Executive Search Review
‘Recruiter Ranking’ 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:
Recruiting Sector Jumps 13.9 Percent, Driven by Tightening Talent Markets
A constricting labor market with low unemployment means companies are struggling to find qualified talent. When the right people are found, the costs associated with hiring them are rising. All of this is translating into big business for the nation’s Top 50 executive search firms. According to recent statistics collected by Hunt Scanlon Media, the sector jumped 14 percent, continuing a dazzling run for headhunters.
Nation’s Top Recruiters Offer Annual Predictions
Six of the nation’s top recruiters share their predictions on where the search industry might be heading in 2019 and beyond. Among them: better partnerships between recruiters and talent teams; a further rise in the importance of AI on hiring; a growing appetite for digitally literate leaders; a focus on hiring internal high potentials; a stronger push for diversity & inclusion; and managing chronic uncertainty. Hunt Scanlon shares their insights.
Hunt Scanlon Media Releases Global 30 Ranking
We all know the Big 5 global executive search firms – this powerhouse group has hardly changed in decades. But there are a host of other large recruitment players, cobbled together as consortiums, affiliations, and everything in between. Hunt Scanlon researched across every continent and came up with this year’s list.
True Search Crowned Super Boutique of the Year
True Search, which grew 43 percent in 2017, jumped a whopping 64 percent last year, catapulting its 43 U.S. consultants into the Hunt Scanlon Top 10 ranking for the first time. Along the way, it was crowned the fastest growing super boutique of the year. The boutiques, an influential powerhouse league of executive recruiters, once again powered the 50 leading talent providers to new highs. Here is the latest news.
Private Equity: Chief Growth Driver for Recruiters
While many sectors are in need of disruptive, high impact leaders – including healthcare, the life sciences, media & entertainment, sports and non-profit – none is more strapped for talent than private equity. That has made the PE sector now the chief driver of growth at recruitment firms across the U.S. Nearly every search firm has a hand in the business, and for some, a growing percentage of business emanates from addressing talent demands for portfolio companies backed by some of the biggest private equity names in the business. We go inside the latest big trend.
Hunt Scanlon Releases Latest Recruiter Rankings
Hunt Scanlon Top 50Hunt Scanlon Big Five Global Search FirmsHunt Scanlon Global 25
Hunt Scanlon Top 40 Sports, Media & Entertainment
Hunt Scanlon London 60
Hunt Scanlon Past ESR Issues
‘CHRO Recruiting Special Issue
‘Diversity Recruiting Special Issue
‘Recruiter Ranking Special Issue
‘Millennial Recruiting’ Special Issue
Sports and Media/Entertainment Special Issue
Paradigm Shift Special Issue
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
Recruiting Sector Jumps 13.9 Percent, Driven by Tightening Talent Markets
A constricting labor market with low unemployment means companies are struggling to find qualified talent. When the right people are found, the costs associated with hiring them are rising, making a lengthy onboarding process now the rule, not the exception. All of it is translating into big business for the nation’s Top 50 executive search
Global Recruitment Insights and Data
A new year, a new set of perspectives and priorities. In 2019, search consultants are feeling bullish. Almost 80 percent of recruiting firms said they anticipate an increase in 2019 revenue, according to a new report from Bullhorn. The rest of their latest report’s findings are below: Embracing Digital Transformation Bullhorn found that a majority
Talent Industry Predictions
Six of the nation’s top recruiters share their predictions on where the search industry might be heading in 2019 and beyond. Among them: better partnerships between recruiters and talent teams; a further rise in the importance of AI on hiring; a growing appetite for digitally literate leaders; a focus on hiring internal high potentials; a
Why the Partnership with Chief Human Resource Officers Matters
Anyone with the ties to the human resources function knows how much it has evolved in recent years – and with it the role of the chief human resources officer. The biggest shift seen is in how the CHRO has progressed from fighting for a seat at the table to playing a key role on
Kick Off: NFL Taps Hanold Associates to Find Next CHRO
