Kelly Announces Selection of Chris Layden as President and Chief Executive Officer
Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA) has announced the appointment of Chris Layden as its new President and CEO, effective September 2, 2025. Layden will succeed Peter Quigley, who is retiring but will remain as a strategic advisor and board member until May 2026.
Layden joins Kelly from Prolink, where as COO he led significant organic growth and operational improvements. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years at ManpowerGroup in various senior roles, contributing to growth in life sciences, engineering, and technology verticals.
Under Quigley's 22-year tenure, Kelly transformed into a global specialty talent solutions provider, achieving its strongest financial position in 25 years through focus on higher-margin businesses and organizational efficiency.
Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA) ha annunciato la nomina di Chris Layden come nuovo Presidente e CEO, con decorrenza dal 2 settembre 2025. Layden succederà a Peter Quigley, che andrà in pensione ma rimarrà consulente strategico e membro del consiglio fino a maggio 2026.
Layden arriva in Kelly da Prolink, dove in qualità di COO ha guidato una significativa crescita organica e miglioramenti operativi. In precedenza, ha trascorso quasi 20 anni in ManpowerGroup in diversi ruoli di alto livello, contribuendo allo sviluppo nei settori delle scienze della vita, ingegneria e tecnologia.
Durante i 22 anni di mandato di Quigley, Kelly si è trasformata in un fornitore globale di soluzioni specializzate per il talento, raggiungendo la sua posizione finanziaria più solida degli ultimi 25 anni grazie al focus su attività a margine più elevato e all’efficienza organizzativa.
Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA) ha anunciado el nombramiento de Chris Layden como su nuevo Presidente y CEO, efectivo a partir del 2 de septiembre de 2025. Layden sucederá a Peter Quigley, quien se retirará pero permanecerá como asesor estratégico y miembro de la junta hasta mayo de 2026.
Layden llega a Kelly desde Prolink, donde como COO lideró un importante crecimiento orgánico y mejoras operativas. Anteriormente, pasó casi 20 años en ManpowerGroup en diversos cargos senior, contribuyendo al crecimiento en los sectores de ciencias de la vida, ingeniería y tecnología.
Bajo el mandato de 22 años de Quigley, Kelly se transformó en un proveedor global de soluciones especializadas de talento, alcanzando su posición financiera más sólida en 25 años gracias al enfoque en negocios de mayor margen y la eficiencia organizacional.
Kelly (나스닥: KELYA)는 Chris Layden을 2025년 9월 2일부터 신임 사장 겸 CEO로 임명했다고 발표했습니다. Layden은 은퇴하는 Peter Quigley의 후임으로, Quigley는 2026년 5월까지 전략 고문 및 이사회 멤버로 남을 예정입니다.
Layden은 Prolink에서 COO로 재직하며 유기적 성장과 운영 개선을 이끌었습니다. 이전에는 ManpowerGroup에서 약 20년간 다양한 고위직을 맡아 생명과학, 엔지니어링, 기술 분야의 성장에 기여했습니다.
Quigley의 22년 임기 동안 Kelly는 글로벌 전문 인재 솔루션 제공업체로 탈바꿈했으며, 고수익 사업과 조직 효율성에 집중하여 지난 25년간 가장 견고한 재무 상태를 달성했습니다.
Kelly (Nasdaq : KELYA) a annoncé la nomination de Chris Layden en tant que nouveau Président et CEO, à compter du 2 septembre 2025. Layden succédera à Peter Quigley, qui prendra sa retraite mais restera conseiller stratégique et membre du conseil d'administration jusqu'en mai 2026.
Layden rejoint Kelly en provenance de Prolink, où il était COO et a piloté une croissance organique significative ainsi que des améliorations opérationnelles. Auparavant, il a passé près de 20 ans chez ManpowerGroup à divers postes de direction, contribuant à la croissance dans les secteurs des sciences de la vie, de l'ingénierie et de la technologie.
Durant les 22 années de mandat de Quigley, Kelly s'est transformée en un fournisseur mondial de solutions spécialisées en talents, atteignant sa meilleure position financière en 25 ans grâce à un focus sur des activités à marge plus élevée et à l'efficacité organisationnelle.
Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA) hat die Ernennung von Chris Layden zum neuen Präsidenten und CEO bekannt gegeben, wirksam ab dem 2. September 2025. Layden wird Peter Quigley nachfolgen, der in den Ruhestand geht, aber bis Mai 2026 als strategischer Berater und Vorstandsmitglied verbleiben wird.
Layden kommt von Prolink, wo er als COO bedeutendes organisches Wachstum und operative Verbesserungen leitete. Zuvor war er fast 20 Jahre in verschiedenen leitenden Positionen bei ManpowerGroup tätig und trug zum Wachstum in den Bereichen Life Sciences, Ingenieurwesen und Technologie bei.
Unter Quigleys 22-jähriger Führung verwandelte sich Kelly in einen globalen Anbieter spezialisierter Talentlösungen und erreichte durch den Fokus auf margenstärkere Geschäfte und organisatorische Effizienz die stärkste finanzielle Position seit 25 Jahren.
- Appointment of experienced industry leader Chris Layden with proven track record in business transformation
- Smooth transition planned with Peter Quigley remaining as strategic advisor and board member
- Company currently at its best financial position in 25 years
- Successful shift to higher margin, higher growth business under previous leadership
- Potential disruption during leadership transition period
- Loss of long-term leader with 22 years of company experience
Insights
Kelly's CEO transition to Chris Layden signals strategic continuity with potential for accelerated growth given his transformation experience.
Kelly (KELYA) has announced a significant leadership transition with Chris Layden stepping in as CEO effective September 2, 2025, replacing retiring Peter Quigley who served 22 years with the company. This carefully orchestrated succession represents a strategic inflection point for the specialty talent solutions provider.
