In this episode, Ada Offonry breaks down why most career pivots fail, and what successful pivots actually have in common.

Drawing on two decades of experience placing professionals through career changes, she explains why adjacent, strategic moves consistently outperform dramatic leaps. Ada walks through real examples of pivots that work, highlights what truly transfers between roles, and shares a practical framework to help you change direction without burning your credibility, confidence or income.

You'll Learn:

That adjacent beats dramatic
What really transfers (and what doesn’t)
A realistic pivot timeline

Data Sources:

Major pivot success (29%): LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Career Pivot Study 2024
Lateral pivot success (67%): Harvard Business Review, "The Adjacent Possible" 2024
Average pivot timeline (18-24 months): CIPD UK + Payscale Career Transition Report 2025
• • Comp data: Your proprietary placement data + eFinancialCareers 2025

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About your Host: Ada Offonry

Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.

She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.

Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

0209 Career Pivots That Actually Work (And Why Most Don’t)