Egon Zehnder Elects Chair
January 29, 2026 – Global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder has elected German Herrera as the next chair by its worldwide partnership. The announcement comes in accordance with the firm’s established governance and three-year election cycle. Mr. Herrera will assume the role effective March 1, 2026 and will succeed Michael Ensser, who has held the position since 2022, in a planned succession at the conclusion of his regular term.
“I am deeply honored by the trust placed in me by my colleagues,” said Mr. Herrera. “Egon Zehnder is the place for diverse, high-performing global talent, united by a shared commitment and equal partnership with a single global profit center, aligning us around what’s best for clients, always. As we look ahead, we are raising our ambition: bringing clients truly distinctive, tailored solutions that unite executive search and leadership development into a single, powerful offering designed to meet the demands of a new era of leadership.”
Mr. Herrera joined Egon Zehnder in 1998 in Bogotá and has helped shape the firm’s global presence, taking on a broad range of leadership roles, from co-leading the global family business advisory practice to serving on the executive committee and the market council. Most recently, he guided Egon Zehnder’s U.S. market through a period of impressive growth and transformation, which today includes 15 offices and more than 150 consultants.
As the first Latinx person in this role in the industry, Mr. Herrera actively forges strategic partnerships and joint ventures. With extensive experience advising boards and CEOs on succession, leadership development, and senior talent strategy, Herrera brings a transparent, values‑driven, and inclusive leadership style. He is committed to helping organizations unlock leadership potential, build high‑performing teams, and tap into diverse talent pools to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
Significant Growth and Transformation
This leadership transition follows Mr. Ensser’s tenure, which has been marked by significant growth and transformation, with revenues reaching $966 million. Under his guidance, Egon Zehnder expanded its global presence with new office openings in the U.S., Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and a number of European markets. During this period, the firm also acquired the Prince Houston Group in New York, launched new transformational programs for C-suite and board-level executives, and most recently, announced a strategic partnership with Harvard Business Review for its innovative HBR Executive offering.
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“It has been a privilege to serve as chair and to work alongside such a remarkable team,” said Mr. Ensser. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to supporting German and the Firm during this transition. Our purpose—leadership for a better world—guides everything we do, and I look forward to the work with our new Chair, German, who will further shape a global Firm that is here to help our clients flourish in an ever-changing landscape.”
Egon Zehnder currently ranks as a Top 5 global executive search firm, according to Hunt Scanlon Media. With more than 500 consultants in 67 offices and 36 countries around the globe, Egon Zehnder works with public and private corporations, family-owned enterprises, and non-profit and government agencies to provide board advisory services, CEO and leadership succession planning, executive search and assessment, and leadership development solutions. Since 1964, the firm has been at the forefront of defining top leadership in the face of changing economic conditions as well as major transitions in the executive search field.
Related: Egon Zehnder Appoints Leaders of Global Technology & AI Practice Group
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