Following a record-breaking year of recruiting top HR leadership into some of the best well-known brands across industry, Hanold Associates has just been tapped by the National Football League to lead its search for a new chief human resources officer (CHRO). Jason Hanold, CEO and managing partner of the Chicago-based recruiting outfit that bears his
Top 5 Priorities for CHROs
According to research by Deloitte, 94 percent of executives and 88 percent of employees believe a distinct corporate culture is important to the success of every business. Culture in the workplace isn’t a new trend, but because of the growing responsibility of human resources and a shift away from HR as an administrative function, the
5 Essential Attributes for a 21st Century CHRO
The role of the chief human resources officer is changing again. Over the years, the best CHROs became much more focused on the business and its strategic needs. Today, however, the needs of the business have evolved – and with it so have the demands on the CHRO, according to a new report by Heidrick
Chief People Officers Rise in Demand and Stature
Talent acquisition strategies at many large companies have become as complex as their balance sheets. And while chief human resource officers (CHRO) play a vital role in overseeing an organization’s broad-based workforce, it is the chief people officer who typically goes beyond overseeing its people policies. The focus, instead, is on building talent as a
Diversity Recruiting: Supply, Demand and the Matchmaking Process
Diversity starts at the top of every organization – that’s the hope at least. According to recruiters polled in a recent informal survey conducted by Hunt Scanlon Media that oftentimes means it begins in the boardroom. Diverse boards make better decisions and lead to improved company performance, they said. Yet despite the research, validation and
Why Diversity Matters
David Windley is president of IQTalent Partners, an executive recruitment firm based in Los Altos, CA. Prior to joining the firm in 2014, he was CHRO at Fusion-io and Yahoo! Mr. Windley also held executive HR positions at Microsoft, Intuit and Silicon Graphics. He is currently a board member at the Tennant Company and Society
CHRO Influence Expands in Promoting Corporate Diversity
Plenty of organizations say they are looking to change the makeup of their workforce in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and age, but in the end many fall far short. It’s 2018, and the view from the C-suite and boardroom still looks nothing like the ethnically and racially diverse world outside. The importance of
#MeToo Movement Leaves Mark on Recruiting
FTI Consulting and women’s leadership firm Mind the Gap found that about 55 percent of the professional women surveyed said they are less likely to apply for a job and 49 percent are less likely to buy products or stock from a company with a public #MeToo allegation. Twenty-two percent of senior-level women and 20
Heidrick & Struggles Makes Board Diversity Pledge
Heidrick & Struggles is reaffirming a commitment to promoting diversity in board of director searches globally. Developed in collaboration with Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Heidrick’s pledge is designed to increase the number of women and members of underrepresented groups considered by boards. “Now is the time to make public what we have been
Big Growth in Store as Executive Recruiters Slowly Adapt to Automated Technologies
The executive search industry’s leading 50 players in the Americas once again surpassed $3 billion in revenues last year, according to recent statistics collected by Hunt Scanlon Media. The group collectively jumped by near double digits, continuing a spectacular run for an industry that just a decade ago was left reeling from the Great Recession.
Talent Shortage Could Threaten Business Growth and Recruiting
A worldwide talent shortage of more than 85 million people could occur by 2030, according to a fresh report out of Korn Ferry – and that could lead to $8.5 trillion in unrealized revenue. How this might impact the executive search business is anyone’s guess. The eye-opening figures are the latest in Korn Ferry’s multiyear
New York Remains Power Center for Recruiting
Perhaps no market is as vibrant, or challenging, for the executive search industry as New York. A decade since the last big recession rocked their world, bankers and other financial industry titans – and the recruiters who serve them – are thriving once again. But the many other organizations that call the Big Apple home,
Search Industry Predictions . . .
