Korn Ferry is one of the largest executive search firms in the world. Syfter is a co-founder led technology executive search firm built for CTO, CIO, CISO and Chief AI Officer seats. This page compares the two on the points technology leadership buyers ask about most.
| Dimension | Syfter | Korn Ferry |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Syfter runs retained search for CTO, CIO, CISO, CHRO, Chief AI Officer and Chief Product Officer seats, plus the SVP and VP seats under them. | Korn Ferry runs executive search across industries, including technology, and reports on-the-ground recruitment experience in 130 countries. source |
| Who runs the search | Co-founder led: the people who sell the work are the people who do it. | Korn Ferry runs search through its global executive search practice. source |
| Finalist checks | Every finalist completes the Syfter Certified five-point verification protocol, confirming identity, location and live presence before the client sees the file. | Korn Ferry assesses candidates with its Success Profiles and Executive Snapshot tools. source |
| Fee structure | A third at engagement, a third at accepted offer, and a third once the executive has been in the seat for 90 days. | Korn Ferry's fiscal 2020 annual report states that its fee is typically approximately one-third of the first-year annual cash compensation for the position. source |
| Reach | Exclusively onshore. United States only. | Across fiscal years 2025 and 2026, Korn Ferry worked with 94% of the S&P 100. source |
Korn Ferry's strength is scale. It brings global reach, proprietary assessment tools and relationships with most of the largest US companies. For a multinational filling technology seats in several countries at once, that reach matters.
Syfter's strength is focus and accountability. A co-founder runs every search from scoping through day 90, and every finalist is verified before the client sees the file. Syfter only collects its full fee once the client has what it asked for: the executive in the seat, and still there after 90 days.
Bottom line
Choose Korn Ferry when you need global reach and a large assessment toolkit. Choose Syfter when you are hiring a technology leader in the United States and want a co-founder on the search, verified finalists, and a fee schedule that holds the final third until the executive has been in the seat for 90 days.