Sullivan takes sabbatical from Heidrick & Struggles
The firm said the veteran headhunter wanted "to spend more time with his family."
Sullivan has twin daughters aged four. In the last two years he has spent much time travelling in order to pull together fragmented individual headhunting fiefdoms into a cohesive financial services network.
Financial News could not reach Sullivan for comment. But Eric Sodors, a press spokesman for Heidrick & Struggles, said: "(Brian) has grown the financial services practice and got everything in place over the last 12 months. It's a good time to turn it over to others."
He said that there was nothing "sinister" about the sabbatical. Sullivan is on a five-year contract with the firm that began in 1999.
In the recent past he has also been Heidrick's biggest individual shareholder. The purchase of his financial services boutique, Sullivan & Co, just over two years ago gave a filip to the global search firm's strengths in financial services, and Sullivan his role in heading the practice globally.
Financial services search remains Heidrick's biggest revenue producer despite the downturn in the sector. Piers Marmion, CEO of Heidrick & Struggles, sent staff a memo saying that Sullivan's management responsibilities will be assumed by David Anderson, Heidrick's president.
