William Ferguson

Biography: William J. Ferguson serves as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ferguson Partners. Mr. Ferguson conducts senior management recruiting assignments, with a specialization in President/Chief Executive Officer searches and recruiting assignments for Boards of Trustees/Directors. He also conducts CEO succession planning assignments and facilitates public company Board assessments and senior management assessments. In 2022, Mr. Ferguson launched the Ferguson Centers for Leadership Excellence (CLE) Foundation. The foundation’s program helps racially and ethnically diverse students by offering tuition/financial assistance, mentoring/coaching and the opportunity to earn undergraduate degrees and secure promising careers in real estate and related sectors. Mr. Ferguson and his spouse, Penny Ferguson, are committed to creating an ecosystem of inclusion, opportunity, and justice for future generations. Before founding Ferguson Partners, Mr. Ferguson was a Managing Director with one of the leading international executive recruiting consultants. There, he co-managed the firm’s national real estate practice. Prior to focusing on real estate, Mr. Ferguson worked for General Mills, Inc. in Minneapolis in strategic marketing. Mr. Ferguson holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA in marketing from the Wharton Graduate School of Business. Mr. Ferguson also serves as Executive-in-Residence for New York University’s C. H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance and as fellow for The University of Virginia’s Center Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.