Overview
May Knight is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Hong Kong office and leads the firm’s consulting work within the Financial Services Practice across Asia. With 30 years of experience in operational leadership, consulting, and P&L management roles, she has helped organizations grow, improve performance, and lead complex transformation efforts, CEO succession, leadership assessment and development, and coaching.
Experience
Previously, May was vice chair of a global CEO advisory firm, where she led business growth across the Asia Pacific. Before that, she had several senior leadership roles at a global executive search and talent advisory firm, including senior partner, vice chair, and head of global financial services for the U.K. She also led the firm’s Asia Pacific advisory business, overseeing operations across 14 markets and 28 offices. In that role, she advised clients on CEO succession, leadership development, and organizational change while managing business strategy and P&L performance.
Earlier in her career, May was managing director of financial services and head of the insurance industry group for Asia Pacific at Accenture, and a partner in Ernst & Young’s financial services practice. She advised clients on strategy, organizational design, performance improvement, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and business transformation.
In 2024, May joined the board of JTC Group PLC as an independent non-executive director (INED), and as the Chair of Risk & Governance Committee. She has also worked as an INED of HSBC Group’s insurance businesses, including HSBC Life International, HSBC Insurance (Asia), Hang Seng Insurance since 2021.
Education
Harvard Business School, postgraduate studies in business administration
Liverpool John Moores University, MBA