An Interview With Stephanie Mitchell of Korn/Ferry International

Business + Finance

An Interview With Stephanie Mitchell of Korn/Ferry International

It’s funny how a single fateful moment has the potential to trump even the most smartly crafted of resumes. For Stephanie Mitchell, 34, a casual conversation down a few flights in an elevator led to a job she’s held for almost a decade.

But, of course, fate and charm aren’t the only things responsible for propelling Stephanie’s career into the stars. Although she followed a traditional path that included internships and a starter gig at global PR agency Burson-Marsteller, her ability to be a chameleon has been anything but traditional. Stephanie’s latest career move was to Korn/Ferry International, a global executive search and leadership consulting firm, where she has been at the forefront of an industry working to embrace all things digital and data-driven. Numbers and data are the new name of the marketing game and Stephanie speaks the language fluently.

We felt all business as we arrived on the top floor of the Korn/Ferry International high-rise, complete with swoon-worthy LA views and a bustling lobby of suits. It was refreshing to learn how a go-getter like Stephanie has been able to thrive and make the culture work to the benefit of her career. Breaking the stereotypes, Stephanie’s story sheds a positive light on a corporate career in marketing.

Her Starting Point

Tell us about your career prior to Korn/Ferry. Did you know what direction you wanted to take your career post-graduation?

I had done PR internships during college with NBC and the American Red Cross, but truly found my footing with an internship at global PR agency Burson-Marsteller the summer before my senior year. I was assigned to the corporate practice and quickly figured out that corporate communications/ marketing was a great fit for my skills and interests. I was fortunate to be able to parlay my internship into a permanent position post-graduation, and had four great years at B-M working on accounts ranging from Accenture to Qualcomm to Mattel.

Tell us how you came to Korn/Ferry. Did you always have an interest in human capital services?

The story of how I came to Korn/Ferry is a good lesson about the importance of always being prepared! I was at a PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) meeting at another PR agency, and shared the elevator during the twenty-odd floor ride down to the parking garage with a nice gentleman who also was at the meeting. What I thought was a casual conversation turned out to be my first interview; I guess I said something right because, by the time I’d returned to my desk, I had a message from him asking if I’d be interested in discussing a possible role at Korn/Ferry. The rest is history!

What exactly is your role at Korn/Ferry?

My job has evolved quite a lot since I joined Korn/Ferry. I was originally hired to manage media relations and to raise Korn/Ferry’s visibility throughout the Southwest U.S. through PR and marketing. At that time, Korn/Ferry was the market leader in executive search, but offered few other services. Korn/Ferry has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade, and those of us who’ve stuck around have done so by being chameleons in a sense. Today, Korn/Ferry is a billion-dollar company and the only firm in our industry offering end-to-end leadership and talent solutions. Our marketing organization has grown in size and sophistication, and currently my role is focused primarily around our corporate identity and brand image.

Her Big Break

Can you tell us about a recent success story at work? How has your work affected the Korn/Ferry brand?

Within our target markets, the Korn/Ferry brand is incredibly well known and well regarded—it’s a fortunate position to be in, having an outsized brand that opens so many doors. In fact, people are often surprised when they find out how modest our marketing team and budgets actually are!

Traditionally, Korn/Ferry did very little in the way of advertising. However, as we step out of the relatively small pond of executive search and increasingly compete for client engagements with the likes of Aon, Mercer, Deloitte and other marquee names, we recognize the need to raise awareness around the “evolved” Korn/Ferry and the broad array of services we now offer. So over the past year, we’ve been testing the waters with several select print and outdoor advertising campaigns. It’s been an incredibly exciting and creative process and, based on the feedback we’re getting, I anticipate it becoming a larger component of our marketing mix in the year ahead.

You’ve been with Korn/Ferry for nine years! It’s rare to meet people who have that much longevity at a job. What are the pros and cons of being with the same company?

When I joined Korn/Ferry in 2004 I certainly had no idea I’d still be here almost a decade later—and honestly, if the job didn’t continue to excite and challenge me, I wouldn’t be. Even though I’ve always been part of the marketing and communications organization, I’ve worked on a tremendous variety of initiatives and have had lots of opportunities to expand my skill set and step out of my comfort zone. One benefit to staying put at any given company is that it takes time to deeply understand a business—especially a complex one like Korn/Ferry—and to build relationships across function, geography and business line.

What is your favorite part of your job? What’s the most challenging?

I feel so very lucky to be able to do what I do for a living. There’s nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment I get from a successful campaign or positive feedback from a client, and I know that translates into me being a happier mom when I come home. But I would be lying if I said I don’t occasionally get overwhelmed by the juggling act of managing a work life and a home life, or feel a pang of mommy guilt when I miss a school function or doctor’s appointment.

What skills are essential to work in corporate marketing? How does this line of work differ from other types of marketing?

Corporate marketing is a lot of fun because we have the ability to influence marketing strategy and programs at the highest levels of the organization. In my role, I’m responsible for the master brand strategy for Korn/Ferry, driving brand consistency across eighty offices in forty countries. I’m also closely involved in the marketing integration efforts of Korn/Ferry’s numerous acquisitions. Since I’m located at our global headquarters in Los Angeles, I’m able to work hand-in-hand with our CMO and senior management team. In a nutshell, I see my role in corporate marketing as that of a connector—bringing together teams, strategies and campaigns—to create uniformity and, ultimately, to extend and elevate the global brand.

Her Perspective

What’s next for your marketing career?

I recently heard this quote from Beth Comstock, CMO of GE, which I love: “If you came into marketing because you didn’t like numbers, then you don’t have much of a future.” Now, exceptions certainly exist, but there’s a basic truth to what she’s saying.

As marketers, we’re increasingly being called upon to deliver analytics and results to back up our marketing programs, as opposed to being the people who “make pretty pictures.” I think all of us in the marketing field should be in a continual state of professional development to become more data savvy and fluent in digital. Personally, I don’t know how my next decade at Korn/Ferry could possibly be as eventful as this past one, but I’m excited to stick around and see what happens!

How did you find a happy medium between career ambitions and your passions?

Don’t be shy! Network and learn from other women who’ve been in your shoes. You may feel like you’re being a bother, but speaking from experience, women need to support one another, and it makes me feel great to “pay it forward” to an up-and-coming young pro. Alumni associations are a great resource, as are professional organizations.

In my twenties, I was heavily involved in PRSA and their Young Professionals section, and made a ton of great connections that way. I’ve also been lucky enough to form some informal but impactful mentoring relationships within the companies where I’ve worked. Finally, take risks—you’re only young once and life has a way of getting more complicated the longer you live it.