Wednesday, 21 December 2016

LONDON, December 21, 2016 – For the fourth consecutive year, Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII), a premier provider of executive search, leadership consulting and culture shaping worldwide, has attracted an impressive faculty of business leaders to inspire young people to become tomorrow’s leaders at its annual Career Builder Course.

Participants include representatives from leading youth social action charity City Year UK. Drawn from diverse backgrounds, these 18 to 25-year-olds are volunteering full-time for a year to address educational inequality and develop their leadership skills.

“We are delighted to join forces again with City Year UK to help unlock the talents and aspirations of young people from all walks of life and show that anything is possible in life when you put your mind to it,” said Andy MacLeod, co-leader of Heidrick & Struggles' London office.

Over two days, senior executives will address more than 80 young people from across the country who are keen to learn more about what it takes to make it to the top, offering practical advice based on their own careers and experiences. The faculty includes leaders from Santander, McKinsey, AstraZeneca, Crossrail and Mastercard.

“Thanks to Heidrick & Struggles’ generous, ongoing support and development of the Career Builder course, our young volunteers will have the opportunity to learn directly from some of the world’s most prominent business leaders,” said Sophie Livingstone, Chief Executive of City Year UK. “The course shares City Year UK’s goal to give our young people invaluable access to business leaders, so they can learn about careers in a wide range of sectors and functions, and be inspired to set their sights high.”

About Heidrick & Struggles
Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII) serves the executive talent and leadership needs of the world's top organizations as a premier provider of leadership consulting, culture shaping and senior-level executive search services. Heidrick & Struggles pioneered the profession of executive search more than 60 years ago. Today, the firm serves as a trusted advisor, providing integrated leadership solutions and helping its clients change the world, one leadership team at a time.® www.heidrick.com

About City Year UK

• City Year UK is a youth social action charity which challenges 18 to 25-year-olds to tackle educational inequality through a year of full-time voluntary service. As mentors, tutors and role models in schools, they support pupils growing up in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK.
• The City Year experience empowers its young volunteers to realise their own aspirations and grow as leaders, both through their impact on children’s lives and through training, coaching and career development opportunities.
Independent research by award-winning social enterprise, Renaisi, of those who have taken on a ‘City Year’ since 2010, found that: 81% said their City Year experience enabled them to develop skills that they can apply to any job
- 70% said that it had helped them to become an effective leader
- More than nine out ten are in work or further education within three months of finishing their City Year and a snapshot of alumni found an unemployment rate of just 3%
• City Year was first established in Boston, Massachusetts in 1988 and operates in 27 cities across America, as well as Johannesburg in South Africa. City Year UK launched in London in 2010 and has since expanded to Birmingham and Greater Manchester. To find out more, watch our short animation here.

H&S Media Contact:
Chiara Pierdomenico +442070754236, cpierdomenico@heidrick.com

City Year UK Media Contacts:
Kate Corry +447843 477 036, kcorry@cityyear.org.uk
Rosie Davey +447943628908, rdavey@cityyear.org.uk

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Caption for photo: From left to right - City Year UK volunteers Thomas Soyemi, Mariyam Bibi, Jack Clifton, with Claire Durkin, head of international knowledge and innovation (Global) Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) UK and City Year UK volunteers Nabeela Ilyas and Nykola Buttress.