Ric Comins

Ric Comins, Managing Director, Global Retail Practice Leader is based in the firm’s New York office.  Previously, he was Managing Partner, Board Practice Leader and Co-Leader of the Retail Practice for Nosal Partners LLC, where he also served as a member of that firm’s Operating Committee. 

Ric began his executive search career in 1998 with Ray & Berndtson where he led retail engagements for a wide variety of Fortune 500 retail organizations both domestically and globally, and received their Global Reach Award in 2000 and 2001. He continued to lead the Retail Practice after the firm’s US business was acquired by AT Kearney Executive Search in 2002 and later became Edward W Kelley & Partners.  Executive placements include both division and country presidents, other C-level and senior executives across virtually every functional area, including: merchandising; marketing; finance; administration; operations; information technology; supply chain; global sourcing; and human resources.  Given his functional background, he also provides his clients strategic, value-added consulting on a variety of human resources subjects, including succession planning, organization and management development, and executive compensation.

Before moving into executive search, Ric spent 26 years in the retail industry as Chief HR officer for Britches of Georgetown, KMart Corporation, and OfficeMax.  He began his career at Bamberger’s, a division of R.H. Macy’s, Inc. holding positions in merchandising and human resources.  He was then recruited to Federated Department Stores’ Atlanta division, Rich’s Department Stores, where he served as Division Vice President of Human Resources before being promoted into the corporate office as Operating Vice President, Executive and Organization Development.

He holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard College and continued his post-graduate studies in Management at the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.