Korn Ferry Appoints Chief People and Legal Officer
February 6, 2026 – Korn Ferry has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Jonathan Kuai as chief people and legal officer. He also currently serves as general counsel, corporate secretary and managing director – corporate responsibility & business affairs at the firm.
Mr. Kuai oversees multiple global functions including legal, business affairs, compliance, privacy, and corporate responsibility. He is also a member of the Korn Ferry’s executive corporate leadership team and the global operating committee.
Previously, Mr. Kuai served as the firm’s deputy general counsel. Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Mr. Kuai was an attorney with Morrison and Foerster LLP, a global law firm. As a thought leader and innovator, Mr. Kuai has been recognized by the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Daily Journal, Corporate Secretary Magazine, Corporate Governance Annual Awards, the Los Angeles Business Journal, M&A Advisor and other groups. He was also recognized as one of the world’s Top 50 Corporate Counsel.
Mr. Kuai also serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Korn Ferry Charitable Foundation and a member of the board of directors for Cornell University’s ILR School Alumni Association. He is also a former member of the board of trustees of Camp Ronald MacDonald for Good Times’, a program of Ronald McDonald House Charites of Southern California.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to step into the role of Korn Ferry’s chief people and legal officer,” Mr. Kuai said in a LinkedIn post. “Leading our legal, people and business affairs functions, across more than 50 countries and supporting the nearly 10,000 colleagues who bring our firm to life every day, is a responsibility I accept with gratitude and reverence.”
“I want to acknowledge so many who have played a part on this journey including our incredibly talented legal and HR teams, board of directors, Peter Dunn, Linda Hyman, Gary Burnison, Robert Rozek, our entire leadership team, my amazing family and faith, and so many additional people,” he said. “As we look ahead, I am energized by the opportunity to help shape our future together. The world around us is evolving quickly, bringing innovations, challenges, and opportunities that will define the next chapter of work. What remains constant is the extraordinary potential of our people.”
Related: Korn Ferry Acquires Trilogy International
Korn Ferry is a Los Angeles-headquartered executive recruiter and leadership consultant and the largest globally and in the Americas. The firm’s 8,600 colleagues serve clients in more than 50 countries.
New Chair
This past fall, Korn Ferry named Dominic Schofield as chair of the board and CEO practice in the U.K. “Dominic, who will continue as managing partner of the practice, will shape how we present ourselves in the market and help further elevate and strengthen our already formidable stature with boards and CEOs,” said Daren Kemp, president EMEA at Korn Ferry. “With growing demand for our services and expertise in CEO succession, board effectiveness and leadership transitions, Dominic’s appointment as chair provides a great opportunity to extend our strong foundations and expand the impact of the work we are doing in boardrooms.”
Korn Ferry Launches New Talent Suite
Korn Ferry has launched Korn Ferry Talent Suite, a technology platform that is powered by 50 years of the firm’s proprietary performance IP and data. The new offering combines a powerful set of talent applications built on a single SaaS technology platform. “Talent Suite is a substantial differentiator and will elevate our firm as we seamlessly bring the breadth and depth of our world-class talent capabilities and assets to global organizations,” said Mathias Herzog, president of Korn Ferry’s global technology practice and leader of the firm’s digital solution. “This new technology platform takes all of Korn Ferry’s foundational assets and solutions that permeate everything our firm offers and everything we know about people and makes it accessible for our clients and our consultants at scale.”
Mr. Schofield became a senior client partner based in Korn Ferry’s London office in 2010. He has led the board & CEO services practice since 2017 and, since September 2025, he and his colleagues have handled a significant number of FTSE chair, CEO and board changes, helping to bring greater diversity to the leadership of the FTSE and Europe’s leading companies.
As well as handling chair, CEO, non-executive director appointments in the London market Mr. Schofield has worked internationally handling searches and board effectiveness projects in Spain, Norway, Sweden, France, Belgium and the Middle East. In addition, he plays a key role in Korn Ferry’s work assessing, developing and coaching senior leaders and high potentials.
Related: Korn Ferry Names Chief Information Officer
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
