Executive Search Research and 2026 Firm Guides
Employers can find potential executive search firms by geography, sector and role, then inspect the sources before appointing one.
Editorial collections
Top 50 Publisher Selections 2026
50 named firm, service brand or network entries chosen editorially for 2026.
Browse the Top 50Global 40 Publisher Selections 2026
A 40-entry subset with 38 office evidence entries and 2 network-only entries.
Browse the Global 40Both collections are publisher selections. They count named firm, service-brand and network entries rather than independent businesses. They do not measure or compare performance.
Research
Research LibraryKorn Ferry and Heidrick Revenue Comparison: Executive Search Share
Executive search supplied 31.8% of Korn Ferry fee revenue in FY2026 against 74.5% of Heidrick net revenue in CY2024. The annual periods do not coincide. Each percentage describes reported revenue for a different firm and year, so they indicate business mix rather than a like-for-like ranking.
Korn Ferry and Heidrick: What Moved Executive Search Revenue
Korn Ferry executive-search revenue fell 7.9% in FY2024 and recovered by FY2026 to 5.5% above FY2023. Heidrick executive-search net revenue fell 13.5% in CY2023, rose 4.9% in CY2024, and remained 5.8% below CY2021.
Designing an Executive Search Mandate: What Employers Can Agree First
AESC standards call for written terms without setting fee, guarantee or off-limits levels. Two firm filings and three public documents show materially different allocations of payment, replacement and information risk, and what an employer can measure.
Company profiles
Source-linked profiles of six firms summarise advertised services and office or network evidence. They do not include client reviews or outcome ratings.
- Egon Zehnder
- Heidrick & Struggles
- Keller Executive Search
- Korn Ferry
- Russell Reynolds Associates
- Spencer Stuart
Annual archive
Annual reviews from 2018 to 2026 published in 2026. Labels show coverage years; 2026 is incomplete.
Browse annual archive reviewsEmployer checklist
A firm’s fit depends on the appointment: sector, seniority, geography and whether the hire is confidential. Write those four points down before you browse. They narrow the field faster than any long list, and they give you the questions to ask on a first call.
- Confirm which office would run the assignment, and whether the work is delivered locally or remotely.
- Ask who the named consultants are, what they have placed in your sector, and how much of the assignment they personally handle.
- Request recent, comparable placements and references you can contact directly.
- Agree the scope: title, reporting line, geography, candidate pool and any confidentiality limits.
- Establish fees, the retainer schedule, off-limits restrictions and what happens if the hire leaves early.
- Ask how candidates are sourced and how the longlist and shortlist will be presented.
- Get the timeline, including when you will see a first slate of candidates.
Standards and methodology
Our methodology sets out what an entry means and where its limits lie. The editorial policy covers corrections, our approach to independence and how potential conflicts and commercial relationships are handled.
This site does not measure search outcomes. An entry’s presence is not a statement about the quality of a firm’s work, and no listing should be read as a ranking.
Contact Executive Search Research LLC
If an entry is out of date, misdescribes a firm or lists an office that has closed, email contact@topexecutivesearchfirms.org with the page address and the correction. Legal questions go to legal@topexecutivesearchfirms.org. The about page names the publisher, and the terms of service set out the conditions of use. We do not provide recruitment or CV services.