Russell Reynolds Associates Acquires Specialist Board Advisory Firm The Zygos Partnership

Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading global search and leadership advisory firm, today announced it has agreed to acquire London-based Zygos Partnership, one of the UK’s preeminent board and CEO advisory firms.

The combination of Russell Reynolds Associates and Zygos brings together unparalleled access to global talent and depth of sector expertise to help organizations address critical leadership and corporate governance challenges in today’s complex and uncertain business environment.

The Zygos Partnership started in 2002 as the first and now the largest specialist board advisory firm in the UK. They have established themselves as a market leader, focused on working with business leaders and significant organizations seeking advice at the highest levels. 

“Zygos and Russell Reynolds are a natural fit with shared values and a relentless passion for serving clients,” said Clarke Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Russell Reynolds Associates. “This combination complements our strategy to expand our existing relationships in the board advisory and C-suite space. With board performance and accountability under intense scrutiny, our clients need help with governance and strategy, as well as with finding global talent. This acquisition is an important step in strengthening our position in this key area of board advisory service. We will add exceptional depth of experience in guiding boards around multiyear succession planning, coupled with strong sector insights provided by the wider firm,” said Murphy.

Julia Budd co-founded The Zygos Partnership 15 years ago and states, “We are very pleased to be joining our new partners at Russell Reynolds Associates. In combining our two businesses, we have taken the time to get to know each other well. We are confident that Russell Reynolds’ partnership culture, professionalism and approach to business and clients is very similar to our own. For our clients, we believe that this combination will bring additional resources and international reach while preserving the expertise and discretion that they expect. We are looking forward to continuing to serve our clients and to working with our new partners at Russell Reynolds for many years to come.” 

“Together we will be creating the preeminent board advisory group. We will be based in the UK, but will have a comprehensive ability to deliver internationally,” commented Luke Meynell, Zygos’ Managing Partner. “All of our clients want to ensure that they have access to outstanding leaders, wherever those individuals are based. The current and future clients of both firms can be confident that this combination will provide them with that capability underpinned by the highest levels of service.”

About Zygos
The Zygos Partnership was founded in 2002 as the first search consultancy to focus exclusively on board appointments. Today it is a market-leading firm advising clients on critical board roles, primarily chairmen, chief executives, CFOs and NEDs. It is responsible for the appointment of directors currently serving on the boards of 62% of the FTSE 100.