Executive Search Review
‘Paradigm Shift’ Special Issue
Executive Search Review is now in its 27th year. We invite you to take a look at our latest issue by downloading the Free Newsletter PDF file. Here is a sampling of just some of what you’ll find when you open up this ESR:
Why Data Analytics Is the New Game Changer for Search Firms
The rising influence of data and analytics is changing the entire model for executive search consultants and corporate in-house recruiters. Hunt Scanlon explores why turning this information into actionable insights with predictive results is not as easy as it looks. We go inside the latest thinking.
Expanding the Traditional Recruitment Model
Talent forecasting continues to expand and evolve as companies seek innovative and cost-effective ways to meet their enterprise T.A. needs. Here’s some new thinking and a fresh approach.
The Stakes for Talent are Higher Than Ever
Constantine Alexandrakis, U.S. region head for Russell Reynolds Associates, discusses the current landscape of executive search and reveals how the nation’s No. 5 search firm is adapting to the changes.
Hunt Scanlon Releases Latest Recruiter Rankings
Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Recruiters
Hunt Scanlon Big Five Global Search Firms
Hunt Scanlon Global 25
Hunt Scanlon London 60
Hunt Scanlon Past ESR Issues
2017 Rankings Issue
Life Sciences and Healthcare Recruiting Special Issue
Non-Profit/Higher Education Recruiting Special Issue
2016 Rankings Issue
Cybersecurity Recruiting Special Issue
Past Articles From The Archives
Why Data Analytics Is the New Game Changer for Search Firms
As workforce management paradigms shift to meet 21st century talent needs, HR leaders and executive recruiters are leveraging new tools and capitalizing on analytics to adapt their strategies and address changing trends. As we all know, anyone who’s been put in charge of selecting a new leader has a daunting task in front of them.
Recruiters Shifting to Advisory Roles and Service Customization
Search firms are launching expansive initiatives to move their businesses upstream into leadership consulting. Following similar moves taken by rivals, Russell Reynolds Associates recently launched such a drive. The new approach will allow the nation’s No. 5 recruiter to extend its reach further into the C-suite, where its consultants can achieve maximum productivity, and margins.
The Stakes for Talent are Higher Than Ever
With more than 400 consultants in 47 offices around the world, Russell Reynolds Associates works closely with public, private and non-profit organizations across all industries and regions. Constantine Alexandrakis, leads the firm’s U.S. business as well as the global leadership & succession practice. In the following interview, he discusses the current landscape of the executive
Expanding the Traditional Recruitment Model
TalentRISE, a Chicago-based executive search firm, has developed a new approach to talent acquisition that seems to be catching on with clients. The firm’s CEO, Rick Gray, acknowledged several years ago that an ever-increasing percentage of the workforce is choosing or has made the choice to work as independent contractors. Mimicking that trend, TalentRISE itself
Why Interim Hiring Will Soon Be Big Business in the U.S.
Overseas, hiring interim talent for short term leadership needs has been a compelling option for companies for years. According to recruiters who specialize in the space, interim recruiting is big business – and getting bigger. It generates around $2 billion annually in just the U.K. alone. British search out fit Norman Broadbent, which recently raised
The Big Upside In Leadership Training
Leadership training has turned into more than just an evolving interest among executive search firms. It is now seen as a potentially lucrative, bottom line business driver and every search firm is either offering the service in one form or another or about to jump in. Transitioning new hires, especially in their early stages of
FileFinder: Powering Executive Search. Anytime. Anywhere.
