Interactive Table: The 100 Most Influential Headhunters in the World

Full Profiles of the 100 most influential headhunters

Slide Show and miniprofiles of top recruiters

Special Report on world's top executive recruiters

Sort by recruiting firm, companies headhunters recruit for, sector and job specialties, and other key data points

In selecting the 100 recruiters for our exclusive list of the World's Most Influential Headhunters, BusinessWeek considered a number of factors, including: their individual reputations; their years of headhunting experience; the global scope of their recruiting practices; their accessibility and responsiveness; their high visibility within the client markets they serve; the recognition they enjoy within their firms and/or global executive search communities.

Except where indicated, the information was provided in response to a BusinessWeek survey. There were a very few recruiters who declined to participate that we nevertheless included because of their prominence and importance in the field. The information for them was gleaned from various sources, including company Web sites and other public information. Those designated with an * are the ones who declined to participate.

Please note that this list of the 100 Most Influential Headhunters in the World is an expanded version of our original list, which included only 50 and was published in February, 2008.

Click column heading once to reorder from highest to lowest. Click twice to reorder from lowest to highest.
Name
 Title
 Firm
 Sector
 Function
 Geo Focus
 Recruit for
Ulrich F. Ackermann  Managing partner, board member Transearch Intl. Deutschland Consumer goods, financial services, IT and professional services, auto industry, board services C-suite, consulting firm partners Europe Adidas; JPMorgan Chase; IBM; PricewaterhouseCoopers
Alfredo José Assumpção  CEO, partner FESA Global Recruiters Financial services, consumer products, retail CEOs, corporate finance managing directors and other senior officers, human capital directors, marketing and sales directors, CFOs Brazil, other parts of Latin America Unibanco; Banco Itau; Novartis; Microsoft; Avon
Jim Bagley  Managing director Russell Reynolds Associates Consumer, financial services, health care, industrial/natural resources, technology Human Resources (including leadership for the various disciplines, i.e. talent, organizational development, compensation & benefits, etc.); Board of Directors Global Given that my primary practice is the recruitment of HR officers, I will often be asked to recruit the top HR officer or, selectively, members of their team. As a result, my target companies vary from year to year.
Ignacio Bao  Chairman Signium Intl. Investment banking, private banking, private equity, law practice, consulting Board directors, CEOs, law/consulting senior partners, CFOs, senior bankers Europe BBVA; Santander; PricewaterhouseCoopers; A.T. Kearney; Ernst & Young
Jean-Michel Beigbeder  President, CEO Jean-Michel Beigbeder & Partners--CEO Search SA Investment banking CEOs, chairmen, CFOs, CHRs, board members NA LVMH; Peugeot; Merrill Lynch; Credit Suisse; PPR Pinaul Printempts Redoute
Robert L. Benson  Chairman Slayton Search Partners Board consulting, financial services: insurance, banking, investment management; industrial: power generation Board directors, CEOs, marketing, HR, business development/strategy North America, Western Europe General Electric; ACE Ltd.; UNUM; Shawmut Bank; Prudential Life
Linda Bialecki  President Bialecki Inc. Investment banking, hedge funds, private equity, investment management Highly customized position/client requirements requiring deep due diligence and assessment; investment bankers; risk management; credit and market risk; senior analysts; credit and structured products; investment professionals Americas, Europe Confidential
Robert J. Brudno  Managing director Savoy Partners Defense/aerospace; high-tech/IT/communications; professional services/consulting; health care CEOs, COOs, CFOs, senior marketing and business development executives, general management, board members U.S., some international Booz Allen Hamilton ; SAIC ; ITT ; Computer Sciences Corp.; SRA International
Dennis Carey  Senior client partner Korn/Ferry Intl. All industries and sectors Board directors, CEOs, senior executives Global Tyco; 3M; Northrop Grumman; GlaxoSmithKline; Sprint Nextel/Embarq
Jim Citrin*   Senior director Spencer Stuart Technology, communications and media; hotels; private equity, financial services CEOs, CFOs, board directors North America Yahoo!; Microsoft;Eastman Kodak;Starwood Hotels
Christopher John Clarke  President, CEO Boyden World Executive search Board effectiveness, executive search Global Boyden World
