The Profession

The AESC Diversity Pledge

We are CEOs representing leading executive search and leadership consulting firms around the world and we have come together to speak with one voice. As a profession, we are dedicated to strengthening leadership worldwide and believe in the power of diverse talent and inclusive cultures.

We are proud to stand in support of our Black colleagues, clients, candidates, and the entire Black community. Actions that accelerate progress for Black leaders and the Black community will be a critical priority.

Our Pledge

 

We share a commitment to combat bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination within our own organizations, with candidates and the clients we serve, and in our communities.

We pledge to use our collective voices and actions to help create a world that is inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible for all.

Our Guiding Principles

 

  • Accelerate

    Each CEO who signs this pledge is committing to developing and deepening actions within their own firms. Our Guiding Principles will help inform firm-based actions which will accelerate a sustainable positive impact.

     

  • Educate

    We commit to listen, engage, and learn so that we can do better both as employers and as trusted advisors. We will understand and leverage best practices to greatly enhance attracting and developing diverse talent for ourselves and our clients. We will work with our clients to identify leaders and assess them for their ability to create inclusive cultures where diverse talent thrives.

  • Advance

    We will develop stronger and more diverse slates of candidates through robust research, outreach, and alliances. We will use our expertise to mentor diverse talent to raise their visibility and their success and will identify partnerships that allow us to engage more people, and thus have a greater impact.

  • Advocate

    We will advocate with clients to help them embrace best practices that further their diversity and inclusion efforts which, in turn, will enhance business results. We will contribute our time and our expertise to under-served communities to advance racial equity and economic empowerment and to fight for social justice.

A special thanks to the following leaders who came together in the summer of 2020 to develop AESC's Diversity Pledge and Guiding Principles. These 7 leading AESC member firms collaborated with AESC to leverage the strength of our profession with a shared belief in the power of diverse talent and inclusive cultures.

  • AESC: Karen Greenbaum, President and CEO
  • Boyden: Trina Gordon, President and CEO
  • Diversified Search / AltoPartners: Dale Jones, CEO (retired)
  • Heidrick & Struggles: Krishnan Rajagopalan, President and CEO
  • Russell Reynolds & Associates: Clarke Murphy, CEO (current Board and CEO Leadership Advisor)
  • Spencer Stuart: Ben Williams, CEO
  • Stanton Chase: Mickey Matthews, International Chairman (current Managing Director)
  • WittKieffer: Andrew Chastain, President & CEO

Demonstrate Your Commitment to Action

To ensure that our voices are heard, and our impact is felt, AESC invites member CEOs across the world to sign on to our pledge and commit to action. We will display the names of each firm that signs on to this Pledge, Guiding Principles and commits to develop and deepen actions within their own firms.

