Korn Ferry Adds Associate to Global Sports Recruiting Practice
November 3, 2015 – Korn Ferry has added Kyle Bowlsby as an associate in its global sports practice. Mr. Bowlsby from SportsDesk Media, a company that helps organizations develop deeper understanding of online fans and customers, where he was manager of business development. In this role, he focused his outreach efforts on the collegiate and professional sports ranks while also assisting the day-to-day operations of the company’s digital media campaigns.
SportsDesk Media’s partial client list includes UFC, Hendrick Motorsports, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Florida Panthers, NCAA, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Mountain West Conference and 25 college athletic departments.
“We are pleased to have Kyle Bowlsby join our team. In his previous experience, he has had the opportunity to work with collegiate and professional sports organizations, with agents and others in the sports marketing arena,” said Jed Hughes, vice chair and leader of Korn Ferry’s global sports practice. “His work with SportsDesk Media helps us bring a greater digital point of view to executive search.”
The sports industry continues to be a growth area for executive recruiters. Many C-suite focused recruiting firms are now active in the sector and some specialize only in the sports field itself; these include Turnkey Search, Sports Recruitment International, Alden & Associates and Collegiate Sports Associates — all dedicated to providing sports-related executive search and leadership advisory services.
In August, Major League Baseball tapped Korn Ferry to provide league-wide talent support services, which includes assisting candidates who reach the interview process for baseball operations positions.
This past September, Futurestep, a Korn Ferry company that provides talent acquisition solutions, launched a sports practice focusing on mid-level and emerging talent. Bret M. Fishkind now leads the new group as a managing consultant. Mr. Fishkind has been a senior associate at Korn Ferry, where he has served as a member of the firm’s global sports practice, and its board & CEO services practice for the past seven years. He has worked on C-suite and board level placements at Amgen, Molson Coors Brewing, Phillips 66, and Sprint, among others. He has completed numerous assignments with major sports leagues, teams, conferences, and leading colleges and universities.
Korn Ferry’s sports practice is led by Mr. Hughes, who has distinguished himself as an expert in identifying, assessing, and developing leaders. His relationships within sports and intercollegiate athletics are extensive, having spent 20 years coaching in professional and intercollegiate football and working for five Hall of Fame coaches.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