Michael James "Jim" Conroy  Chairman, founding partner Conroy Ross Partners Energy, nonprofit, financial Board directors, executives, CFOs, marketing, business development Primarily Western Canada Nexen; Burlington/ConocoPhillips; Western Oil Sands; Plains Marketing; Verenex
Peter D. Crist  Chairman Crist Associates All sectors and industries C-suite, board directors U.S. McDonald's; Kraft Foods; Allstate; McKesson; Ecolab
Robert Damon  President, North America Korn/Ferry Intl. Consumer, retail, sports/entertainment, private equity, hospitality/leisure CEOs, GMs, board directors North America Under Armour; Easton-Bell Sports; Oakley; Burger King ; Texas Pacific Group
Julie Hembrock Daum*   Practice leader, North American Board Services Spencer Stuart Board services, diversity, education and nonprofit, financial services, private equity Board directors North America Delta Air Lines; Tyco spin-off companies; American Express ; General Mills ; New York Times
Peter de Jong  Managing director, regional VP--EMEA Stanton Chase International Consumer products and services, business to business/foodservices; life sciences & pharma GMs, senior marketing, sales, HR, and finance executives Primarily EMEA and Netherlands CSM, Heineken, Unilever, LG Electronics, Lamb Weston
Sylvain Dhenin  Managing partner CTPartners Professional and IT services, manufacturing and energy, private equity, technology, telecommunications CEOs, business unit managers, HR, partners, CIOs Europe Capgemini; Alstom; Areva; IBM; Thomson
Bruce Dingman*  President The Dingman Co. NA C-suite, presidents, GMs, board directors, VPs Global Pleasant Travel; Herschend Family Entertainment; Azusa Pacific Univ.; Strongtower Financial; Jones Lang Lasalle
Theodore L. Dysart  Managing Partner of the Americas, Global Board of Directors Practice Heidrick & Struggles Intl. Board recruiting, industrial, consumer, financial services Board recruiting, CEO/succession planning U.S. Kimberly Clark; Reynolds American; RR Donnelley; Terex; Liberty Mutual
Janice Reals Ellig  Co-CEO Chadick Ellig Insurance/retirement markets, banking, asset/investment management, private equity, specialized structured products Board directors, GMs, marketing/communications, HR, sales distribution, product development U.S. Lincoln Financial Group; U.S. Bank; MBIA; Celtic Pharma Bio Tech; Ambac
Claudio Fernandez-Araoz*   Partner Egon Zehnder Intl. All NA Global NR
Claudio A. Fernaud  Regional VP, Latin America Stanton Chase Intl. Financial services C-suite, directors, upper management Argentina, Uruguay Toyota Credit; Amadeus; NCR-Teradata; Prosegur; BNP Bank
Richard Fudickar  Managing partner Boyden Intl. Fast-moving consumer goods, retail, service industry, publishing/advertising, global technology, industrial/automotive CEOs, division heads/business unit leaders, CFOs, board members, marketing, sales, communications Global Confidential
Sakie T. Fukushima  Regional Managing Director, Japan Korn/Ferry Intl. Consumer, retail, finance (advisory boards), consulting, industrial C-suite, advisory board members, marketing/communication/sales directors NA Confidential
Jay Gaines  President, CEO Jay Gaines & Co. Financial services, banking and securities, asset management, transaction processing and business process outsourcing, information-based businesses, HR consulting General management, C-suite, IT, operations, finance, risk management North America, Britain Fidelity Investments ; Washington Mutual; Wellington Management ; Morgan Stanley ; Vanguard
John T. Gardner  Vice-chairman Heidrick & Struggles Industrial, consumer CEOs, board directors Global BHP Billiton; Owens-Illinois; Allied Waste; Phelps Dodge; Walter Industries
Bob Gattie  Director Amrop Hever Financial/professional services, health care, infocommunications, manufacturing CEOs, MDs, chief functional officers, regional heads Southeast Asia Confidential
James W. Gauss  President, CEO Witt/Kieffer Health systems, hospitals, higher education, academic medical centers, children's hospitals C-suite, presidents, corporate officers/health systems, physician executives U.S. Catholic Healthcare West; Phoenix Children's Hospital; Scottsdale Healthcare; Palomar Pomerado Health; Presbyterian Health System
Charles A. Geoly  Managing director Russell Reynolds Associates Technology (broadly defined), industrial/manufacturing-based business, services CEOs, board members, GMs Global Confidential
Trina Gordon  Chairman Boyden World Consumer products, industrial products, digital technology/media, health care/insurance, distribution services Board directors, presidents, C-suite Global Confidential
