AESC sets the bar for ethical standards and professional conduct in the executive search and leadership consulting profession. AESC Members are committed to the highest professional practices, acting in the best interests of their clients, candidates, the community-at-large, and our profession.

AESC members are guided by a Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice Standards. AESC may amend or add to these standards from time to time as the profession evolves and adapts to developments in business practice, technology, and the law.

Since 1959, AESC has set the standards for the profession and its members are guided by a shared commitment to the AESC Code of Professional Conduct. AESC member firms and their people are committed to the highest professional practices, acting in the best interests of their clients, candidates, the community-at-large, and the profession. AESC values are best summarized through AESC’s Code of Professional Conduct - the foundation on which AESC membership is built.

AESC members put integrity above all else. They maintain the highest ethical standards within their firms, with clients and candidates, and in the community.

Excellence guides the work we do. AESC members focus on their clients’ unique business needs, using rigorous, evidence-informed, results-focused methodologies while innovating new solutions when needed.

AESC members exercise independent, objective judgment. Trusted relationships are grounded in knowledge, expertise, honesty, and respect.

AESC members know the power of diverse talent and inclusive cultures. They are guided by this knowledge for the benefit of clients, candidates, and themselves.

AESC members protect confidential information entrusted to them by clients and candidates. This includes a commitment to data privacy and security.

Choosing the right executive search and leadership consulting firm is a critical business decision with long-term impact. What should you expect when working with an AESC Member?View Client Bill of Rights

It’s critical that an executive search firm respects a candidate’s confidentiality. How can a candidate tell if the search firm that approaches them is ethical? Find out what to expect from an AESC Member.View Candidate Bill of Rights

AESC Members are recognized leaders in global executive search and leadership advisory, delivering a full suite of talent and organizational solutions for top performing organizations. 

Clients must be diligent in choosing a consultant. AESC Members choose to exceed both industry norms and client expectations, because the imprimatur of AESC demands that members are the most ethical, rigorous, and transparent firms in the profession.

Work with an AESC Member