Heidrick & Struggles names Alice Breeden co-lead of CEO wing

31 January 2022 Consultancy.uk

Alice Breeden will step into a role as co-regional managing partner of Heidrick & Struggles’ CEO & Board of Directors Practice in Europe and Africa. Breeden will also continue to lead Heidrick Consulting’s CEO & Board and Team Acceleration Center of Excellence. 

Heidrick & Struggles is a global professional services firm specialising in executive search work. It also has a consulting practice focused on leadership and shaping corporate culture.

As the company looks to better support clients with the appointment of key talent in 2022, it has created a new leadership role in its Europe and Africa region. As Co-regional Managing Partner for CEO & Board of Directors, Alice Breedan will work to keep strengthening and positioning the practice across the region.

Alice Breeden, Co-Managing Partner, Heidrick & Struggles

In leadership changes that came into effect from January 2022, Breeden will work closely with Sylvain Dhenin – who she will split the leadership role with. A former Expert Associate Principal with McKinsey & Company, Breeden joined Heidrick & Struggles in 2017, and will also continue to lead the firm’s CEO & Board and Team Acceleration Center of Excellence. 

Commenting on her new role, Breeden remarked, “I am very excited to step into this position. In my almost 5 years at Heidrick & Struggles I have thoroughly enjoyed working with boards and senior leadership teams on a wide range of talent advisory issues and to now be able to expand to more of Europe as well as Africa is a challenge I relish. This role, shared with Sylvain, allows us both to strengthen our one firm approach in the region for both executive search and consulting. The global war for talent has never been stronger and I am eager to keep supporting organisations in all their leadership and talent needs.”

Broader changes

The news comes amid a number of other key promotions at Heidrick & Struggles. Elsewhere, Marie-Hélène De Coster, already Partner-in-Charge of Belgium, will take on the role of Regional Managing Partner of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice in Europe & Africa.

Along with a number of other senior appointments, Heidrick & Struggles further promoted 29 employees from Executive Search and Heidrick Consulting to Principal. This is the largest Principal promotion class seen by Heidrick & Struggles in recent years.

Speaking on the leadership changes, Claire Skinner, Regional Leader, Heidrick & Struggles, Europe & Africa, said, “We are exceptionally proud to have such a high level of promotions across the company. The combined breadth of skills and experience across the board will be invaluable as we kick-start 2022. I am certain their expertise will ensure both our clients and our organisation successfully navigate through 2022 and beyond.”