Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated fee revenue grew 7% year-over-year to $722 million [11] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by $8 million, or 7% year-over-year, to $125 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.3% [11] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose by $0.12, or 10% year-over-year, to $1.33 [11] - Estimated remaining fees under existing contracts increased to $1.84 billion, up 20% year-over-year [10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Executive search fee revenue grew 10%, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth [11] - Professional search and interim fee revenue increased by 17% year-over-year, with professional search up 7% and interim up 24% [11] - RPO delivered $253 million of new business in the quarter, with 16% from new logos and 84% from renewals [11] - Business referrals grew to 27.6% of consolidated fee revenue, up approximately 250 basis points year-over-year and quarter-sequential [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Fee revenue in the Americas was up 3% year-over-year, led by executive search and RPO [12] - EMEA fee revenue grew 20% year-over-year, with growth in executive search, professional search, interim, consulting, and digital [12] - APAC fee revenue remained flat, with moderate growth in executive search and professional search, offset by slight declines in RPO, consulting, and digital [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on a unified strategy under "We Are Korn Ferry," emphasizing client centricity and integrated solutions [4][7] - The launch of the new Talent Suite technology platform is expected to enhance the company's ability to serve clients as a holistic talent partner [9] - The company aims to drive long-term, profitable, and sustainable growth by leveraging foundational assets to deliver differentiated solutions [15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's positioning for a strong 2026, despite the uncertain business environment [7][15] - The company anticipates fee revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 to range from $680-$694 million, with adjusted EBITDA margins between 17.2%-17.4% [14] - Management noted that the current economic conditions have not significantly changed, and they remain focused on identified growth opportunities [25][59] Other Important Information - The company returned almost $70 million to shareholders through combined repurchases and dividends during the quarter [12] - Capital expenditures of $43 million were focused on Talent Suite, productivity tools, and other solution enhancements [13] Q&A Session Summary Question: Strength in Executive Search Business - Management noted significant growth in executive search worldwide, driven by changing leadership needs and demographic shifts [17][18] Question: Placement Solutions Improvement - Management confirmed that the strategy is working, with sequential growth in Professional Search and Interim Solutions, and highlighted the quality of their IP and AI integration [24][25] Question: Consulting Bill Rates and Margins - Management indicated that bill rates have increased due to larger, more impactful engagements, and there is substantial opportunity for further growth in consulting [26][30] Question: Seasonal Trends in Executive Search - Management expects typical seasonal softness in Q3 due to holiday impacts, which is factored into their guidance [33] Question: Digital Business Performance - Management acknowledged a purposeful reduction in sellers in the digital solution to pivot towards enterprise-oriented sales, impacting top-line performance [58][59] Question: New RPO Contracts - The majority of new RPO contracts were renewals from existing marquee clients, with a significant portion coming from the healthcare and industrial sectors [60][61]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated fee revenue grew 7% year-over-year to $722 million [11] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by $8 million, or 7% year-over-year, to $125 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.3% [11] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose by $0.12, or 10% year-over-year, to $1.33 [11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Executive search fee revenue grew 10%, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth [11] - Professional search and interim fee revenue increased by 17% year-over-year, with professional search up 7% and interim, including the Trilogy acquisition, up 24% [11] - RPO delivered $253 million of new business in the quarter, with 16% from new logos and 84% from renewals [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Fee revenue in the Americas was up 3% year-over-year, driven by executive search and RPO [12] - EMEA fee revenue grew 20% year-over-year, with increases in executive search, professional search, interim, consulting, and digital [12] - APAC fee revenue remained flat, with moderate growth in executive search and professional search, offset by slight declines in RPO, consulting, and digital [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on a unified strategy under "We Are Korn Ferry," emphasizing client centricity and integrated solutions [4][7] - The launch of the new Talent Suite technology platform is expected to enhance the company's ability to serve clients and leverage foundational assets [9] - The company aims to drive long-term, profitable, and sustainable growth by delivering differentiated solutions [15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's positioning for a strong 2026, despite economic uncertainties [7][14] - The company anticipates fee revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 to range from $680 million to $694 million, with adjusted EBITDA margins between 17.2% and 17.4% [14] - Management noted that the current business environment presents opportunities for growth, particularly in organizational strategy and larger engagements [35] Other Important Information - Estimated remaining fees under existing contracts increased to $1.84 billion, with approximately 57% expected to be recognized within the next year [11] - The company returned almost $70 million to shareholders through repurchases and dividends during the quarter [12] Q&A Session Summary Question: Strength in executive search business - Management noted significant growth in executive search worldwide, driven by changing leadership needs and demographic shifts [17][18] Question: Placement-type solutions improvement - Management confirmed that the strategy is working, with sequential growth in professional search and interim solutions, and noted the quality of their IP and AI usage [24][25] Question: Consulting bill rates and margins - Management indicated that bill rates have increased due to larger engagements, and there is substantial opportunity for further growth in consulting [26][30] Question: Seasonal expectations for executive search - Management expects typical seasonal softness in Q3 due to holiday impacts, which is factored into guidance [33] Question: Digital business performance - Management acknowledged a purposeful reduction in sellers in the digital solution to pivot towards enterprise-oriented sales, impacting top-line performance [58] Question: