Korn Ferry vs Heidrick & Struggles: Which Executive Search Firm Fits Your Search?

Quick verdict: Korn Ferry and Heidrick & Struggles are both top-tier executive search firms, but they are built differently. Korn Ferry is a broad organizational consulting firm in which executive search is one of five business lines, backed by a very large assessment and data operation. Heidrick & Struggles is more concentrated on executive search, which makes up most of its revenue, and complements it with on-demand interim talent and leadership consulting. Choose Korn Ferry when you want search tied into assessment, pay and organizational design. Choose Heidrick when you want a search-led partner that can also supply interim executives.

So, Korn Ferry vs Heidrick & Struggles: which executive search firm fits your search? This comparison uses only figures and facts published by the two firms, in their annual filings, press releases and service pages. For a broader view of the market, see our list of the best executive search firms and consultants, or browse the executive search and recruiting hub.

Korn Ferry vs Heidrick & Struggles At A Glance

History And Scale

Korn Ferry says it has spent more than five decades helping organizations design structures, hire talent and advise on rewards and development. Today it is the larger of the two firms by most measures. Its fiscal 2025 annual report lists 103 offices in 51 countries and 9,253 full-time employees, of whom 3,050 were consultants and execution staff. Total fee revenue for the year to April 30, 2025 was $2,730.1 million.

Heidrick & Struggles describes itself as having more than 70 years of history and is headquartered in Willis Tower, Chicago. For 2024 it reported consolidated net revenue of $1,098.6 million, up 7.0% on 2023.

The biggest recent change is ownership. In December 2025 Heidrick completed a take-private transaction valued at about $1.3 billion, backed by a consortium led by Advent International and Corvex Private Equity, and its shares stopped trading on Nasdaq. Korn Ferry remains a listed company, which means it continues to publish detailed quarterly results, while Heidrick’s future disclosures are likely to be more limited.

Services And Specialisms

The core difference is how central search is to each business. At Korn Ferry, executive search produced $846.2 million of $2,730.1 million in fiscal 2025 fee revenue, roughly 31%. The rest came from Consulting ($662.7 million), Professional Search and Interim ($503.5 million), Digital ($363.5 million) and RPO ($354.1 million), according to the firm’s full-year results. Its search team opened 6,325 new engagements during the year.

At Heidrick, executive search produced $818.4 million of $1,098.6 million in 2024 revenue, roughly 74%. On-Demand Talent added $168.3 million and Heidrick Consulting $111.9 million. Heidrick’s services page lists executive search practices including CEO and Board of Directors, Financial Officers, Human Resources Officers, Legal, Risk and Compliance, and AI and Technology Officers.

In other words, the two firms run search businesses of similar size, but Korn Ferry wraps far more non-search work around them. If you only need a search, that extra breadth may not matter. If you want the same partner to redesign the leadership structure or benchmark executive pay, it can.

Leadership And Board Practice

Both firms market board and CEO work prominently. Korn Ferry’s Board and CEO Services cover board succession, board effectiveness, CEO search and succession, CEO development programs such as its Chief Executive Institute, and executive compensation. It also offers Board Ascent, which prepares executives for their first board seat, and provides transition coaching for new CEOs after a hire.

Heidrick’s CEO and Board of Directors search practice sits alongside leadership services that include board effectiveness, CEO succession planning and Chief Executive Acceleration. For boards that already know they want a search, both firms are credible. Korn Ferry’s offer is broader on the pay and governance side, while Heidrick’s is more focused on the search and the first period in role. Our list of the top board of directors search and recruitment firms covers other options.

Assessment And Consulting

Assessment is where Korn Ferry stands furthest apart. The firm’s annual report states that it has conducted more than 108 million assessments, and its Assessment and Succession offering uses role Success Profiles to inform hiring, promotion and succession decisions. Its Digital segment sells the Talent Suite of software products and reported more than 7,800 clients engaged in fiscal 2025.

Heidrick offers executive assessment, coaching, leadership development and team acceleration, along with organization and culture work and corporate transformation services such as carve-outs and restructuring support. Its distinctive product is On-Demand Talent, which places interim executives and on-demand project leaders, consultants and experts. That is useful when a leader leaves suddenly and the business cannot wait for a permanent hire. If you are weighing those options, our guide to interim vs fractional executives explains the difference.

Global Footprint

Korn Ferry’s 103 offices in 51 countries give it one of the widest footprints in the industry, and it reports its executive search business across four geographic segments. Heidrick operates offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific from its Chicago base. Both firms have offices in major business centers such as Dallas and Toronto, so for most searches in large markets either can cover the ground. For searches in smaller or emerging markets, check which firm has consultants on the ground in the countries that matter to you.

Ownership And What It Means For Clients

Korn Ferry’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange means investors receive quarterly updates on revenue, consultant numbers and new search engagements. For clients, that transparency makes it easy to track how the search business is performing. In its fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, for example, executive search fee revenue rose 14% year over year to $227.0 million.

Heidrick’s new owners include Advent International and Corvex Private Equity, with participation from strategic investors and a co-investment by certain company leaders and partners, according to the firm’s completion announcement. Tom Monahan continues as CEO, and the company said it intends to appoint Carmine Di Sibio as chairman of its board of managers. Day to day, clients are unlikely to notice a change in how searches are run, but it is reasonable to ask the team about any changes to structure or investment priorities under private ownership.

Questions To Ask Both Firms In A Pitch

Running a short competitive pitch is the best way to decide between two firms of this caliber. These questions help separate the brand from the team you will actually work with.

Who Will Lead The Search Day To Day?

Ask for the name of the partner who will own the assignment, how many other searches they are running, and who will handle research and first-round calls. A senior partner who appears only at the pitch and the final interview is a warning sign at any firm.

Which Comparable Searches Has The Team Completed?

Ask for recent searches at the same level, in the same sector and of similar complexity. References from boards or CEOs who hired through the same partner are more useful than firm-wide statistics.

Which Companies Are Off-Limits?

Large firms work for many clients and cannot recruit from organizations they currently serve. Ask each firm to confirm, in writing, which of your target companies it cannot approach. The bigger the firm, the more important this question becomes.

How Will Candidates Be Assessed?

Both firms offer assessment, but the depth varies by assignment and by what you pay for. Ask what assessment is included in the standard fee, what costs extra, and how results are shared with the hiring committee.

Who Each Firm Suits

Choose Korn Ferry If

• You want search, leadership assessment and executive pay advice from one firm.
• You are running a large hiring program that spans executive, professional and volume roles.
• You value a very large assessment data set and software tools for ongoing talent management.

Choose Heidrick & Struggles If

• You want a firm whose business is built mainly around executive search.
• You may need an interim executive to cover the role while a permanent search runs.
• You want CEO and board search with acceleration support for the new leader.

Whichever you choose, the partner who leads your search matters more than the brand. Ask both firms for recent comparable searches, the team’s off-limits constraints and a clear fee proposal. Our guide to executive search fees explained sets out what to compare.

Conclusion

Korn Ferry vs Heidrick & Struggles is less a question of quality than of shape. Their executive search businesses are close in size, but Korn Ferry is a much broader consulting and assessment firm, while Heidrick is concentrated on search and adds interim talent and leadership consulting around it. Heidrick’s move into private ownership in December 2025 is the most important recent change, and buyers should expect less public financial detail from it going forward.

If your priority is a single partner for search, assessment and organizational change, start with Korn Ferry. If your priority is a search-led firm that can also put an interim leader in place quickly, start with Heidrick & Struggles. In both cases, run a short competitive pitch and judge the individual partners. For more guidance, see the executive search process, step by step.