Ariana Berdy

Part of Disney’s Executive Search COE (ESCOE), the company’s premier in house executive search firm. Consultative sourcing partner driving strategy for VP-to-C-suite searches. Advise senior leaders on market dynamics, deliver full cycle sourcing for confidential, high impact roles, and lead proactive talent engagement. Expertise includes market mapping, data driven insights, relationship management, bespoke research, and brand stewardship. Deep experience across enterprise functions (strategy, finance & accounting, shared services, corporate communications, global security, procurement, etc.) with a strong track record supporting technology aligned roles (decision science, data product management, UX research, and more). Partner closely with hiring leaders and recruiters to ensure a high quality experience for sourced executive prospects transitioning from initial outreach through interview process. Co-led ESCOE’s implementation of Beamery (a talent lifecycle management platform) partnering with technical teams on workflow design, process optimization, and behavior change management. Delivered live trainings, created custom enablement materials, and supported hyper care adoption. Designed and launched the ESCOE SharePoint intranet as a centralized knowledge hub. Led a cross functional team of five through wireframing, access design, and content strategy; now co-manage daily operations with three partners. (2025–Present) Selected for the global Experience, Readiness & Adoption (ERA) cohort to shape enterprise implementation of a new ATS/CRM. Serve as SME on passive candidate experience, sourcing strategy, and executive search workflow design. Atlanta, GA (2021–2025) | Fort Worth, TX (2025–Present)

Tapped to transition into a Recruiter role, owning the end-to-end recruitment process from job posting to offer, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-developed a comprehensive Offer Extend/Accept process training library to streamline team onboarding and improve offer process consistency.

Operated at a “Lead” level, attracting and engaging passive talent for hard-to-fill roles for a variety of business services across Operations, Finance, IT, People, Marketing, et al. Partnered closely with hiring managers and recruiting leads to quickly ramp up on new searches and deliver high-quality candidate pipelines. Created detailed candidate evaluations and presented insights to hiring stakeholders to support informed decision-making. Piloted and evaluated sourcing technologies including Hiretual, Zapinfo, SeekOut, and LinkedIn Talent Insights to improve efficiency and innovation. Designed a custom Excel-based diversity search tool that generates Boolean strings to help recruiters build more inclusive candidate slates—covering gender identity, pronouns, race, LGBTQIA+, veteran status, and more. The tool enabled broader reach and saved time for teams without dedicated sourcing support. Cross-Functional Support During COVID-19: • US Compensation and Benefits (May to November, 2020; 7 months) : Retirement, 401k analysis and communication, audits, short term disability communication • Career Services (2-month project): Contributed to career development initiatives during a critical transition period. Attendee, Seattle SourceCon 2019

Subject matter expert in retained executive search for mid-to-upper management roles across the Advanced Technology and Professional/IT Services sectors. Specialized in recruiting B2B consultants for Strategy, Advisory, Audit, and IT Services, with occasional corporate-side placements in growth strategy roles. Led full-cycle sourcing efforts including market research, passive talent identification, candidate engagement, first-round screening, and candidate presentation to Managing Consultants. Served as a candidate liaison for client-engaged talent, ensuring a seamless experience. Selected as a beta tester for an internally developed AI recruiting platform. Recognized as 1 of 4 winners in a global bug detection challenge and 1 of 2 contributors to test and refine training materials ahead of platform launch. Nominated as an internal Brand Ambassador—part of a global initiative to enhance external engagement and elevate Korn Ferry’s employer brand. Mentored and trained four Associates through the Jump Start program (formerly Talent Academy), supporting their development in sourcing strategy, candidate engagement, and recruitment operations.

Specialized in retained single-search recruitment across Advanced Technology and Professional Services practices. Industry experience spans management consulting, insurance, banking & financial services, robotics, security, big data & analytics, and the public sector. Public sector expertise includes sourcing Cleared talent from Secret to TS/SCI with full-scope polygraph. Spearhead research into candidate markets to build robust pipelines and uncover industry trends. Conduct in-depth phone screens with mid-to-senior level executives from top-tier firms including the Big 4 and leading process improvement consultancies. Served as a key point of contact for high-level candidates, ensuring a seamless and professional experience throughout the recruitment process. Internal Leadership & Culture Building: • Committee Leader, Internal Social Leadership Engagement (ISLE): Led a team of 4–7 to drive people-focused initiatives. Partnered with HR to launch and sustain an onboarding buddy program for 60+ new hires. Organized office-wide events and presented monthly updates to 300+ employees at town halls. • Regular presenter for monthly internal “TED”-style talks, sharing insights and fostering professional development. • Represented Korn Ferry Futurestep at The University of Texas at Dallas Spring Career Fairs (2016 & 2017), promoting early talent engagement and brand visibility.

Research Associate, IT & Professional Services Practice December 2015 – July 2016 Supported retained single-search engagements for top-tier advisory firms within the IT and Professional Services sectors. Conducted in-depth research to develop targeted candidate pipelines based on job specifications and client feedback. Gained exposure to executive-level recruitment processes and industry-specific talent landscapes. Represented Korn Ferry Futurestep at the 2016 Spring Career Fair at The University of Texas at Dallas, promoting the firm’s brand and engaging with emerging talent. Talent Acquisition Specialist (Talent Academy Program) October 2015 – December 2015 Selected for Korn Ferry’s Talent Academy, a competitive new graduate training program combining classroom instruction, simulations, and real-world client work. Trained in full-cycle recruitment, candidate and client engagement, sourcing strategies, and recruitment technologies. Shadowed a Senior Executive Recruiter on high-level Sales & Marketing searches, gaining hands-on experience in executive recruitment. Partnered with the Sourcing Solutions team to co-develop a prototype for a mobile recruitment app designed to gamify the candidate journey and enhance engagement.

Talent mapped a target market by identifying prospective users and the use of competitor software on preexisting site. Created and designed promotional images, infographics, icons, and social media to be used to strengthen Membership Toolkit's brand on social media. Membership Toolkit is a software that gives organizations the tools to manage membership, volunteers, events, online sales, customized website, donations, fundraising, and communications. It is a perfect solution for small businesses, PTAs/PTOs, booster clubs, non-profits, and small organizations.

• Major Honors (2014) • Latin Honors, Magna Cum Laude (2014) Interdisciplinary study between Emerging Communications, Computer Science, and Design Thinking

• University Honors for academic achievements, Dean's List (2010–2011) • Recipient William J. Branstorm Freshman Prize for being in the top 5% GPA (2011)