Our heritage

Gardner Heidrick and John Struggles meet and launch the firm in Chicago. It is among the first in the executive search industry.

In less than six weeks after the firm opens its doors, the first client appears, Theron G. Gerow of West Virginia Coal & Coke Company.

Heidrick & Struggles becomes incorporated and signs its first clients outside of the Midwest.

The 1960s sees many important firsts at Heidrick & Struggles. The firm expands its office locations from Los Angeles and San Francisco on the west coast to New York City on the east coast. In 1968 Heidrick & Struggles establishes its first international office in the United Kingdom and becomes the first search firm ever retained by the British government.

The firm adds nine offices on three continents in nine years: Boston, Brussels, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, Mexico City, Paris, and Zurich.

Heidrick & Struggles experiences a decade of continued growth, particularly in Europe.

The firm continues its expansion into the principal cities of Latin America, adding offices in Buenos Aires, Caracas, Lima, Santiago, and São Paulo.

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (HSII) becomes a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock market.

The firm's investment in Asia Pacific, which began in the 1990s, continues with acquisitions and offices opening in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Today there are offices in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and Singapore.

Heidrick & Struggles celebrates its 60th Anniversary.

In 2012 the firm acquires Senn Delaney, the undisputed global leader of corporate culture shaping. The acquisition diversifies the firm's array of leadership services. In subsequent years, Heidrick & Struggles acquires Co Company, Philosophy IB, JCA Group, and Amrop Denmark, strengthening and diversifying its leadership consulting business. These acquisitions bring experienced professionals and tools that help clients accelerate and drive strategic change.

Heidrick Consulting integrates its Leadership Consulting and Culture Shaping operations into a single business, providing a cohesive suite of service offerings that enable clients to accelerate their performance at the leader, team, and organizational levels.

Heidrick & Struggles publishes Accelerating Performance in 2017, introducing a new framework for understanding organizations' and leaders' performance. Together with the framework for assessment, it allows the firm to deliver data-driven and insightful leadership insights.

Heidrick & Struggles is the first global leadership advisory firm to announce a commitment to diversity in its board of director searches through the launch of its Global Diversity Pledge. Developed in collaboration with Stanford's Rock Center for Corporate Governance, the pledge is designed to increase the number of women and members of underrepresented groups considered by boards. To accelerate this effort, the firm proactively identifies and interviews diverse director candidates, with an emphasis on prospective directors who have not previously served on a corporate board.

Heidrick & Struggles significantly expands its footprint in Brazil through the acquisition of 2Get, strengthening its position as a global leader delivering premium, data-driven executive search services and human capital solutions.

This global practice brings together highly experienced Heidrick & Struggles   consultants from executive search and consulting to help clients build diverse and inclusive leadership teams and organizations, with a comprehensive, integrated suite of services across talent recruitment, leadership assessment and development, and organizational transformation.

The acquisition of BTG, a leading marketplace for high-end independent talent on demand, complements the firm's suite of executive talent solutions, making Heidrick & Struggles the first global leadership advisory firm to offer the full spectrum of executive and high-end talent solutions – from on-demand, independent professionals to interim executives to permanent placements – together with its consulting services.

Heidrick & Struggles partners with Eightfold AI to drive the digital transformation of leadership and deliver new tech-enabled leadership planning and development solutions. This partnership marks another step in the firm's journey to expand its suite of leadership solutions with innovative, tech-driven offerings and drive future growth.

Heidrick & Struggles acquires Atreus, a leading presence for executive interim management in Germany, as a wholly owned subsidiary. This acquisition, along with BTG which was acquired in 2021, constitutes the firm's On-Demand Talent segment and builds on its market-leading position in this space.

Heidrick & Struggles acquires leading purpose, culture, and change consultancy, business4zero, deepening the firm's suite of culture and organization solutions and bringing specialized capabilities in developing and implementing purpose-driven strategies to companies undergoing major business transformations.

The firm continues its expansion into the region of Latin America, adding an office in Colombia, making it the third country in Latin America, where Heidrick & Struggles has a presence.

Heidrick & Struggles becomes a privately held company through the acquisition by a consortium of investors led by Advent International and Corvex Private Equity, with support from a global network of prominent strategic investors including Salem Capital Management, Mousse Partners, TF Cornerstone, HighSage Ventures, and Barcliff Partners, positioning it to further scale and accelerate its ability to develop differentiated, deep and durable global client relationships.

Heidrick launches a refreshed brand that brings the firm and its expanded capabilities together under one name. Executive search, interim leadership and consulting come together as one Heidrick, reflecting the evolution of the firm and how it partners with clients through moments of consequence.