New RPO contracts - The majority of new RPO contracts were renewals from marquee clients, with a significant portion coming from the healthcare and industrial sectors [61]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated fee revenue grew 7% year-over-year to $722 million [11] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by $8 million, or 7% year-over-year, to $125 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.3% [11] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose by $0.12, or 10% year-over-year, to $1.33 [11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Executive search fee revenue grew 10%, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth [11] - Professional search and interim fee revenue increased by 17% year-over-year, with professional search up 7% and interim, including the Trilogy acquisition, up 24% [11] - RPO delivered $253 million of new business in the quarter, with 16% from new logos and 84% from renewals [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Fee revenue in the Americas was up 3% year-over-year, led by executive search and RPO [12] - EMEA fee revenue grew 20% year-over-year, with growth in executive search, professional search, interim, consulting, and digital [12] - APAC fee revenue remained flat, with moderate growth in executive search and professional search, offset by slight declines in RPO, consulting, and digital [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on a unified "We Are Korn Ferry" strategy, integrating multiple solutions to create enduring client partnerships [4][6] - The launch of the new Talent Suite technology platform is expected to enhance the company's ability to serve clients as a holistic talent partner [9] - The company aims to drive long-term, profitable, and sustainable growth by leveraging foundational assets to deliver differentiated solutions [14] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's positioning for a strong 2026, emphasizing the need for talent in the current uncertain business environment [8][14] - The outlook for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 anticipates fee revenue between $680 million and $694 million, with adjusted EBITDA margins ranging from 17.2% to 17.4% [13] - Management noted that the current economic conditions have not significantly changed, and they remain focused on identified growth opportunities [24] Other Important Information - Estimated remaining fees under existing contracts increased to $1.84 billion, up 20% year-over-year [11] - The company returned almost $70 million to shareholders through repurchases and dividends during the quarter [12] - The Talent Suite launch is expected to provide significant opportunities in areas such as pay transparency and analytics [47] Q&A Session Summary Question: Strength in executive search business - Management noted significant growth in executive search worldwide, driven by changing leadership needs and the retirement of baby boomers [16] Question: Historical referral rates and future expectations - Management indicated a historical referral rate of 25%-26%, with a goal to increase it to 35% as the strategy evolves [18] Question: Improvement in placement-type solutions - Management confirmed that the strategy is working, with sequential growth in Professional Search and Interim Solutions, and noted the quality of their IP and AI usage in RPO [24] Question: Consulting bill rates and margin dynamics - Management highlighted that bill rates have increased due to larger, more impactful engagements, and there remains substantial opportunity for further growth [27][33] Question: Impact of AI on search efficiency - Management stated that while technology has improved efficiency, the larger impact comes from changes in work processes post-COVID [38] Question: Financial impact of Talent Suite - Management expects the Talent Suite to significantly enhance client engagement and analytics capabilities, leading to increased monetization of IP [46][47] Question: Changes in behavior since competitor went private - Management reported no noticeable changes in market behavior following the competitor's transition to private [51]

Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY) FY Conference Summary Company Overview - Korn Ferry has transformed from a $700 million business in 2012, primarily focused on executive search, to a nearly $3 billion organization today, offering a wide range of services related to employee engagement and talent management [3][4][5] Core Capabilities - The company has developed capabilities in organizational strategy, talent acquisition, leadership development, and total rewards consulting, making it unique in the industry [4][5] - Korn Ferry is the largest assessment house globally, utilizing psychometric assessments developed by a team of 25 I/O psychologists [4][5] Talent Suite Launch - Korn Ferry recently launched its Talent Suite, a single technology platform designed to integrate data, intellectual property, and behavioral science to enhance service delivery [6][30] - The Talent Suite aims to improve efficiency and effectiveness in utilizing the company's extensive data assets, which include assessments of 110 million people and 25 million paid data points [6][30] Go-to-Market Strategy - The primary go-to-market strategy focuses on marquee and diamond accounts, which represent the top 350 clients and account for approximately 40% of total fee revenue [13][14] - The company aims to increase cross-selling opportunities, with 25-26% of fee revenues currently generated from referrals between different service areas [14] Impact of AI - Korn Ferry recognizes the significant impact of AI on the talent marketplace and is actively integrating AI into its services to enhance client offerings [15][16] - The company is helping clients redesign their organizations to leverage AI effectively, focusing on talent readiness and development [17][22] Financial Performance - Korn Ferry has achieved an adjusted EBITDA margin of around 17%, with a revenue run rate between $2.8 billion and $2.9 billion, maintaining the same workforce of 9,000 employees [61][62] - The company has reduced its real estate footprint by 35% and cut business development costs significantly, contributing to improved profitability [62][63] Digital Business Growth - The digital business has grown to approximately $360 million-$370 million, with subscription and license revenue making up about 40% of that total [41][42] - Korn Ferry aims to increase the subscription and license portion of its digital business to 60-65% through the Talent Suite [42] Capital Allocation and M&A Strategy - Korn Ferry adopts a disciplined approach to M&A, focusing on strategic alignment with human capital and ensuring financial viability [66][67] - The company prioritizes reinvesting in its business, including technology and talent development, while also returning capital to shareholders through dividends and buybacks [68][69] Future Outlook - The company is optimistic about the future, particularly with the rollout of the Talent Suite and the potential for further integration of AI into its services [70][72] - Korn Ferry aims to break down internal silos and position itself as a comprehensive talent partner for clients, enhancing its value proposition [72][73]