Executive Search Review is now in its 27th year. We invite you to take a look at our latest issue and check out these predictions from leading recruiters. Six executive recruiting luminaries share their predictions on where the search industry is heading – from fees and growth to cybersecurity talent needs, the rise of artificial intelligence,
The Generational Shift: Millennials Entering the C-Suite
By 2025, according to some estimates, Millennials will represent 75 percent of the U.S. workforce, as the Baby Boomer generation retires and younger Millennials continue to enter work. The oldest Millennials are now 37, and some are in management positions; the youngest, at 21, are in their first jobs or still in education or training.
What Do Millennials Value Most?
Sam Mesquita joined Scottsdale, AZ-based executive search firm Govig & Associates last May as marketing communications coordinator. He’s 23. In his role, he manages marketing and branding. He describes himself as a ‘passionate creative’ who loves communications strategy. Anything that falls under the umbrella of marketing, he manages. As a Millennial working in a fast-paced
How to Prepare Millennials For Executive Leadership
Millennials seem to have their very DNA attuned with the hyper connectivity that our world has adopted, John Nimesheim of Slayton Search Partners noted in a recent report. As this generation begins the slow but steady ascent up the corporate ladder, spreading their influence and sharing their purchasing power, how do we prepare them for
Millennials Look to the Non-Profit Sector
Deemed the ‘giving generation,’ Millennials can be one of the non-profit world’s most valuable assets. Sixty percent of Millennials want a sense of purpose in their work and 77 percent chose their job based on that desire, according to the ‘Deloitte Millennial Survey.’ These factors create the perfect environment for non-profits to attract, hire, and
Generations X and Z Can’t Be Forgotten
With so much attention directed at upstart Millennials, employers may be overlooking their employees from the 40-something generation and first generation to know only a digital world, Generations X and Z, respectively. New research out of the U.K. shows that employees from Generation X mirror many of the workplace trends of their younger counterparts in
Sports and Entertainment Expansion Elevating Search Business
Over the last 25 years, sports has grown into a formidable global industry. Historically, professional sports teams operated on a relatively modest level, with league officials, team owners, managers, and coaches surrounding themselves with people they knew and trusted from their own small worlds. College sports teams relied on in-house search committees and word-of-mouth recommendations.
eSports Recruiting Expanding Fast
eSports is a relatively new form of entertainment best known for its use of organized video game competitions between professional players. Taking the executive search industry by storm, eSports has recruiters scrambling to identify senior-level talent to meet the rising demand. A number of non-traditional sports sponsors and executives have entered the eSports industry, which
Why Jed Hughes is Arguably the Best Sports Recruiter in the Business
Simply put, Jed Hughes is the best known recruiter in the sports executive search industry. Not only did he gain practical experience coaching under several Hall of Fame football coaches, his academic credentials are top-flight with a masters degree from Stanford and a Ph.D from Michigan. Mr. Hughes has elevated Korn Ferry’s sports practice to
Help Wanted: Senior Executives Who Can Stimulate Innovation
The sports industry is changing, and the need for talented senior-level executives who can stimulate innovation is in heavy demand. It is a fairly new recruiting concept for some search firms. For others, the transition has been seamless. One of these go-to search consultants is Sucherman Group CEO Erik Sorenson. He is well-versed in media
Sports Recruiting Enters Prime Time
An industry veteran with nearly 40 years of experience in the sports business, Scott Carmichael founded Prodigy Sports in 2007. Now entering his 10th year leading the search firm, Mr. Carmichael has established Prodigy Sports into one of the nation’s premier boutique executive search firms, working with a roster of clients that reads like a
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
Recruiting Sector Jumps 13.9 Percent, Driven by Tightening Talent Markets
A constricting labor market with low unemployment means companies are struggling to find qualified talent. When the right people are found, the costs associated with hiring them are rising, making a lengthy onboarding process now the rule, not the exception. All of it is translating into big business for the nation’s Top 50 executive search
Global Recruitment Insights and Data
