CHICAGO, Apr 18, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) --Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSII), the leadership advisory firm providing executive search and leadership consulting services worldwide, today announced the appointment of Jack "Rusty" O'Kelley as Regional Practice Managing Partner for Leadership Consulting Americas. He is based in the firm's New York office.

O'Kelley has more than 15 years of experience and has been a key member of the Leadership Consulting team at Heidrick & Struggles since he joined in 2009. He has deep experience in board effectiveness, CEO succession planning and executive team effectiveness. He works closely with senior leadership teams in the financial services, healthcare and retail sectors to define organizational vision, strategy and executive team governance.

"Rusty's energy and vast experience will help drive continued success in Leadership Consulting. He has developed a broad understanding of the unique challenges our clients face and combines superior client service with unmatched counsel when navigating today's complex global business issues," said Eric Olson Global Practice Managing Partner for Leadership Consulting.

Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, O'Kelley worked with an organizational and strategy consulting firm, and was a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell, a global law firm where he focused on bank mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation and corporate governance. He has written numerous white papers and articles on corporate governance. O'Kelley has also been quoted in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times and is a frequent speaker on the topic of corporate governance and CEO succession planning.

O'Kelley served as an Independent Director for Seventy-Fifth Avenue Investments and Trak Chicago 1 Investments. He also previously served on boards of Bennett College and the Yale Law School Fund. O'Kelley earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting graduating summa cum laude from Hampton University, where he was Valedictorian of his class, and received a J.D. from Yale Law School.

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., (Nasdaq:HSII) is the leadership advisory firm providing executive search and leadership consulting services, including succession planning, executive assessment, talent retention management, executive development, transition consulting for newly appointed executives, and M&A human capital integration consulting. For almost 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 globally. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please visit www.heidrick.com

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SOURCE: Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

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