“FileFinder software is the technology of choice for Executive Search and strategic recruitment teams. Access your business data via Desktop, Mobile, Browser and Outlook – anytime, anywhere. Book a demo today!” Sponsored Link
Expanding Platforms Set New Direction, Rich Milestones, for Executive Recruiters
The top 50 executive search firms doing business across the Americas reached a new milestone in 2016, collectively generating $3.1 billion in revenue. For the group, top line growth jumped 9.7 percent – a slight slowdown from previous years, but a clear continuation of an incredible run for an industry that just a decade ago was
A Year On From Brexit: ‘Business As Usual’ for Recruiters
A year ago, anyone uttering the word Brexit in the U.K. was looked at with quite a bit of trepidation. At the time, a host of executive recruiters were predicting that any move resulting in a break from the E.U. would be the death knell for their business and the talent industry, especially for those
Executive Search Industry Leaders Offer Up Bold Predictions
Predicting the future could practically be its own business sector. Whether the prognostications are coming from the Magic 8-Ball, Punxsutawney Phil or CNBC’s Jim Cramer, people want to know what lies ahead. So it was that Hunt Scanlon Media rounded up a collection of soothsayers from the search industry to provide their insights about the changes that
Life Sciences and Healthcare Search Firms Tap Outside Talent
As the life sciences sector continues to expand and reshape itself, organizations at the vanguard in the field are looking to renew and refresh their leadership ranks. In demand: multi-skilled executives who can effect change on many levels. Stepping up to the task are search consultants, recruiting well-rounded individuals who understand science as well as
Meeting Clients at Their Point of Changing Need
Preston Smith emerged recently as a new leader in executive search. He has a unique leadership background of more than 20 years serving both the private and public sectors at the intersection of healthcare, law and business. He’s now president of Tyler & Company, a recruitment firm specializing in finding healthcare, academic and life sciences
Executive Searches Remain a Priority Under Affordable Care Act
Uncertainty over how the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) will take shape could result in life sciences and healthcare companies assuming a ‘wait and see’ mode before investing capital dollars for executive hiring. But the large number of people insured through the ACA has created additional demand for health service – in fact, the industry
Rosenzweig Report on Top Women in Canada
The Rosenzweig Report, a survey by Rosenzweig & Co., says gender equality has a long way to go in the workplace. Sponsored Link
Competing for Talent On the Global Stage
The life sciences sector is rapidly expanding – and as it does, the need for senior level executives who can transition and transform businesses within it is accelerating. Specialist recruiters are stepping up by targeting versatile leaders with strong backgrounds in global marketing and finance. One thing is clear: The number of quality candidates isn’t
Why Physician Leaders are Now Trending
Due to the uncertainty and volatility in the U.S. healthcare sector, health systems are now looking more proactively at physician leaders who may be better positioned to relate, communicate and navigate changes on the horizon. To executive recruiters specializing in the sector, they are the new standard-bearers ready to champion the greatest overhaul ever seen
PE Firms Seek ‘Holy Grail’ Leadership
Based on the explosive growth and future expansion possibilities within the life sciences and healthcare fields, venture capital and private equity firms are putting investment capital to work. What’s caught their eye, say recruiters, are two things: disruption and innovation. Both shifts require people and senior leaders to oversee them. As new companies are formed
Advancement Trailblazers: Recruiting Mission and Purpose Driven Leaders
An extension of development and fundraising in academic and non-profit organizations, ‘advancement’ leadership represents not only a change in the wording, but also in the skill set that is now required at the highest levels of these leading institutions. In recent years, both sectors have shifted toward more integrated models of collaboration between communications, marketing,
Seeking Passionate, Consensus-Building Talent
Jim Zaniello is president and founder of Vetted Solutions, a Washington, D.C.- based executive search firm specializing in serving the leadership needs of associations, non-profit organizations, hospitality and destination marketing industries. The firm focuses on recruiting board directors, CEOs and senior staff positions, providing personalized solutions tailored to each client’s needs and employer brand. In
Why Recruiters Fixate On Fundraising Skills
Nearly two million non-profit organizations employ approximately 10.7 million people and produce revenue in excess of $1.9 trillion. That figure elevates non-profits as the third-largest employer. “One in 10 jobs in America is a non-profit job. It’s a really significant economic contributor as a sector,” said BoardWalk Consulting managing director Kathy Bremer, whose clients include