Layden brings valuable credentials to this role, most recently serving as COO at Prolink where he drove rapid organic growth and operational improvements. His nearly two-decade tenure at ManpowerGroup included significant contributions to growth in key verticals including life sciences, engineering, and technology. This background suggests Kelly is prioritizing commercial excellence and transformation expertise in its leadership selection.
The board's statement emphasizes continuity with the company's existing strategic direction while signaling expectations for accelerated profitable growth. Quigley's parting assessment that the company's financial profile is "in the best place it has been in 25 years" provides Layden a solid foundation but also sets high performance expectations.
This transition appears well-planned with Quigley remaining as strategic advisor and board member until May 2026, allowing for knowledge transfer and relationship continuity with key stakeholders. The board's involvement in a "rigorous search process" indicates this succession was carefully considered rather than reactive.
For Kelly, this leadership change comes at a pivotal moment as the company continues its evolution toward higher-margin specialty talent solutions in a rapidly changing labor market landscape.
TROY, Mich., Aug. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB), a leading global specialty talent solutions provider, today announced that Chris Layden has been selected to serve as president and chief executive officer, effective September 2, 2025. Layden will succeed Peter Quigley, who previously announced his intent to retire as president and chief executive officer. Quigley will remain as a strategic advisor to Kelly to ensure a smooth transition and will continue to serve as a member of the board of directors until the Company’s next Annual Shareholders Meeting in May 2026.
Layden is a dynamic industry leader with extensive experience leading organizations through transformations to advance go-to-market initiatives and accelerate profitable growth. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer of Prolink, a workforce solutions provider offering staffing, technology, culture, data, and talent experience solutions throughout the United States. Under Layden’s leadership, Prolink achieved rapid organic growth and significantly strengthened its competitive positioning through enhancements to its operational capabilities and service delivery, while also transforming its technology processes and platforms. Prior to joining Prolink, Layden spent nearly two decades at ManpowerGroup, a global workforce solutions company, serving in a range of senior roles spanning general management, regional leadership, corporate strategy, and sales. During his tenure at ManpowerGroup, he successfully led enterprise-wide initiatives, executed multiple business transformations, and was a significant contributor to the company’s growth in the life sciences, engineering, and technology verticals.
“We are confident Chris’s skills and experience make him uniquely well-qualified to serve as president and chief executive officer as we enter the next phase of Kelly’s strategic evolution and build on the tremendous progress the Company has made during Peter’s tenure. Chris’s selection follows a rigorous search process with the full board’s engagement. He brings a track record of executing enterprise-scale transformations and driving commercial excellence, as well as visionary leadership that aligns well with our commitment to accelerate profitable growth and value creation,” said Terrence Larkin, chairman of Kelly’s board of directors.
Layden said, “I have been impressed by Kelly’s evolution and momentum, and am excited by the opportunity to serve as president and chief executive officer of this iconic company and build on a strong foundation to drive profitable growth and value for customers, talent, employees, and shareholders. I look forward to working with Peter as I transition into the Company and partnering with the talented Kelly team to seize on the tremendous opportunities ahead.”
Larkin continued, “The board and I extend our appreciation to Peter for his significant contributions to Kelly over his distinguished 22-year career with the Company. His leadership and passion for serving customers and cultivating top talent have been instrumental to Kelly’s transformation into a leading global specialty talent solutions provider.”
Quigley said, “Over the last five years, we have made great strides on Kelly’s specialty journey, significantly increasing the Company’s profitability by shifting toward higher margin, higher growth business and enhancing our organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Together, these actions have improved Kelly’s financial profile to the best place it has been in 25 years. Under Chris’s leadership, I’m confident Kelly will reach new heights, and I look forward to working with him and the board to ensure a smooth transition.”
Kelly will provide additional details about the president and chief executive officer transition during its upcoming second-quarter earnings conference call on August 7, 2025, at 9 a.m. ET.
About Kelly®
Kelly Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB) helps companies recruit and manage skilled workers and helps job seekers find great work. Since inventing the staffing industry in 1946, we have become experts in the many industries and local and global markets we serve. With a network of suppliers and partners around the world, we connect more than 400,000 people with work every year. Our suite of outsourcing and consulting services ensures companies have the people they need, when and where they are needed most. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, we empower businesses and individuals to access limitless opportunities in industries such as science, engineering, technology, education, manufacturing, retail, finance, and energy. Revenue in 2024 was
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains statements that are forward looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Kelly’s financial expectations, are forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in this release include, but are not limited to, (i) changing market and economic conditions, (ii) disruption in the labor market and weakened demand for human capital resulting from technological advances, loss of large corporate customers and government contractor requirements, (iii) the impact of laws and regulations (including federal, state and international tax laws), (iv) unexpected changes in claim trends on workers’ compensation, unemployment, disability and medical benefit plans, (v) litigation and other legal liabilities (including tax liabilities) in excess of our estimates, (vi) our ability to achieve our business’s anticipated growth strategies, (vii) our future business development, results of operations and financial condition, (viii) damage to our brands, (ix) dependency on third parties for the execution of critical functions, (x) conducting business in foreign countries, including foreign currency fluctuations, (xi) availability of temporary workers with appropriate skills required by customers, (xii) cyberattacks or other breaches of network or information technology security, and (xiii) other risks, uncertainties and factors discussed in this release and in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release and we undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
KLYA-FIN
| ANALYST CONTACT: | MEDIA CONTACT: | ||
| Scott Thomas | Jerry Grider | ||
| (248) 251-7264 | (260) 444-9654 | ||
| scott.thomas@kellyservices.com | jerry.grider@kellyservices.com | ||
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