Commit to Our Pledge

Participating Firms

  • Academic Search
  • Accord Group / AltoPartners
  • Accord Group Ceska / AltoPartners
  • Accord Group Polska / AltoPartners
  • Accord | India / AltoPartners
  • Acertitude, LLC
  • AGB Search
  • Albright Partners A/S
  • Alder Koten / IMD 
  • Alides / ECI Group
  • ALTO Board Consulting GmbH / AltoPartners
  • Alto Consultants GmbH / AltoPartners
  • AltoPartners Australia / AltoPartners
  • Alto.ECG GmbH / AltoPartners
  • ALTO Executive Search GmbH / AltoPartners
  • AltoPartners in Spain / AltoPartners 
  • Amrop Partnership SC
  • Amrop Portugal
  • Amrop Romania
  • Anderson & Associates
  • Avant Advisors Oy
  • Avery James Inc.
  • Bäcker & Partners / AltoPartners
  • Beaumont Group
  • Becker Management Consulting / AltoPartners
  • Belloni & Associates - Agilium Worldwide Italy
  • BIPOC Executive Search
  • Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates AG
  • Bluestone Leadership Services / AltoPartners
  • BoardWalk Consulting / Panorama 
  • Borderless Executive Search 
  • Borrer Executive Search 
  • Boyden
  • Buffkin/Baker / Panorama 
  • Calibrate Strategies
  • CareerSMITH, Inc. 
  • Ccentric Group
  • CnetG Asia
  • Coleman Lew Canny Bowen
  • Consultive / Panorama
  • Cordiner King / Panorama
  • Cornerstone International Group
  • Coulter Partners
  • Curzon 
  • Diversified Search Group / AltoPartners 
  • Dwight Cribb
  • Eblinger & Partner / IIC Partners
  • Eileen Finn & Associates
  • Ellig Group / IIC Partners
  • Ellis Kirk Group
  • EMA Partners
  • Equation Partners / AltoPartners
  • Eric Salmon & Partners
  • EuroGalenus Executive Search / ECI Group
  • EuroSearch Consultants / ECI Group
  • Eton Bridge Partners
  • EXEC / Panorama 
  • Executive Connection / AltoPartners 
  • Ezentia Leadership Solutions / AltoPartners
  • Fairchild Executive Search / AltoPartners
  • Ferreira & Associates International Executive Search /Panorama
  • FESA Group / IIC Partners
  • Fisher Leadership / IMD
  • Fowler Fox & C0 / AltoPartners
  • Furst Group / IIC Partners
  • Global Sage
  • GOSECO International Executive Search
  • Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. 
  • The Grant Partners
  • Hanover Fox International / ECI Group 
  • Harbour West Consulting Inc. 
  • Harris Search Associates/IIC Partners
  • Harvey Hohauser & Associates / IIC Partners 
  • Headlight International AB
  • Heidrick & Struggles
  • Hightech Partners
  • Hobson Leavy / Panorama 
  • Hofer Tan
  • Hoffman & Associates / IIC Partners 
  • Howard & O'Brien Executive Search
  • Human Capital Solutions, Inc.
  • The Hunter Group / Panorama  
  • Ichor Leadership Search
  • IMS Talent / IMD
  • ISCO Group
  • The Insight Group
  • InterSearch
  • The Inzito Partnership / AltoPartners
  • Jack Russell Consulting GmbH / AltoPartners 
  • JM Search / Amrop
  • Kaneko & Associates
  • Kaplan Partners
  • Keniff Leadership / Panorama
  • Kincannon & Reed
  • KingBird / AltoPartners
  • KPMG Executive Search & Selection
  • Laurence Simons Search
  • Leaders Trust International / AltoPartners
  • Leaders Trust Netherlands / AltoPartners
  • Major Executive Search  
  • Management Search S.r.l / Panorama
  • Mangaard & Partners / Panorama
  • Marlière & Gerstlauer Executive Search / IIC Partners
  • McArthur Murray Executive Search / AltoPartners
  • Meissner & Partners Executive Search / ECI Group
  • Meyer & Söhne GmbH / ECI Group
  • Michaël Berglund
  • MKG & Partners / AltoPartners
  • MPB Recruitment Group / AltoPartners 
  • MPS Enterprises Ltd. / Panorama
  • Moloney Search
  • Morgan Young
  • The Companies of MPI
    • Furst Group
    • Salveson Stetson Group
    • NuBrick Partners
  • Nedelcu & Company / Leading Edge Executives
  • Novare Executive Search / AltoPartners
  • NuBrick Partners / IIC Partners
  • Odgers Berndtson
  • O'Neill Consulting
  • The Onstott Group / IMD
  • Osprey Executive Search / AltoPartners
  • Osser&Osser / IMD
  • Pathfinder / AltoPartners 
  • Parodi & Associates
  • Pekarsky & Co.
  • The People at Work / AltoPartners 
  • Per Ardua Associates
  • PFM Executive Search / Panorama 
  • Phelps Group / Panorama 
  • Preng & Associates
  • PROGRESS / IIC Partners 
  • Potrero Group
  • Quaestus Executive Leadership B.V.
  • Quinton Anthony
  • Royer Thompson
  • RSR Partners
  • Rudish Health
  • Russell Reynolds & Associates
  • Salveson Stetson Group / IIC Partners
  • Saxton Bampfylde / Panorama
  • Search Partners International / AltoPartners
  • Second Line Advisors
  • Seeliger y Conde Morocco / AltoPartners
  • Seeliger y Conde Spain / AltoPartners
  • Sheffield Haworth
  • Sheffield 
  • Signium
  • Silvester & Company
  • SommerGroup / IMD International
  • Spencer Stuart
  • Stanton Chase
  • Summit Search Solutions, Inc. 
  • Talengo / Panorama
  • Talent Search / AltoPartners
  • TRANSEARCH International
  • Trevisearch / AltoPartners
  • Van Steenbrugge Associates / ECI Group 
  • Vetted Solutions / Panorama 
  • WittKieffer
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