Purpose-Driven Focus Fuels Calibre One
Purpose-driven search firms specializing in placing senior-level executives offer up candidates who can foster innovation with meaningful impact. It is a relatively new recruiting specialty that is now in hot demand. Venesa Klein, one of 11 partners at Calibre One, an international search firm with offices in San Francisco, Menlo Park, London, Singapore, Sydney and
Why Charitable Organizations Often Turn to Hybrid Leaders
According to recruiters, chief development officers are in demand as fundraising acumen and having an ability to drive growth are essential skills required to run non-profit and charitable enterprises. When executive search firm Lochlin Partners placed Anthony Sciacca as chief development officer for Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) recently, the incoming leader was charged with designing
Recruitment of Academia Presidents On Rise
Reduced state funding, rising tuition costs, soaring student debt and decreased federal research funding have all contributed to a dramatic rise in the role search firms are playing in the recruitment of university presidents and chancellors. Recruiters are adept at managing a process that can be fraught with political and financial intrigue as well as
Why Korn Ferry’s CEO Thinks We All Need to Adapt to Change
In a Harvard Business Review article, Korn Ferry’s chief executive Gary D. Burnison once compared a search firm to a hospital emergency room, writing that people only go to the ER – and an executive recruitment firm – in an emergency. “In medicine, big businesses are built around wellness and prevention,” he wrote. “I wanted
The Financial 50: Shifting Focus to Strategic Hiring and Specialization
Recruiting in the financial services sector is once again at a crossroads. As financial institutions emerged from the great meltdown eight years ago, heady times existed for search firms focused on any number of specialized areas within the field. But in the last year to 18 months signs have been emerging of slowing activity, and
Scrambling for Cybersecurity Leaders is Big Business for Recruiters
In the mid-1990s, when Joyce Brocaglia took on her first assignment to help build an information security operation for Citibank, it was a very different world. No one knew how much the Internet would grow and ultimately transform society. Technology was more primitive. Data was less accessible. And the massive connectivity we now taken for
Cybersecurity Recruiting Pioneer Looks Back, and Ahead
Alta Associates has risen over the past 30 years to become the most prominent boutique search firm specializing in the cybersecurity function. Founding CEO Joyce Brocaglia is a highly sought-after strategic advisor to her clients in the areas of information security, risk management and privacy. In the following interview, she discusses the evolution of the
Risk Management Starts with Pinpointing Vulnerabilities
Benchmark Executive Search, based in Reston, VA, is making its mark as a sought-after recruiter for both federal market and commercial companies in search of cyber talent. Jeremy King, the firm’s founder, has worked extensively with VC/PE backed firms that serve the government, building strong ties with leaders in intelligence, defense, and national security. Benchmark’s
How JBK Associates is Setting a New Path for Boutique Firms
Increasingly, specialist boutiques are coming into the viewfinder of major companies who are looking at options outside of the large, generalist players to recruit top talent. No firm epitomizes this trend more than Englewood Cliffs, NJ-based JBK Associates, which serves industry disciplines including healthcare, consumer/ retail & luxury, financial services, not-for-profit and life sciences. In
Hiring Times Continue to Rise Globally as Recruitment Screening Methods Multiply
Hiring times in the U.S., Canada, and in many major European markets and Australia are mushrooming, according to several new research reports. Adding time to the hiring clock is putting hiring plans in disarray, setting talent acquisition professionals off to conduct more of their own search work in an effort to reduce hiring cycle times.
Boutique Firms Lead Recruiting Industry Surge
Anyone taking the pulse of the headhunting industry today should look no further than the boutique bracket firms that make up this year’s “Hunt Scanlon Top 50 U.S./Americas Search Firm” rankings. A surge in growth among these players seems to support the notion that the senior talent industry’s sweet spot can be found in the middle
Korn Ferry Enters Billion Dollar Club as “Big Five” Report Strong Growth
Collectively, the five largest global talent leadership providers enjoyed a healthy nine percent revenue rise in 2014, powered by double digit growth rates at Spencer Stuart and Russell Reynolds Associates. Together, the Big Five brought in $3.384 billion in global consulting fees for the year. But bragging rights clearly belong to the industry’s leader, Korn
The New York Power 60: Recruiting Epicenter Diversifies and Expands
No matter how much business activity is taking place in London, Hong Kong, or Dubai, New York City rules as the world center of commerce and deal making. From Wall Street and its stock exchanges to the bustling world of retail, fashion and high tech, millions of people and billions of dollars come in and
