Firm profile
WittKieffer
WittKieffer was named in 2 of the 9 executive search firms questions measured by The Shortlist Report, appearing in 209 of the 469 AI responses sampled across those questions (44.6%).
WittKieffer is strongest on “What are the best executive search firms?”, where it was named in 146 of 235 responses (62.1%), placing it in tier 3 of that report.
What WittKieffer is surfaced for in executive search firms
Based on the measured answers, WittKieffer is most likely to be surfaced when buyers ask about “What are the best executive search firms?” and “Which search firms know our industry?”.
How the answers describe the firmSpecializes in executive search for healthcare, higher education, and mission-driven organizations.
In this sample, WittKieffer was named on 2 of the 8 executive search firms ranking questions measured. These are the buyer questions where it appeared most often:
- Executive search firms — named in 146 of 235 responses (62.1%), tier 3.
- Executive search by industry — named in 63 of 234 responses (26.9%), tier 5.
This describes when the firm is surfaced, not whether it is the right firm to hire. The sample measures recommendation visibility, not client outcomes.
Every question in executive search firms
WittKieffer was named on 2 of these 8 ranking questions. The rest are questions buyers ask that it did not come up for — with whoever did.
| Question | Leader | WittKieffer |
|---|---|---|
| What are the best executive search firms?235 answers | Egon Zehnder99% | 62% · tier 3 |
| Which firms specialise in the role we are hiring for?235 answers | Korn Ferry90% | — |
| Which search firms work with venture-backed startups?235 answers | Riviera Partners35% | — |
| Who runs board and chief executive searches?235 answers | Spencer Stuart87% | — |
| Which search firms deliver genuinely diverse candidate slates?235 answers | Russell Reynolds Associates60% | — |
| Our executive search is not working. Who can take over?235 answers | Spencer Stuart62% | — |
| Which search firms know our industry?234 answers | Spencer Stuart93% | 27% · tier 5 |
| Which executive search firms report measurable search outcomes?30 answers | Heidrick & Struggles23% | — |
| How much does an executive search firm charge?pricing · 235 answers | what firms charge | — |
Who leads executive search firms overall: Spencer Stuart tops 3 of 8 · Egon Zehnder tops 1 of 8 · Heidrick & Struggles tops 1 of 8 · Korn Ferry tops 1 of 8 · Riviera Partners tops 1 of 8 · Russell Reynolds Associates tops 1 of 8. See all reports.
Where WittKieffer was named
| Question | Tier | Responses | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What are the best executive search firms? | 3 | 146 of 235 | 62.1% | |
| Which search firms know our industry? | 5 | 63 of 234 | 26.9% |
What WittKieffer gets named for
Across the 9 executive search firms questions measured, WittKieffer is named most often on “What are the best executive search firms?” — it appears in 146 of the 235 ChatGPT responses to that question, or 62.1% of them. Its next strongest question is “Which search firms know our industry?”, where it appears in 63 of 234 responses (26.9%).
WittKieffer clears the reporting threshold on 2 of the 9 questions. The spread matters as much as the peak: a firm named across several different questions is one an assistant reaches for generally, where a firm named on one is attached to a single specialism.
What WittKieffer’s tier placings mean
On “What are the best executive search firms?”, WittKieffer sits in tier 3 of 6, named in 146 of 235 responses (62.1%). That places it below the leading group on this question, where the top firm was named in 99.1% of responses against WittKieffer’s 62.1%. It shares tier 3 with ZRG Partners and DHR Global, which the sample cannot separate from it. 6 further firms were named on this question but fell into lower tiers, meaning the sample did separate WittKieffer from them.
On “Which search firms know our industry?”, WittKieffer sits in tier 5 of 6, named in 63 of 234 responses (26.9%). That places it below the leading group on this question, where the top firm was named in 93.2% of responses against WittKieffer’s 26.9%. It shares tier 5 with Odgers, which the sample cannot separate from it. 5 further firms were named on this question but fell into lower tiers, meaning the sample did separate WittKieffer from them.
Firms named alongside WittKieffer
When ChatGPT names WittKieffer, these firms most often turn up on the same questions: DHR Global (2 shared questions), Diversified Search Group (2 shared questions), Egon Zehnder (2 shared questions), Heidrick & Struggles (2 shared questions), JM Search (2 shared questions), Korn Ferry (2 shared questions), Odgers (2 shared questions) and Russell Reynolds Associates (2 shared questions).
That overlap is the closest thing this data holds to a shortlist: these are the firms a buyer asking the same questions is most likely to see beside WittKieffer. It says nothing about which of them is the better fit.
DHR Global · Diversified Search Group · Egon Zehnder · Heidrick & Struggles · JM Search · Korn Ferry · Odgers · Russell Reynolds Associates
What this page is, and is not
- It is a count of how often AI assistants named WittKieffer when asked buyer questions about executive search firms. Nothing here is a review, a rating, or an assessment of the firm’s work.
- WittKieffer did not submit this listing, was not contacted about it, and cannot pay to change it, move up, or be removed.
- A firm named in few responses may still be excellent. Share follows what has been published about a firm online, which is what an AI assistant reads.
- Wrong details, or a firm merged with another of a similar name? We fix those.