Spencer Stuart

{{short description|American global executive search and leadership consulting firm}}

{{use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}

{{COI|date=September 2015}}

{{more citations needed|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Spencer Stuart

| logo = Spencer Stuart logo.svg

| revenue = 2022: USD $1 Billion {{cite web|url=http://www.executivetrumpet.com/top-executive-search-firms.htm|title=Top Executive Search Firms|publisher=}}

| industry = Professional services

| products = Global executive searching & Leadership/Strategy Consulting

| homepage = [https://www.spencerstuart.com spencerstuart.com]

}}

Spencer Stuart is an American global executive search and leadership consulting firm based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1956, operates 70 offices in 33 countries and is privately owned, making SSI the largest privately held search firm in the world. The firm generates over 1 billion dollars in revenue annually, passing this threshold for the first time in 2021.{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1265725 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208063609/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1265725 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 8, 2008 |title=Spencer Stuart, Inc.: Private Company Information |work=investing.businessweek.com |publisher=Bloomberg |date= |accessdate=June 22, 2012}} In 2009, the Wall Street Journal described the firm as the U.S. government's main resource for finding replacement executives for companies bailed out during the Great Recession.{{cite web|author=Joann S. Lublin |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124951984342909683 |title=Spencer Stuart Grabs Lion's Share Of Headhunting for Bailed-Out Firms |work=online.wsj.com |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |date=August 6, 2009 |accessdate=June 22, 2012}}

The firm currently employs over 1,200 people, with both Kincentric and Cambria consulting falling under the umbrella of Spencer Stuart, following their respective acquisitions by SSI. Spencer Stuart began in its early years as a boutique consultancy, being one of the first executive search firms to conduct international and domestic projects. In recent years the firm has grown into a larger consultancy: offering capabilities in leadership training, strategic planning, digital transformation and executive coaching, alongside their longstanding executive search business.

Notable placements by Spencer Stuart include the Yahoo! board of directors retained the firm in June 2012 to conduct a search to replace former CEO Scott Thompson.{{cite news |url=http://allthingsd.com/20120604/exclusive-yahoo-board-hires-spencer-stuart-for-ceo-search/ |title=Exclusive: Yahoo Board Hires Spencer Stuart for CEO Search |author=Kara Swisher |author-link=Kara Swisher |work=allthingsd.com |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |date=June 4, 2012 |accessdate=June 22, 2012}} The Twitter board of directors retained the firm in June 2015 to conduct a search to replace former CEO Dick Costolo.{{cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/22/twitters-board-hires-search-firm-to-find-next-c-e-o/|title=Twitter's Board Hires Search Firm to Find Next C.E.O.|first=Vindu|last=Goel|website=bits.blogs.nytimes.com|date=22 June 2015}} In December 2024 the board of directors of Intel Corp. retained Spencer Stuart to conduct the search for replacing the already left CEO Pat Gelsinger.{{cite web|url=https://huntscanlon.com/intel-taps-spencer-stuart-to-find-new-ceo/|title=Intel Taps Spencer Stuart to Find New CEO|first=Scott A.|last=Scanlon|work=huntscanlon.com|publisher=Hunt Scanlon Media|date=5 December 2024}}

During the 2009 government bailouts of struggling U.S. companies, the firm worked with the majority of the companies that were bailed out to replace company leadership and board members. Spencer Stuart has placed executives across a diverse range of industries and has existing partnerships with the majority of the Fortune 500 companies.