Pelican Search Group
Our Story
Welcome to Pelican Search Group, a tech-focused search firm dedicated to connecting top talent with leading tech companies. Did you know that Pelicans are the best fishers in the bird species? As the best seekers of talent and based by the Gulf of Mexico in Naples, Florida, we found it fitting to name ourselves after this incredible bird. With over 20 years in executive recruitment, our CEO brings a deep understanding of the tech industry's dynamic landscape. Starting in the late '90s, she cut her teeth at a search firm before the existence of job boards, then navigated through the highs of Silicon Valley’s dot-com boom and bust, the rise of tech in NYC, and the ever-evolving demands of talent acquisition. Her journey has given her a keen sense for identifying resilient leaders who can adapt to and thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments. Today, Colleen is dedicated to connecting exceptional talent with opportunities to make a lasting impact, helping both individuals and companies reach their full potential.
At Pelican Search Group, we believe in the power of strategic recruitment to transform businesses. By sourcing top-tier candidates and fostering their integration within tech companies, we contribute to the success and innovation of our clients.
Our Clients Say​
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"I had the pleasure of working with Colleen at AWS. She helped me bootstrap my team in Boston. She is a great recruiter, diligent, thorough, and understands the needs of the business. Both managers and candidates love working with her. I would be happy to work with her again in the future and recommend her for recruiting positions." Itay Moaz, General Manager, Elasticache, AWS​
"Colleen supported my organization to grow by 3x in 8 months. She was an invaluable partner in finding and attracting talent in an incredibly competitive market. She was always super responsive to my hiring manager's needs, great with candidates, and a true pleasure to work with." Paul Fullarton, GM of Amazon Managed Blockchain, AWS​
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"Colleen was instrumental in getting the right candidates. She is a great listener, she has great technical background and when you combine those two skills then she will only bring in candidates with the right skills. She was great at handling effectively pre-screen candidates, shortening and making the hiring process a really easy process. I will recommend Colleen to any company looking to accelerate the on-boarding process as well as getting only the right technical candidates to the in-person interview step." Hugo Borda, Senior Software Architect, SAIC (worked with Colleen at the GetWellNetwork) ​​
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"Colleen made a HUGE positive difference in our recruiting efforts. She took the time to understand what I was looking for, and in return was able to send me high quality candidates that closely aligned with my open positions. She was able to effectively pre-screen candidates, and provided useful feedback to me on her impressions of the candidate in order for me, as the hiring manager, to make effective decisions." Travis Dixon, ex GetWellnetwork, Director of Information Security
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"I can highly recommend Colleen as a recruiter in the field of software engineering (QA/Dev). She has outstanding sourcing and recruiting skills - there is no one better out there!" Jens Meggers, former SVP, Symantec, current Fractional CTO
"Colleen was fantastic helping Daylife recruit our rock-star team. Diligent, resourceful, and a delight to work with. I can't recommend her highly enough - any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!" Upendra Shadanand, former CEO of Daylife, and Founder of Firefly Passport the "original Ai"
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Meet Our Team
The Experts Behind Our Success
Colleen Hanlin
CEO
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Shamod Lacoul
Engineer SME/ Sr. Recruiter
Alexander Smirnov
Engineer SME/ Sr. Recruiter