Meet Emmett McGrath
Emmett McGrath is a recognized global executive in the specialty staffing, consulting and managed workforce industries.
His career journey started as a technical recruiter which progressed into executive roles where he led both public and private organizations. This experience has uniquely positioned Emmett to help companies un-lock organizational value and achieve sustainable and profitable growth.
Emmett most recently worked with Yoh, a Day & Zimmermann Company. As President he was instrumental in leading the privately held company during its most successful periods of growth.
During his tenure:
- He restructured the company into three core service offerings- Specialty Practices (IT, Engineering, Life Sciences and Healthcare), Enterprise Solutions (MSP, RPO, Payroll Services) and Professional Consulting Services (IT and Life Science SOW/Projects Based Engagements)
- Scaled the organization through organic growth and strategic acquisitions
- At its peak, Yoh generated over $800M in revenues growing top-line 26% and Gross Profit 30%. Operated in over 70 markets, across the US and Europe.
- Emmett was a six-time recipient of Staffing Industry Analysts’ Staffing 100 North America
- The Yoh organization is consistently named to the Staffing Industry Analysts’ Largest US Staffing Firms.
- On a sector basis, Yoh is named as US Largest IT, Engineering and Life Sciences Staffing Firms.
As Co-Chairman of Yoh, he advised his successor and guided the firm’s long-term strategy, governance, and performance.
Prior to returning to Yoh in 2017, Emmett was a key executive with:
- Everforth, Inc. (NYSE, formerly ASGN) For a decade, Emmett was instrumental in driving organic and acquisitive growth. He led ASGN’s Life Sciences and Allied Healthcare business across the US and Western Europe. Oversaw 60 branch locations. Generated $250M in sales and 11% EBITDA
- ClearEdge Advisors, As CEO and Founder, Emmett advised CEO’s of leading STEM staffing and consulting firms on growth strategies, leadership development and operations design.
- Specialist Staffing Group (US division of SThree PLC UK) Emmett was initially engaged as a strategic advisor to the US CEO. Later assumed the role of President, Real Staffing Life Sciences US and Executive Vice President of SThree Americas. Real Staffing US generated over $150M in revenues and ranked 6th largest life science staffing firm by Staffing Industry Analysts.
Throughout his forty-year career, Emmett is known to be both highly strategic and deeply operational. He excels at translating vision into execution. He consistently focuses on building best-in-class businesses, emphasizing disciplined strategies, scalable operating models, and strong financial performance. His leadership approach combines rigorous analytics with practical execution, enabling organizations to deliver superior results in complex and competitive environments.
A committed mentor and coach, Emmett is deeply invested in leadership development and building organizational capability. He coaches senior leaders and teams to elevate performance, foster accountability, and create cultures focused on excellence and continuous improvement. Emmett held most critical positions and experienced the peaks and valleys associated with the industry. He understands and appreciates the demands that leaders and individual contributors face each day and knows what is required to effectively pivot and react to change and opportunity.
Emmett’s success and accomplishments are attributed to his passion and collaborative approach to business which enables him to:
- Attract and retain top talent
- Design and execute impactful strategies
- Ensure leadership and organization alignment
- Drive organic and acquisitive growth
- Instill financial acumen
- Generate world class results
As Founder and CEO of Upstream Advantage, Emmett now advises organizations of any size to realize their full potential.
Key service areas include:
- Leadership Development and Coaching
- Strategy Assessment and Design
- Operations Assessment
- M&A Guidance
- Building a Performance Based Culture