Mr. Esler has extensive experience working with corporate boards on the full life cycle of CEO and board succession, including strategic alignment, executive assessment, external search and executive coaching.

He previously also led the Korn Ferry Technology practice in North America across the firm’s full suite of talent solutions. Overall, he has over twenty-six years of leadership consulting experience, with a strong focus on CEO, CEO Succession and board engagements.

Before Korn Ferry, Mr. Esler spent fifteen years at a global executive search and management consulting firm, where he served as the managing partner of the Atlanta office and worked extensively on CEO, president, and board engagements across the technology spectrum. He also served as a core member of the board practice and previously lead the North American Technology Practice for that firm.

Previously, Mr. Esler spent three years at another global executive search and management consulting firm. Earlier in his career, he held executive roles at Compaq Computer Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Eastman Kodak Company. Prior to entering the executive search profession, he led a technology startup in the software and services space.

Mr. Esler received his bachelor of arts in chemistry from Miami University (Ohio) and his masters of business administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He also has an Executive Coaching Certification from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.