AESC Appoints 2024 Board & Council Leadership

2024 Board of Directors Officers 

The 2024 officers were unanimously elected at the AESC Board’s annual meeting in London.  

• Julian Ha, Chair, Washington, DC-based Partner and Leader of the Government Affairs and Trade Association practices at Heidrick & Struggles, will now serve as AESC Global Chair. Previously, Julian Ha held the Vice Chair position.  
• Sophie Wigniolle, Vice Chair, Paris-based Partner with Eric Salmon & Partners, will serve as AESC Vice Chair.  
• Cathy Logue, Secretary/Treasurer, Toronto-based Managing Director and Global Leader of the CFO and Financial Executives Practice Group at Stanton Chase, will continue to serve as AESC Secretary and Treasurer.  
• Emanuela Aureli, Chair Emeritus, London-based Partner, EMEA Leader of Technology, Media, Telecommunications & Services Practice and member of the CEO and Board Global Practice at Spencer Stuart will serve as AESC Chair Emeritus. Emanuela Aureli formerly served as AESC Global Chair.  

New AESC Board Directors Elected for 2024 

The AESC Board welcomes three new Directors.  

• Nobi Kaneko, President and Managing Partner of Kaneko & Associates based in Los Angeles and Tokyo, specializes in placing leaders in senior level positions in the professional services industry, for financial institutions and Fortune 1,000 Companies.  
• Jacques Bouwens, Amsterdam-based Consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates, advises Boards and CEOs across industries on corporate governance, succession planning and digital transformation. 
• Michael Castleman, WittKieffer Chief Business Officer and Executive Partner based in Florida, manages the Global Life Sciences, Investor-Backed Healthcare and Interim Leadership practices, as well as the firm's finance, technology, marketing, and commercial strategy and insights functions.   

Julian Ha, AESC Board Chair, commented, "It is an honor to hold the position of Global Chair at AESC, working alongside dedicated Directors and staff who share an unwavering commitment to the profession. Together, we strive to serve our colleagues and, most importantly, our clients. The newly appointed Directors bring valuable skills, best-in-class expertise, and enthusiasm to the AESC Board. It is a privilege to lead this group, and I'm looking forward to working with them.” 

Karen Greenbaum, CEO of AESC, commented: “I am proud to be the CEO of AESC. AESC was founded in 1959 focused on ensuring that our profession – executive search and leadership consulting – maintains the highest commitment to quality and professional standards. AESC maintains that commitment by ensuring that our standards remain relevant and rigorous as our profession evolves. Our members – whether global, regional or local – share a commitment to quality for their own firms and for our profession. Our Board, our regional Councils and all AESC members ensure that we collaborate for the good of our profession – strengthening leadership together.” 

2024 AESC Regional Council Leadership 

The 2024 AESC Regional Council Chairs and members of the AESC Board of Directors are:  

• Matrice Ellis Kirk, Chief Executive Officer of Ellis Kirk Group in Dallas, will now serve as the Americas Chair having been Vice Chair in 2023.  
• Tim Sheffield, London-based Chair at Sheffield Haworth, will continue serving as the EMEA Council Chair.  
• Nobi Kaneko, President and Managing Partner of Kaneko & Associates, has been nominated as APAC Council Chair.  

2024 AESC Global Board of Directors

• Julian Ha, Heidrick and Struggles, Chair – Washington, DC  
• Sophie Wigniolle, Eric Salmon & Partners, Vice Chair – Paris  
• Cathy Logue, Stanton Chase, Secretary and Treasurer – Toronto 
• Emanuela Aureli, Spencer Stuart, Chair Emeritus – London     
• Karen Greenbaum, AESC, Ex-officio – New York   
• Sonal Agrawal, Accord | India/ AltoPartners – Mumbai   
• Jacques Bouwens, Russell Reynolds – Amsterdam 
• Michael Castleman, WittKieffer – Florida 
• Nick Chambers, Boyden – Toronto   
• Toni Clayton-Hine, Independent AESC Director, EY Americas – New York  
• Joe Coulter, Coulter Partners – London   
• Matrice Ellis-Kirk, Ellis Kirk Group - Dallas  
• Rodrigo Foz Forte, EXEC – Executive Performance/ Panorama – São Paulo   
• Paul Jenkins, Independent AESC Director, McKinsey & Company – Oslo – New York 
• Nobi Kaneko, Kaneko & Associates – Los Angeles/Tokyo 
• Tim Sheffield, Sheffield Haworth – London 
• David Turner, Kincannon & Reed – Phoenix  

About AESC Board of Directors and Regional Councils 

AESC’s Global Board of Directors consists of elected representatives from each of AESC’s three Regional Councils: Americas; Asia Pacific; and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Each Council consists of elected officers and representatives from AESC Member firms from across their respective regions. 

About AESC         

Since 1959, AESC has set the quality standard for the executive search and leadership consulting profession. AESC Members represent 16,000+ trusted professionals in 1,200+ offices, spanning 70+ countries. AESC Members are recognized experts providing consulting services in the areas of leaders, teams and culture to the world’s leading organizations. They leverage their access and expertise to place more than 100,000 executives each year in board of directors and C-level positions across industry sectors. Dedicated to strengthening leadership together, AESC and its members share a deep commitment to the highest quality standards in executive search and leadership consulting—for the benefit of clients and the profession. We Shape. Connect. Educate. Innovate. Learn more about us at aesc.org. For AESC’s career services, visit bluesteps.com.