In 1953 Gardner Heidrick and John Struggles left the management consultancy for which they worked, to found a new company which would focus on recruiting corporate bosses. It was the first of what would become the big five executive-search (or "headhunting") firms, and has been a leader in the recruitment industry for 60 years. The firm's placement of Eric Schmidt as the head of the then-upstart Google in 2001 is regarded as a signature success: he stayed in the position for a de- cade, and still serves as the company's executive chairman. Today Heidrick & Struggles is, well, struggling. Its revenues fell from $616m in 2008 to $444m last year, and over the past year its profit margin has been 3.4％-piddling by the industry's standards. In July its boss, Kevin Kelly, stepped down after its board said it was considering "strategic alternatives", including a sale.
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