CHICAGO, April 17, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSII), the premier provider of Executive Search and Leadership Consulting services worldwide, today announced that Michelle Bonoan has joined the firm as Partner within the Education & Social Enterprise Practice. She will be based in the Los Angeles office.

Most recently, Bonoan was Managing Director with an executive search firm in Los Angeles. With more than 15 years of executive search experience, she has led searches across a broad range of clients in education such as: private universities, small liberal arts colleges, and independent schools. She has also worked to place top leaders within social services, the arts and culture sector, environmental and health-related fields.

Bonoan began her search career with a boutique Los Angeles firm where she established the firm's education and non-profit practice exclusively serving clients, and ultimately becoming Vice President and Practice Leader. Prior to her career in executive search, she managed training programs for a Fortune 500 manufacturing company and also held positions in sales and marketing with a petroleum equipment distributor.

"The complexity of the challenges facing leaders of education, cultural and social services institutions remain daunting and persistent. Over most of her search career, Michelle has been highly active in these sectors, gaining deep understanding of the competencies and mission-orientation so critical for leadership success," said Joe Haberman, Global Practice Managing Partner, Education & Social Enterprise. "Our clients expect Heidrick & Struggles to appreciate their challenges and how they translate into a leadership prescription effectively tailored to their needs. Because Michelle knows this so well, she's a terrific addition to a practice team known for its expertise and counsel oriented to client success in meeting mission objectives and goals."

"Heidrick & Struggles is about helping clients build great leadership teams, and it's no different for building our own teams internally. Our work in Education and Social Enterprise is an important component of our overall strategy to serve Higher Education, Associations, and Philanthropic Organizations across many sectors. We are focused on growth and Michelle is a great addition to our global team," said Jory Marino, Vice Chairman and Regional Leader – Americas.

Bonoan holds a BBA in Management from California State University, Northridge. In her personal life she leverages her career expertise to aid those less fortunate. She has channeled this passion into her role as a board member for an internationally focused non-profit organization bringing much needed financial and educational resources to underserved student populations in Southeast Asia.

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSII) is the premier provider of senior-level Executive Search and Leadership Consulting services, including culture shaping, executive assessment, succession planning, board effectiveness, leadership development and leadership strategy.  For 60 years, we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please visit www.heidrick.com.

CONTACT: Jennifer Nelson
         +1 (404) 682.7373
         jnelson@heidrick.com