Alan Guarino

Vice Chairman

Korn Ferry

New York, NY, USA

Biography

Alan Guarino is the Vice Chairman at Korn Ferry, an internationally recognized global organizational consulting firm. Korn Ferry is a leader in management strategy and the procurement of talent to help its clients achieve maximum performance and success. Alan is also a Founding Member of Korn Ferry's C-suite Succession Practice, a group focused on senior executive searches and C-suite succession assignments for large Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Alan founded and served as CEO & Chairman of Cornell International, now an Adecco Group Business. In his 14 years with Cornell International, he oversaw growth of over $20 billion in revenue, and with its eventual acquisition, made Adecco is the largest recruiting company in the world. For over 30 years, Alan has advised a vast range of CEOs and Boards on talent strategy, including Federal Reserve Bank boards and Fortune 50 companies. His expertise has led to frequent speaking engagements on Fox Business, CNBC, and Bloomberg Radio.

Alan’s public service is expansive, with a focus on the areas of education, youth organizations, and military groups. He was the Founding Chairman of the Boys Town of New York, a group built upon the work of Edward Flanagan, who ran an orphanage for boys in 1917, and the Finance Chairman of Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries in white Plains. He also serves on the Board of New York Institute of Technology and The Chefs’ Warehouse, and in a display of his love for the outdoors and being a sportsman, Co-founded Saint Hubert's Club, an exclusive club in the Hudson Valley.

Alan earned a BS from West Point Military Academy and an MBA from Embry Riddle University while in the US Army. He later continued his support of West Point, serving as president of The West Point Society of New York.

Alan Guarino’s Newsfeed

Having a COVID-19 Contingency Leadership Plan is Essential

There is also some worry that multiple people within the same division could be sick for weeks. A CFO and her three top lieutenants, for instance, may have all been exposed to the coronavirus at the same time. “If the depth chart isn’t strong enough, the organization’s public accounting firm may need to provide an ‘interim’ CFO,” said Alan Guarino, vice chair of Korn Ferry’s board and CEO services practice. That relationship brings its own wrinkle, he said, since the corporation, assuming it is public, has an obligation to be audited by an independent accountant. The company may need to hire a different accounting firm to ensure that independence.

Forecast: The talent drought will get worse.

Most executives believe that labor shortages are cyclical instead of systemic: 66% agree there will be a deficit of highly skilled talent by 2020, but only 52% predict there will be a shortage by 2030. “Right now, companies are feeling the pain,” says Alan Guarino, vice-chairman of Korn Ferry’s CEO, “but they don’t feel it with the level of intensity that they should. Many CEOs are sleepwalking their way into a crisis.”

Korn Ferry

Vice Chairman

New York, NY, USA

Korn Ferry helps leaders & organizations succeed by releasing the full potential of people through our full suite of talent strategy tools & consulting services.

Cornell International

Chairman & CEO

Mar 1993 - Jan 2007

International provider of human resources consulting, executive search, and owner of the internet platform Worldemployment.com until sold to Adecco in 2003.

Other Business Interests

Saint Hubert's Lodge and Club

Co-Founder

Jan 2010 - Present

New York, NY, USA

The most exclusive luxury overnight accommodations in the Hudson Valley, set on 165 acres including the exquisitely designed sporting clays shooting course and working apple farm. TripAdvisor review states "... if Wall Street and Corporate America had a Camp David, this would be it"

Current Board Positions

New York Institute of Technology

Board of Trustees

Jan 2013 - Present

New York, NY, USA

New York Institute of Technology is a highly ranked, dynamic, and accredited not-for-profit university committed to educating the next generation of leaders and to inspiring innovation and advancing entrepreneurship.

The Chefs' Warehouse

Board Member, Compensation Committee Chairman

Ridgefield, CT, USA

The Chefs' Warehouse is a family operated specialty food distributor that has been purveying high-quality artisan ingredients for chefs for over 30 years.

Previous Board Positions

The West Point Society of New York

Board Chairman & President

Oct 2000 - Sep 2002

West Point, NY, USA

The West Point Society of New York is an organization for graduates, former cadets, and other persons to learn about and promote the principles and welfare of the United State Military Academy.

ThoughtWire

Advisory Board Member

Toronto, CA

ThoughtWire, provide Operations Performance Management for built environments, helping hospitals and commercial buildings operate safer, healthier & smarter by developing software applications for OPM.

Philanthropy

Boys Town of New York

Founding Chairman of the Board

Jan 2006 - May 2009

New York, NY, USA

Since 1917, Boys Town has given thousands of at-risk children the love, support, and education they need to succeed. The Boys Town believes that the positive effects of providing opportunity for one child can ripple throughout the community, making greater progress for society as a whole.

Saint Pio Foundation

Chairman

New Rochelle, NY, USA

The Saint Pio Foundation is a non-profit charity organization dedicated to the promotion of the spiritual charism of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and to working with institutions and individuals to serve those in need.

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Media

CNBC: Squawk Box

Interview

Jul 2019

New York, NY, USA

Recruiting expert Alan Guarino, vice chairman at Korn Ferry, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss the Wall Street job market.

Publications

Get Noticed: Executive Search Experts Tell Us How

Interview

New York, NY, USA

In this interview with Ellevate, Alan Guarino, Vice Chairman at Korn Ferry, and other executive search professionals discuss what companies are searching for in a candidate and offer advice in preparing for a career search and interviews.

Smart Is Not Enough!: The South Pole Strategy and Other Powerful Talent Management Secrets

Author

2007

Hoboken, NJ, USA

In his book “Smart Is Not Enough”, Alan Guarino explains all aspects of talent management: how to find it, develop it, deploy it, and lead it. In addition, he discusses in detail his South Pole Theory of “hidden talent” talent, which he sees as a solution for the shortage of critical talent in the business world of the 21st Century.