OUR HISTORY
GROWTH & TRANSFORMATION
Since 1969, we have been delivering impactful leadership solutions to organizations that improve quality of life.
WittKieffer traces its roots to 1969 when John Witt left his executive recruiting position at consulting firm A.T. Kearney to go into business for himself. He was joined in Oak Brook, Illinois, by one employee, administrative assistant Joan Bourke. A year later Witt brought on a former A.T. Kearney colleague, Richard Dolan, and created Witt & Dolan, Inc. Theirs was the only search firm at the time dedicated to the nonprofit healthcare market.
In 1980 a new firm, Clapp Associates, entered the healthcare executive search market, headquartered in Chicago. The two firms knew each other well and dominated healthcare executive search in the 1980s. In 1992, they decided to join forces, coming together and named for five of the key principals: Witt/Kieffer, Ford, Hadelman, Lloyd Corp. The company was located at 2015 Spring Road in Oak Brook, its current location.
The merger made a significant difference in the marketplace. The firm – usually referred to simply as Witt/Kieffer – won more than its share against the largest firms in the executive search industry.
In the 1990s, WittKieffer saw business opportunities beyond its core healthcare clients, and in offices outside of Oak Brook. This included significant work in academic medicine and academia. This success working with colleges and universities set the tone for the company’s next major growth move, a 1998 acquisition of Educational Management Network (EMN), based in Nantucket, Massachusetts. This launched an official Education Practice.
By this time the firm had opened offices across the U.S. and further diversified its offerings.
The company launched a Professional Search Practice (then called WK Advisors), as well as practices for Leadership Solutions, Board Services, and in the Life Sciences and Not-for-Profit sectors. In 2014, the firm formed a joint venture with Australian firm Ccentric Group and started to do more work outside of the U.S. In 2018 – with Andrew P. Chastain now as CEO – WittKieffer purchased the joint venture outright and formally launched its global search capabilities, headquartered in London. The Interim Leadership practice also launched at this time.
Growth and transformation continued with the expansion of services to for-profit and investor-backed healthcare services organizations. In 2022, Leadership advisory services were added to encompass executive, team, and cultural alignment and development.
Today, WittKieffer is represented by more than 340 employees across the US and around the world. Throughout the years, WittKieffer has maintained a focus on serving clients who are committed to improving the quality of life and has been led and staffed by people who are truly dedicated to the firm and its mission, who collaborate as teams and support each other, and who stay for long, rewarding careers.
