Los Angeles, October 24, 2019 — Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) today announced Sheila O’Grady has joined the firm as a senior client partner. She specializes in the Consumer market and is based in Korn Ferry’s Chicago office.

O’Grady joins Korn Ferry from a global executive search and leadership consulting firm where she was a consultant. There, she focused on the restaurant and hospitality sector along with other consumer-facing clients, multi-franchised organizations, public organizations and private equity portfolio companies. Her client work has spanned CEO and board director assignments as well as other C-level leadership roles, including general management and functional roles such as chief development officer and chief marketing officer.

Prior to becoming a search practitioner, O’Grady served as president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, representing the state’s largest private employer sector and focusing on issues impacting more than 400,000 employees. During her tenure, she served as trustee of the group’s education foundation and founded one of the best-attended food and wine events in the nation, Chicago Gourmet.

Previously, O’Grady served as chief of staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley, where she assisted in administering the City of Chicago’s $5 billion annual budget and managed nearly 40,000 employees across 40 city departments.

“Sheila is a terrific addition to our team of industry-leading search consultants. Her knowledge and expertise in the restaurant sector including QSR, casual dining, and hospitality overall, will bring important value and depth to our team and to our clients in this space,” said Torrey Foster, vice chairman and managing partner, North American Consumer Markets, Korn Ferry. “We are excited to welcome such a trusted expert to the team.”

O’Grady holds a bachelor’s degree in humanistic studies from Saint Mary's College, a diploma from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame.

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help clients synchronize strategy and talent to drive superior performance. We work with organizations to design their structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people to bring their strategy to life. And we advise them on how to reward, develop, and motivate their people.