McKinney Consulting, an international executive search, human resources, and coaching consultancy based in Seoul, South Korea, was founded 23 years ago, in 2001 by Steve McKinney, a highly experienced leader across various industries, particularly in product development for the international footwear industry. However, prior to that, Steve was a professionally trained singer, had been on several recordings, traveled, and conducted several choirs. This shaped his outlook on leadership, placing importance on creating harmony between different teams within an organization and balancing their interests to achieve success. In the 1990s, Steve joined the footwear industry, first as senior manager for development and commercialization at a major brand, where he oversaw R&D and manufacturing. He then became head of footwear product development at one of the largest global athletic shoe brands, helping establish a new team and procedures that contributed to a 20% increase in global sales. According to Steve, he got into the executive search industry as he was looking for a career change as well as the opportunity to settle in his wife's home country of Korea. He spoke to the president of an executive search company, who convinced him that executive search would be a great fit for him. [...]

Forbes has once again named Pearson Partners International one of America’s Best Executive Search Firms.  As the recruitment landscape stabilizes from the tumultuous period known as the “Great Resignation,” more executives are expressing satisfaction with their current employment. A recent survey by ZipRecruiter reveals that over 86% of new hires are content in their roles, a stark contrast to the job-hopping trends observed in previous years. This increased job satisfaction poses renewed challenges for recruiting, as fewer leaders are open to new opportunities. Combined with the looming Baby Boomer retirement wave, an ever-greater need for effective succession planning, the integration of AI into human resources functions, and a continuing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, our role as leadership consultants has never been more vital. We are dedicated to helping our clients navigate these complexities to ensure successful executive recruitment, effective retention and robust succession planning. Recognizing this shift in the recruitment landscape, Forbes has partnered again with market research firm Statista to rank America’s Best Executive Search Firms, highlighting leaders in executive search like Pearson Partners International. We have earned this prestigious accolade four times in the eight years Forbes has chosen the honorees, including 2017 (the list’s inaugural year), 2018, 2023 and 2024. “It [...]