USA: Leading Web-Based Recruiter Successfully Places Seasoned IT Veteran at The Henry Wine Group

The Henry Wine Group, the leading fine wine distributor in California, today announced the hiring of Rick Laforet as vice president of information technology. The job search for Laforet was completed using LeadersOnline (Leaders!), a leading Web-based e-Cruiting solution from Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. (Nasdaq:HSII) Laforet comes to The Henry Wine Group after a 20-year career at Electronic Data Systems where he developed a wide range of international experience in telecommunications, financial services and Internet applications. "Rick's Internet experience at EDS will make him a valuable player for The Henry Wine Group," said Fred Reno, president, The Henry Wine Group. "As we focus on business-to-business transactions, Rick will be a key player in helping us meet these new challenges." Laforet will be responsible for managing the IS department. He also will work closely with Reno to design and implement an e-commerce business plan. Leaders! provides client companies, such as The Henry Wine Group, the opportunity to quickly access large numbers of qualified candidates, shorten the cycle time necessary to fill search assignments and ease the search process through Web tools that facilitate candidate sourcing, tracking and matching. For prospective candidates, the Leaders! solution provides a confidential and secure environment that is suitable for both active and passive job seekers, and provides prospective candidates quick access to leading global employers in a variety of industries. "Working with LeadersOnline helped us quickly identify qualified IT managers," said Reno. "We are very pleased with the timelines and obviously with the quality of the Leaders! solution." "Our product offering blends the efficiencies of the Internet with proven executive search practices to ensure quality and speed in delivering candidates to our clients," said Mike Christy, president, LeadersOnline. "We look forward to a continued relationship with The Henry Wine Group."