Setting A New Course
Increasingly, top consultants at large search firms are breaking ranks and setting out to build and develop new brands in unique ways by embracing cutting-edge strategies to best serve a demanding client base. Once partners with Top Five search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, Brad Stadler and Joe Riggione, who co-founded True in 2012, are leading a
Investment Capital to Flow as Recruiters Expand Business
When private investor Austin Marxe recently ponied up a $5 million lifeline to help CTPartners stave off its short term cash flow needs, he likely wasn’t looking for a long term place to park his money. In the span of less than a month, Mr. Marxe and his colleagues at AWM Investment Co. doubled their
Chartwell Partners: Building An Effective Brand
With its 2014 merger with Chicago-based Cavoure Partners, itself a high-end and established recruiter, Chartwell Partners seems poised to push its agenda forward within an executive search industry that is both expanding rapidly and changing almost exponentially. In the following interview, firm co-founder, R. Stuart Bush, discusses the many issues and challenges facing the industry
What Makes Search Firms A Good Investment
Timothy McHugh is a partner and global services analyst for Chicago-based William Blair & Co., where he specializes in the consulting, HR technology, information services, and staffing sectors. He joined Blair in 2002 and was involved in bringing CTPartners public in December 2010. Previously, Mr. McHugh was a senior research analyst at the Federal Reserve
Why Data Analytics Is the New Game Changer for Search Firms
As workforce management paradigms shift to meet 21st century talent needs, HR leaders and executive recruiters are leveraging new tools and capitalizing on analytics to adapt their strategies and address changing trends. As we all know, anyone who’s been put in charge of selecting a new leader has a daunting task in front of them.
Recruiters Shifting to Advisory Roles and Service Customization
Search firms are launching expansive initiatives to move their businesses upstream into leadership consulting. Following similar moves taken by rivals, Russell Reynolds Associates recently launched such a drive. The new approach will allow the nation’s No. 5 recruiter to extend its reach further into the C-suite, where its consultants can achieve maximum productivity, and margins.
The Stakes for Talent are Higher Than Ever
With more than 400 consultants in 47 offices around the world, Russell Reynolds Associates works closely with public, private and non-profit organizations across all industries and regions. Constantine Alexandrakis, leads the firm’s U.S. business as well as the global leadership & succession practice. In the following interview, he discusses the current landscape of the executive
Expanding the Traditional Recruitment Model
TalentRISE, a Chicago-based executive search firm, has developed a new approach to talent acquisition that seems to be catching on with clients. The firm’s CEO, Rick Gray, acknowledged several years ago that an ever-increasing percentage of the workforce is choosing or has made the choice to work as independent contractors. Mimicking that trend, TalentRISE itself
Why Interim Hiring Will Soon Be Big Business in the U.S.
Overseas, hiring interim talent for short term leadership needs has been a compelling option for companies for years. According to recruiters who specialize in the space, interim recruiting is big business – and getting bigger. It generates around $2 billion annually in just the U.K. alone. British search out fit Norman Broadbent, which recently raised
The Big Upside In Leadership Training
Leadership training has turned into more than just an evolving interest among executive search firms. It is now seen as a potentially lucrative, bottom line business driver and every search firm is either offering the service in one form or another or about to jump in. Transitioning new hires, especially in their early stages of
Expanding Platforms Set New Direction, Rich Milestones, for Executive Recruiters
The top 50 executive search firms doing business across the Americas reached a new milestone in 2016, collectively generating $3.1 billion in revenue. For the group, top line growth jumped 9.7 percent – a slight slowdown from previous years, but a clear continuation of an incredible run for an industry that just a decade ago was
A Year On From Brexit: ‘Business As Usual’ for Recruiters
A year ago, anyone uttering the word Brexit in the U.K. was looked at with quite a bit of trepidation. At the time, a host of executive recruiters were predicting that any move resulting in a break from the E.U. would be the death knell for their business and the talent industry, especially for those
Executive Search Industry Leaders Offer Up Bold Predictions
Predicting the future could practically be its own business sector. Whether the prognostications are coming from the Magic 8-Ball, Punxsutawney Phil or CNBC’s Jim Cramer, people want to know what lies ahead. So it was that Hunt Scanlon Media rounded up a collection of soothsayers from the search industry to provide their insights about the changes that
Life Sciences and Healthcare Search Firms Tap Outside Talent
