---
title: "Executive search firms: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the firms that recruit senior leaders. Share of Search among Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds and Egon Zehnder, the executive search firms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/executive-search-firms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Executive search firms: Which are searched most?

Compare the firms that recruit senior leaders. Share of Search among Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds and Egon Zehnder, the executive search firms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Executive search firms
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Korn Ferry, 50.2%

## Which brand is most popular in search among executive search firms worldwide?

- In August 2026, Korn Ferry was the most searched among executive search firms worldwide, with an estimated 110K branded searches and 50.2% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Heidrick & Struggles is in 2nd place, 20 percentage points behind at 30.2% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Korn Ferry’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide increased from 46.7% to 50.2%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Heidrick & Struggles’ estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide decreased from 34.2% to 30.2%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Spencer Stuart’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide increased from 14% to 15.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Russell Reynolds’ estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide decreased from 5.1% to 4.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Korn Ferry’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide peaked at 54.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 46.7% in October 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Heidrick & Struggles’ estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide peaked at 35.1% in January 2026 and was lowest at 26.1% in April 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Spencer Stuart’s estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide peaked at 16% in April 2026 and was lowest at 11.7% in January 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Russell Reynolds’ estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide peaked at 6.6% in February 2026 and was lowest at 4.5% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Egon Zehnder held steady: its estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Korn Ferry vs Heidrick & Struggles: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/heidrick-struggles-vs-korn-ferry): 50.2% against 30.2% Share of Search.
- [Korn Ferry vs Spencer Stuart: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/korn-ferry-vs-spencer-stuart): 50.2% against 15.1% Share of Search.
- [Korn Ferry vs Russell Reynolds: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/korn-ferry-vs-russell-reynolds): 50.2% against 4.5% Share of Search.
- [Heidrick & Struggles vs Spencer Stuart: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/heidrick-struggles-vs-spencer-stuart): 30.2% against 15.1% Share of Search.
- [Heidrick & Struggles vs Russell Reynolds: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/heidrick-struggles-vs-russell-reynolds): 30.2% against 4.5% Share of Search.
- [Spencer Stuart vs Russell Reynolds: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/russell-reynolds-vs-spencer-stuart): 15.1% against 4.5% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for executive search firms worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Heidrick & Struggles gained estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide, from 26.9% to 30.2%.
- In August 2026, Spencer Stuart gained estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide, from 13.4% to 15.1%.
- In August 2026, Korn Ferry lost estimated Share of Search among executive search firms worldwide, from 54.8% to 50.2%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Russell Reynolds worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 14.8K to 9.9K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Korn Ferry | 50.2% | 110K | -18.5% | Korn Ferry |
| 2 | Heidrick & Struggles | 30.2% | 66.2K | 0.0% | Heidrick & Struggles |
| 3 | Spencer Stuart | 15.1% | 33.1K | 0.0% | Spencer Stuart |
| 4 | Russell Reynolds | 4.5% | 9.9K | -18.2% | Russell Reynolds |
| — | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — | Egon Zehnder |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Korn Ferry | 135K | 46.7% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Heidrick & Struggles | 99K | 34.2% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Spencer Stuart | 40.5K | 14% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Russell Reynolds | 14.8K | 5.1% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Nov 2025 | Korn Ferry | 110K | 49.7% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 29.9% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 14.9% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Russell Reynolds | 12.1K | 5.5% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Dec 2025 | Korn Ferry | 110K | 54.7% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Heidrick & Struggles | 54.2K | 26.9% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Spencer Stuart | 27.1K | 13.5% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Russell Reynolds | 9.9K | 4.9% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Jan 2026 | Korn Ferry | 135K | 47.9% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 99K | 35.1% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 11.7% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 14.8K | 5.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Feb 2026 | Korn Ferry | 110K | 49.1% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 29.5% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 14.8% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 14.8K | 6.6% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Mar 2026 | Korn Ferry | 135K | 49.8% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 81K | 29.9% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 40.5K | 14.9% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 14.8K | 5.5% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Apr 2026 | Korn Ferry | 135K | 53.2% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 26.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 40.5K | 16% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 12.1K | 4.8% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| May 2026 | Korn Ferry | 110K | 49.7% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 29.9% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 14.9% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 12.1K | 5.5% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Jun 2026 | Korn Ferry | 135K | 54.8% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 26.9% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 13.4% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 12.1K | 4.9% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Jul 2026 | Korn Ferry | 135K | 54.8% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 26.9% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 13.4% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 12.1K | 4.9% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Aug 2026 | Korn Ferry | 110K | 50.2% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | 66.2K | 30.2% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Spencer Stuart | 33.1K | 15.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Russell Reynolds | 9.9K | 4.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Egon Zehnder | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Heidrick & Struggles | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Korn Ferry | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Russell Reynolds | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Spencer Stuart | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Egon Zehnder**: Measured on the search term “egon zehnder”.
- **Heidrick & Struggles**: Measured on the search terms “heidrick and struggles”, “heidrick struggles” and “heidrickstruggles”, summed into one figure.
- **Korn Ferry**: Measured on the search term “korn ferry”.
- **Russell Reynolds**: Measured on the search term “russell reynolds”.
- **Spencer Stuart**: Measured on the search term “spencer stuart”.

- [Egon Zehnder](/demand/global-en/brands/egon-zehnder)
- [Heidrick & Struggles](/demand/global-en/brands/heidrick-struggles)
- [Korn Ferry](/demand/global-en/brands/korn-ferry)
- [Russell Reynolds](/demand/global-en/brands/russell-reynolds)
- [Spencer Stuart](/demand/global-en/brands/spencer-stuart)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among executive search firms worldwide?

In August 2026, Korn Ferry was the most searched among executive search firms worldwide, with an estimated 110K branded searches and 50.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Executive search firms: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/executive-search-firms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/executive-search-firms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.