A new year, a new set of perspectives and priorities. In 2019, search consultants are feeling bullish. Almost 80 percent of recruiting firms said they anticipate an increase in 2019 revenue, according to a new report from Bullhorn. The rest of their latest report’s findings are below: Embracing Digital Transformation Bullhorn found that a majority
Talent Industry Predictions
Six of the nation’s top recruiters share their predictions on where the search industry might be heading in 2019 and beyond. Among them: better partnerships between recruiters and talent teams; a further rise in the importance of AI on hiring; a growing appetite for digitally literate leaders; a focus on hiring internal high potentials; a
Why the Partnership with Chief Human Resource Officers Matters
Anyone with the ties to the human resources function knows how much it has evolved in recent years – and with it the role of the chief human resources officer. The biggest shift seen is in how the CHRO has progressed from fighting for a seat at the table to playing a key role on
Kick Off: NFL Taps Hanold Associates to Find Next CHRO
Following a record-breaking year of recruiting top HR leadership into some of the best well-known brands across industry, Hanold Associates has just been tapped by the National Football League to lead its search for a new chief human resources officer (CHRO). Jason Hanold, CEO and managing partner of the Chicago-based recruiting outfit that bears his
Top 5 Priorities for CHROs
According to research by Deloitte, 94 percent of executives and 88 percent of employees believe a distinct corporate culture is important to the success of every business. Culture in the workplace isn’t a new trend, but because of the growing responsibility of human resources and a shift away from HR as an administrative function, the
5 Essential Attributes for a 21st Century CHRO
The role of the chief human resources officer is changing again. Over the years, the best CHROs became much more focused on the business and its strategic needs. Today, however, the needs of the business have evolved – and with it so have the demands on the CHRO, according to a new report by Heidrick
Chief People Officers Rise in Demand and Stature
Talent acquisition strategies at many large companies have become as complex as their balance sheets. And while chief human resource officers (CHRO) play a vital role in overseeing an organization’s broad-based workforce, it is the chief people officer who typically goes beyond overseeing its people policies. The focus, instead, is on building talent as a
Diversity Recruiting: Supply, Demand and the Matchmaking Process
Diversity starts at the top of every organization – that’s the hope at least. According to recruiters polled in a recent informal survey conducted by Hunt Scanlon Media that oftentimes means it begins in the boardroom. Diverse boards make better decisions and lead to improved company performance, they said. Yet despite the research, validation and
Why Diversity Matters
David Windley is president of IQTalent Partners, an executive recruitment firm based in Los Altos, CA. Prior to joining the firm in 2014, he was CHRO at Fusion-io and Yahoo! Mr. Windley also held executive HR positions at Microsoft, Intuit and Silicon Graphics. He is currently a board member at the Tennant Company and Society
CHRO Influence Expands in Promoting Corporate Diversity
Plenty of organizations say they are looking to change the makeup of their workforce in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and age, but in the end many fall far short. It’s 2018, and the view from the C-suite and boardroom still looks nothing like the ethnically and racially diverse world outside. The importance of
#MeToo Movement Leaves Mark on Recruiting
FTI Consulting and women’s leadership firm Mind the Gap found that about 55 percent of the professional women surveyed said they are less likely to apply for a job and 49 percent are less likely to buy products or stock from a company with a public #MeToo allegation. Twenty-two percent of senior-level women and 20
Heidrick & Struggles Makes Board Diversity Pledge
Heidrick & Struggles is reaffirming a commitment to promoting diversity in board of director searches globally. Developed in collaboration with Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Heidrick’s pledge is designed to increase the number of women and members of underrepresented groups considered by boards. “Now is the time to make public what we have been
Big Growth in Store as Executive Recruiters Slowly Adapt to Automated Technologies
The executive search industry’s leading 50 players in the Americas once again surpassed $3 billion in revenues last year, according to recent statistics collected by Hunt Scanlon Media. The group collectively jumped by near double digits, continuing a spectacular run for an industry that just a decade ago was left reeling from the Great Recession.