As the life sciences sector continues to expand and reshape itself, organizations at the vanguard in the field are looking to renew and refresh their leadership ranks. In demand: multi-skilled executives who can effect change on many levels. Stepping up to the task are search consultants, recruiting well-rounded individuals who understand science as well as
Meeting Clients at Their Point of Changing Need
Preston Smith emerged recently as a new leader in executive search. He has a unique leadership background of more than 20 years serving both the private and public sectors at the intersection of healthcare, law and business. He’s now president of Tyler & Company, a recruitment firm specializing in finding healthcare, academic and life sciences
Executive Searches Remain a Priority Under Affordable Care Act
Uncertainty over how the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) will take shape could result in life sciences and healthcare companies assuming a ‘wait and see’ mode before investing capital dollars for executive hiring. But the large number of people insured through the ACA has created additional demand for health service – in fact, the industry
Competing for Talent On the Global Stage
The life sciences sector is rapidly expanding – and as it does, the need for senior level executives who can transition and transform businesses within it is accelerating. Specialist recruiters are stepping up by targeting versatile leaders with strong backgrounds in global marketing and finance. One thing is clear: The number of quality candidates isn’t
Why Physician Leaders are Now Trending
Due to the uncertainty and volatility in the U.S. healthcare sector, health systems are now looking more proactively at physician leaders who may be better positioned to relate, communicate and navigate changes on the horizon. To executive recruiters specializing in the sector, they are the new standard-bearers ready to champion the greatest overhaul ever seen
PE Firms Seek ‘Holy Grail’ Leadership
Based on the explosive growth and future expansion possibilities within the life sciences and healthcare fields, venture capital and private equity firms are putting investment capital to work. What’s caught their eye, say recruiters, are two things: disruption and innovation. Both shifts require people and senior leaders to oversee them. As new companies are formed
Advancement Trailblazers: Recruiting Mission and Purpose Driven Leaders
An extension of development and fundraising in academic and non-profit organizations, ‘advancement’ leadership represents not only a change in the wording, but also in the skill set that is now required at the highest levels of these leading institutions. In recent years, both sectors have shifted toward more integrated models of collaboration between communications, marketing,
Seeking Passionate, Consensus-Building Talent
Jim Zaniello is president and founder of Vetted Solutions, a Washington, D.C.- based executive search firm specializing in serving the leadership needs of associations, non-profit organizations, hospitality and destination marketing industries. The firm focuses on recruiting board directors, CEOs and senior staff positions, providing personalized solutions tailored to each client’s needs and employer brand. In
Why Recruiters Fixate On Fundraising Skills
Nearly two million non-profit organizations employ approximately 10.7 million people and produce revenue in excess of $1.9 trillion. That figure elevates non-profits as the third-largest employer. “One in 10 jobs in America is a non-profit job. It’s a really significant economic contributor as a sector,” said BoardWalk Consulting managing director Kathy Bremer, whose clients include
Purpose-Driven Focus Fuels Calibre One
Purpose-driven search firms specializing in placing senior-level executives offer up candidates who can foster innovation with meaningful impact. It is a relatively new recruiting specialty that is now in hot demand. Venesa Klein, one of 11 partners at Calibre One, an international search firm with offices in San Francisco, Menlo Park, London, Singapore, Sydney and
Why Charitable Organizations Often Turn to Hybrid Leaders
According to recruiters, chief development officers are in demand as fundraising acumen and having an ability to drive growth are essential skills required to run non-profit and charitable enterprises. When executive search firm Lochlin Partners placed Anthony Sciacca as chief development officer for Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) recently, the incoming leader was charged with designing
Recruitment of Academia Presidents On Rise
Reduced state funding, rising tuition costs, soaring student debt and decreased federal research funding have all contributed to a dramatic rise in the role search firms are playing in the recruitment of university presidents and chancellors. Recruiters are adept at managing a process that can be fraught with political and financial intrigue as well as
Why Korn Ferry’s CEO Thinks We All Need to Adapt to Change
In a Harvard Business Review article, Korn Ferry’s chief executive Gary D. Burnison once compared a search firm to a hospital emergency room, writing that people only go to the ER – and an executive recruitment firm – in an emergency. “In medicine, big businesses are built around wellness and prevention,” he wrote. “I wanted
