This is the time of the year when search firms start getting calls from colleges looking for help to find new football coaches. The SEC is also looking to a search firm for some help in finding a replacement for commissioner Mike Slive. On Monday the SEC announced it has asked executive recruiting firm Korn Ferry to assist with the search.
Korn Ferry has experience finding new leaders in sports. The firm has claimed responsibility for identifying successful candidates for the Big 12, Major League Baseball and the NFL. The firm’s search will be led by Jed Hughes, Vice Chairman of Korn Ferry. Hughes was a key figure in the hiring of Larry Scott by the Pac-12. As previously announced by the conference, Arkansas chancellor Dr. David Gearhart is the chairman of the search committee. Presidents from Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Missouri will also be involved with the search committee.
“Korn Ferry offers the expertise and experience necessary to assist us in identifying candidates for a position of this significance to our institutions,” said Gearhart. “Their proven success at bringing highly qualified individuals to high profile positions is well-documented and gives the committee great confidence in their ability to do the same for the SEC.”
Slive announced in October he would be stepping down from his position as commissioner of the SEC. Slive is set to retire in July 2015 after a wildly successful 13-years on the job that saw expansion, the launch of a brand new network, an increase in media rights packages and a trophy case of national championships in football and other sports.