Joseph E. Griesedieck  Vice-chairman Korn/Ferry Intl. Consumer goods and services, health-care services, financial services, industrial products and services Board members, CEOs, CFOs NA Confidential
Michele C. Heid  Managing partner, Financial Officers Practice Heidrick & Struggles Intl. Financial officers (functional expertise); industrial, life sciences, technology, consumer (industry practice) CFOs, corporate controllers, treasurers, investor relations, VP--audit U.S. Cisco; Merck; Wyeth; Intuit; Unisys
Jeff Hodge  Chairman, CEO Hodge/Niederer/Cariani/Lindsay Health care, financial, professional services, energy, technology CEOs, CHROs, board directors, CFOs North America Confidential
David H. Hoffmann  Chairman, CEO DHR International All industries and sectors C-suite, board directors U.S. NR
Durant "Andy" Hunter  Managing partner Ridgeway Partners Financial services, investment management, general CEO/C-level, boards, energy/chemicals General management, CEOs, CFOs, board directors, senior financial services International Lehman Brothers; CalPERS; NYSE Euronext; VeraSun Energy; Arch Chemicals
John M. Isaacson  President, managing director Isaacson, Miller University leadership, academic medicine Presidents, provosts, deans, related roles U.S., occasional international Univ. of Pennsylvania, New York Univ., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Univ. of Connecticut, Univ. of Vermont
Mark Jaffe  President Wyatt & Jaffe Financial services, technology, consumer, retail, multimedia C-suite, private wealth managers International Bank of America; Washington Mutual; General Electric; Gateway; CB Richard Ellis
Dr. Bjorn Johansson  Chairman, CEO Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates No specialty Nonexecutive/executive board members, CEOs, CFOs Global Confidential
Janet Jones-Parker  Managing director Jones-Parker/Starr Executive-search firms HR, recruiters U.S., Europe Confidential
Edward Kelley  Chairman, CEO Edward W Kelley & Partners Financial services, energy CEOs, CFOs, investment banking heads Global Confidential
Claudia Lacy Kelly*  Leader, Human Resource Practice Spencer Stuart null Human Resources leaders, CEOs, CFOs, and board members null NR
Roger M. Kenny  President Boardroom Consultants Consumer products, pharmaceuticals, industrial, financial services, health care Board directors, chairmen, C-suite U.S., Europe, Asia E.I. Du Pont De Nemours; Pfizer; Ingersoll-Rand; Pitney Bowes; Citigroup
David Kimbell*  Co-Leader, European Board Services Practice Spencer Stuart Communications, manufacturing, services Chairman/CEO, non-executive directors U.K., Continental Europe, North America NR
Peter A. Kindler  Vice-chairman Boardroom Consultants Banking, insurance, health care, manufacturing, service industry Board directors, CFOs, CIOs Global United Technologies; Citigroup; Deutsche Bank; Quest Diagnostics; Wyeth
Scott E. Kingdom  Global managing director, Industrial Markets Korn/Ferry Intl. Industrial discreet manufacturing, industrial/consumer durables, capital goods, multinational diversified industrial manufacturers CEOs, COOs, business unit leaders North America primarily Avery Dennison; Bombardier; Schwanns; Ford Motor; Alcan
Pasi Koivusaari  Senior partner Boyden World Retail, high-tech, banking/finance, fast-moving consumer goods, manufacturing C-suite, division heads, marketing/communications VPs Finland, Europe Confidential
Marc Lamy  Managing director, partner Boyden World Financial services (banks, insurance, financial intermediaries); all sectors for board, CEO, and CFO searches Private equity, investment management, private banking, risk management, board members, CEOs, CFOs Europe and particularly France Société Générale; Credit Agricole ; Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne; Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild; Suez Group
Bobbie Lenga  Managing director Russell Reynolds Associates Retail, leisure and hospitality, consumer services, apparel manufacturing, luxury NA Global Confidential
Stephen P. Mader  Vice-chairman, managing director, Board Services Korn/Ferry Intl. All sectors Board directors, CEOs North America Hartford Financial Group; Newell Rubbermaid; Humana; Arrow Electronics; Navistar
Horacio J. McCoy  President, Mexico; Chairman, Latin America Korn/Ferry Intl. Consumer products, banking/financial services, advanced technology, life sciences CEOs, presidents, managing directors, board directors, finance/marketing VPs/directors Mexico, Latin America Confidential
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* Recruiter chose not to participate in BusinessWeek's survey; information gathered from company Web site and other public sources