The Financial 50: Shifting Focus to Strategic Hiring and Specialization
Recruiting in the financial services sector is once again at a crossroads. As financial institutions emerged from the great meltdown eight years ago, heady times existed for search firms focused on any number of specialized areas within the field. But in the last year to 18 months signs have been emerging of slowing activity, and
Scrambling for Cybersecurity Leaders is Big Business for Recruiters
In the mid-1990s, when Joyce Brocaglia took on her first assignment to help build an information security operation for Citibank, it was a very different world. No one knew how much the Internet would grow and ultimately transform society. Technology was more primitive. Data was less accessible. And the massive connectivity we now taken for
Cybersecurity Recruiting Pioneer Looks Back, and Ahead
Alta Associates has risen over the past 30 years to become the most prominent boutique search firm specializing in the cybersecurity function. Founding CEO Joyce Brocaglia is a highly sought-after strategic advisor to her clients in the areas of information security, risk management and privacy. In the following interview, she discusses the evolution of the
Risk Management Starts with Pinpointing Vulnerabilities
Benchmark Executive Search, based in Reston, VA, is making its mark as a sought-after recruiter for both federal market and commercial companies in search of cyber talent. Jeremy King, the firm’s founder, has worked extensively with VC/PE backed firms that serve the government, building strong ties with leaders in intelligence, defense, and national security. Benchmark’s
How JBK Associates is Setting a New Path for Boutique Firms
Increasingly, specialist boutiques are coming into the viewfinder of major companies who are looking at options outside of the large, generalist players to recruit top talent. No firm epitomizes this trend more than Englewood Cliffs, NJ-based JBK Associates, which serves industry disciplines including healthcare, consumer/ retail & luxury, financial services, not-for-profit and life sciences. In
Hiring Times Continue to Rise Globally as Recruitment Screening Methods Multiply
Hiring times in the U.S., Canada, and in many major European markets and Australia are mushrooming, according to several new research reports. Adding time to the hiring clock is putting hiring plans in disarray, setting talent acquisition professionals off to conduct more of their own search work in an effort to reduce hiring cycle times.
Boutique Firms Lead Recruiting Industry Surge
Anyone taking the pulse of the headhunting industry today should look no further than the boutique bracket firms that make up this year’s “Hunt Scanlon Top 50 U.S./Americas Search Firm” rankings. A surge in growth among these players seems to support the notion that the senior talent industry’s sweet spot can be found in the middle
Korn Ferry Enters Billion Dollar Club as “Big Five” Report Strong Growth
Collectively, the five largest global talent leadership providers enjoyed a healthy nine percent revenue rise in 2014, powered by double digit growth rates at Spencer Stuart and Russell Reynolds Associates. Together, the Big Five brought in $3.384 billion in global consulting fees for the year. But bragging rights clearly belong to the industry’s leader, Korn
The New York Power 60: Recruiting Epicenter Diversifies and Expands
No matter how much business activity is taking place in London, Hong Kong, or Dubai, New York City rules as the world center of commerce and deal making. From Wall Street and its stock exchanges to the bustling world of retail, fashion and high tech, millions of people and billions of dollars come in and
Setting A New Course
Increasingly, top consultants at large search firms are breaking ranks and setting out to build and develop new brands in unique ways by embracing cutting-edge strategies to best serve a demanding client base. Once partners with Top Five search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, Brad Stadler and Joe Riggione, who co-founded True in 2012, are leading a
Investment Capital to Flow as Recruiters Expand Business
When private investor Austin Marxe recently ponied up a $5 million lifeline to help CTPartners stave off its short term cash flow needs, he likely wasn’t looking for a long term place to park his money. In the span of less than a month, Mr. Marxe and his colleagues at AWM Investment Co. doubled their
Chartwell Partners: Building An Effective Brand
With its 2014 merger with Chicago-based Cavoure Partners, itself a high-end and established recruiter, Chartwell Partners seems poised to push its agenda forward within an executive search industry that is both expanding rapidly and changing almost exponentially. In the following interview, firm co-founder, R. Stuart Bush, discusses the many issues and challenges facing the industry
What Makes Search Firms A Good Investment
Timothy McHugh is a partner and global services analyst for Chicago-based William Blair & Co., where he specializes in the consulting, HR technology, information services, and staffing sectors. He joined Blair in 2002 and was involved in bringing CTPartners public in December 2010. Previously, Mr. McHugh was a senior research analyst at the Federal Reserve
