CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSII), the premier provider of Executive Search and Leadership Consulting services worldwide, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Kevin Kelly was part of a high-profile panel on gender parity during the 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Kelly was part of a prominent seven-member panel focused on "Women in Economic Decision-Making" that highlighted examples of women leading high-level economic decision-making and the mechanisms that advance gender parity and representation in senior leadership.

The panelists included: Drew Gilpin Faust, President of Harvard University; Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook; Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship; Laura Tyson, Economist and Professor at Haas School of Business and Lubna Olayan, CEO of Olayan Financing Company.

Asked to comment on Heidrick & Struggles' recently released Board of Directors survey, which found sharp disagreement between men and women directors on board diversity and the use of quotas, Kelly said: "Although quotas did not garner overwhelming support from either gender, more than half of all female respondents (51 percent) agreed that quotas are a useful tool to affect meaningful change, while only a quarter of the men shared the same view. Progress on improving female representation on boards has been slow to come and for that reason we see greater willingness among women to entertain the topic of quotas."

Kelly also noted that "gender diversity isn't about simply increasing the number of women at senior levels – it is about bringing varied, important and relevant perspectives to boards and executive committees that raise the overall quality of their collective performance."

The 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is taking place from January 23-27 under the theme Resilient Dynamism. More than 2,500 participants from over 100 countries are taking part in the meeting. Participants include nearly 50 heads of state or government and more than 1,500 business leaders from the Forum's 1,000 Member companies, as well as representatives from the media, academia and the arts. This is the sixth year Heidrick & Struggles has attended The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting as a Strategic Partner.

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