate increasingly complex business environments, demand for specialized executive search and talent advisory services presents significant opportunities.
Cornerstone Peru’s experience demonstrates how a strong local operation can contribute to regional development by combining market knowledge, specialized expertise and consistent service standards.
As a member of Cornerstone International Group — a global network of executive search and leadership advisory firms with more than 60 offices in over 45 countries across AsiaMEA, Europe, Latin America and North America, and a proud member of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) — Cornerstone Peru combines deep local insight with the reach and rigor of a global organization. Locally owned, globally connected: it is a formula that has proven itself for two decades in Lima, and one that positions the region for its next chapter of growth.
The Best Is Yet to Come
“We celebrate everything we have built, with the conviction that there is still so much to do,” says Sandra Cubas. “These are only our first 20 years.” With a clear vision to become the most prestigious talent management company in the Americas, the team closed the celebration with a message that captures the spirit of the milestone: Cornerstone’s best chapters are still ahead — and this is only the beginning.
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