Talent Shortage Could Threaten Business Growth and Recruiting
A worldwide talent shortage of more than 85 million people could occur by 2030, according to a fresh report out of Korn Ferry – and that could lead to $8.5 trillion in unrealized revenue. How this might impact the executive search business is anyone’s guess. The eye-opening figures are the latest in Korn Ferry’s multiyear
New York Remains Power Center for Recruiting
Perhaps no market is as vibrant, or challenging, for the executive search industry as New York. A decade since the last big recession rocked their world, bankers and other financial industry titans – and the recruiters who serve them – are thriving once again. But the many other organizations that call the Big Apple home,
Search Industry Predictions . . .
Executive Search Review is now in its 27th year. We invite you to take a look at our latest issue and check out these predictions from leading recruiters. Six executive recruiting luminaries share their predictions on where the search industry is heading – from fees and growth to cybersecurity talent needs, the rise of artificial intelligence,
The Generational Shift: Millennials Entering the C-Suite
By 2025, according to some estimates, Millennials will represent 75 percent of the U.S. workforce, as the Baby Boomer generation retires and younger Millennials continue to enter work. The oldest Millennials are now 37, and some are in management positions; the youngest, at 21, are in their first jobs or still in education or training.
What Do Millennials Value Most?
Sam Mesquita joined Scottsdale, AZ-based executive search firm Govig & Associates last May as marketing communications coordinator. He’s 23. In his role, he manages marketing and branding. He describes himself as a ‘passionate creative’ who loves communications strategy. Anything that falls under the umbrella of marketing, he manages. As a Millennial working in a fast-paced
How to Prepare Millennials For Executive Leadership
Millennials seem to have their very DNA attuned with the hyper connectivity that our world has adopted, John Nimesheim of Slayton Search Partners noted in a recent report. As this generation begins the slow but steady ascent up the corporate ladder, spreading their influence and sharing their purchasing power, how do we prepare them for
Millennials Look to the Non-Profit Sector
Deemed the ‘giving generation,’ Millennials can be one of the non-profit world’s most valuable assets. Sixty percent of Millennials want a sense of purpose in their work and 77 percent chose their job based on that desire, according to the ‘Deloitte Millennial Survey.’ These factors create the perfect environment for non-profits to attract, hire, and
Generations X and Z Can’t Be Forgotten
With so much attention directed at upstart Millennials, employers may be overlooking their employees from the 40-something generation and first generation to know only a digital world, Generations X and Z, respectively. New research out of the U.K. shows that employees from Generation X mirror many of the workplace trends of their younger counterparts in
Sports and Entertainment Expansion Elevating Search Business
Over the last 25 years, sports has grown into a formidable global industry. Historically, professional sports teams operated on a relatively modest level, with league officials, team owners, managers, and coaches surrounding themselves with people they knew and trusted from their own small worlds. College sports teams relied on in-house search committees and word-of-mouth recommendations.
eSports Recruiting Expanding Fast
eSports is a relatively new form of entertainment best known for its use of organized video game competitions between professional players. Taking the executive search industry by storm, eSports has recruiters scrambling to identify senior-level talent to meet the rising demand. A number of non-traditional sports sponsors and executives have entered the eSports industry, which
Why Jed Hughes is Arguably the Best Sports Recruiter in the Business
Simply put, Jed Hughes is the best known recruiter in the sports executive search industry. Not only did he gain practical experience coaching under several Hall of Fame football coaches, his academic credentials are top-flight with a masters degree from Stanford and a Ph.D from Michigan. Mr. Hughes has elevated Korn Ferry’s sports practice to
Help Wanted: Senior Executives Who Can Stimulate Innovation
The sports industry is changing, and the need for talented senior-level executives who can stimulate innovation is in heavy demand. It is a fairly new recruiting concept for some search firms. For others, the transition has been seamless. One of these go-to search consultants is Sucherman Group CEO Erik Sorenson. He is well-versed in media
Sports Recruiting Enters Prime Time
An industry veteran with nearly 40 years of experience in the sports business, Scott Carmichael founded Prodigy Sports in 2007. Now entering his 10th year leading the search firm, Mr. Carmichael has established Prodigy Sports into one of the nation’s premier boutique executive search firms, working with a roster of clients that reads like a
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
