2024 Global Conference Overview - May 15
Judee von Seldeneck, Founder and Chair of Diversified Search Group/AltoPartners with Karen Greenbaum, AESC CEO
On May 15 in New York, AESC members and Partners came together for the premier event for the executive search and leadership consulting profession, AESC’s Influence and Impact.
Thought-provoking speakers shared their take on future trends including business expansion and transformation, human intelligence supported by AI, and how our profession leads in a time of rapid social change. AESC members were celebrated for their achievements, members shared learnings and best practices, and old friends and new collaborated for the good of the profession. Sessions included:
Navigating DEI in a Time of Rapid Social Change
Kenji Yoshino, NYU School of Law
Constitutional law professor Kenji Yoshino delivered a powerful keynote on diversity, equity and inclusion in the changing legal landscape. His practical guidance will help shape our and our clients’ DEI strategies and initiatives going forward.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS
- Programs and policies that intentionally confer preferences on protected groups for palpable benefits will be problematic. Programs and policies that advance DEI that are open to and can benefit all are more likely to withstand legal scrutiny.
- AESC members – because we source talent from broad pools, and clients select the successful candidates – may serve as a buffer to criticism.
- DEI isn’t going away – leaders and organizations will adapt to the changing landscape and continue to deliver fairness and inclusion.
LEFT: Kweilin Ellingrud, McKinsey Global Institute Director and Senior Partner; RIGHT: Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and the director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
FROM AI TO ANALOG: A BALANCED APPROACH TO THE NEW DIGITAL LANDSCAPE
Caitlin Begg, Authentic Social
Researcher, author, and founder of Authentic Social Caitlyn Begg dared us to reimagine our digital environment and bring balance back into the digital landscape.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS
- To be useful, data inputs need to be high quality and organization-specific.
- Habit formation – using new AI tools regularly -- is key to changing our workflows and leveraging AI.
- Use AI tools to enhance the human element of work, such as real-time conversations and relationship building.
Researcher, author, and founder of Authentic Social Caitlyn Begg.
Leading a Multigenerational Team - Turn Differences into Advantages
Lindsay Pollack
Bestselling author Lindsey Pollak moderated an eye-opening intergenerational panel of AESC members from four different generations that highlighted the unique perspectives each generation brings to the workforce. Understanding these nuances is critical as we build high-performing, collaborative teams.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
- Advantages of multigenerational workplace: the more perspectives the better; we get to learn from each other.
- Challenges of a multigenerational workplace: we’re products of our own experiences and it can be hard to accept that people will do things differently.
- Younger generations want more transparency, communication, feedback, vulnerability.
- Pro tip: ask how people they prefer to communicate!
NYTimes Bestselling author Lindsey Pollak moderated a discussion on the challenges and rewards of leading a multigenerational team. Included on the panel were Tracy Murdoch O'Such, Diversified Search Group; Chris Pantelidis, EMA Partners; Spencer Badesch, Heidrick & Struggles; Sophia Ku, MondouxRollins Partners Inc.
The Future Reimagined- New Rules for a New Era
Bradley Schurman and Marcia Stepanek, New Rules Media
Demographic Futurist Bradley Sherman and Journalist Marcia Stepanek of New Rules Media provided a lens on trends including declining birthrates and climate migration, and how they will impact the global workforce and economy.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
- An aging global population will have a significant impact on the workforce.
- Climate migration could cause more than 216 million people to move within their countries by 2050 reshaping the labor pool around the world.
- Leadership in the Age of AI will transform the way we work with machines
Employee Trust at Work - How This Impacts Leadership
Elena Grotto, Edelman
Edelman Partner Elena Grotto presented new research from the Edelman Trust Barometer on employee trust – the credibility and responsibility of today’s business leaders and what that means for our clients and ourselves.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
- Employers are more trusted than ever, and more likely to be perceived as competent and ethical.
- 93% of employees surveyed have been “influenced by my coworkers in their 20s”
- Three quarters of employees surveyed want work that will shape the future in a meaningful way.
LEFT: Conference attendees enjoying a presentation; RIGHT: Flanked by colleagues and well-wishers, Jennifer Mondoux of MondouxRollins Partners, Inc. was the recipient of the AESC Commitment to the Community award.
Insights from an Industry Icon
Judee von Seldeneck
2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Judee von Seldeneck took the time to share learnings over her long career, as Diversified Search Group celebrated their 50-year anniversary.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
- The profession has earned the respect of clients because of the value we provide.
- The demand will grow, our work will get harder, and we will have broader partnerships with clients on their strategic issues.
- The more we can do to work together and be collaborative, the better. We’re stronger together.
- Judee highlighted leadership and the role we play: “A great executive search team can be the difference between mediocrity and exceptionalism.”
LEFT: Karen Greenbaum presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to Judee von Seldeneck; RIGHT: AESC Americas Director, Lynne Murphy-Rivera and AESC Chairman, Julian Ha of Heidrick & Struggles, officially open the Conference.
On the Cusp of a New Era
Kweilin Ellingrud, McKinsey Global Institute
McKinsey Global Institute’s Senior Partner Kweilin Ellingrud showed us the macroeconomic earthquakes that strike every 20-30 years. She indicated the time for the next major shock is now, and what that looks like moving into the future.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
- The world is deeply interconnected.
- In terms of income ratio, we can expect to see more equality across countries but less equality within countries.
- With declining birthrates and increased longevity the world will continue to age.
- Generative AI accelerated automation adoption by a decade.
Karen Greenbaum, AESC CEO, delivers the State of the Profession report.
The State of the Profession
Karen Greenbaum, AESC
AESC CEO Karen Greenbaum presented the latest industry research and trends straight from the AESC membership, including the impact AI, DEI, and Sustainability have on our clients and our profession. These learnings will directly impact how we deliver value to our clients and continue growing our business.
KEY TAKE AWAYS
- While we saw a small decline in 2023, our industry’s post-Covid growth has been exceptional.
- As we tackle our clients’ complex leadership challenges, we see growth in leadership advisory services building on our strong core of executive search.
- Attraction and retention of top talent remains a client priority and they turn to us to strengthen their leadership.
- Change drives business – for our clients and for our firms.
