With more than 30 years of accounting and executive experience, Michael A. DiGregorio knows how to connect the financial dots.
After graduating in 1976 with a master’s degree in accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, DiGregorio started his career as an auditor at Touche Ross and Co., which would become Deloitte Touche. But eventually he decided to take his skills and apply them to executive positions in the retail industry. He would go on to hold chief financial officer positions at three companies, the most recent of which was women’s apparel maker St. John Knits International Inc. in Irvine.
Recently, DiGregorio decided to change gears again, and joined executive recruiting and search firm Korn/Ferry International, headquartered in Century City. In his role as executive vice president and chief financial officer, DiGregorio is responsible for financial oversight of the firm, which has more than 90 offices in 40 countries around the world.
Despite this being his first time working in the executive recruitment business, DiGregorio said he expects the transition to be smooth.
“The biggest challenge is learning the dynamics of this industry,” he said. “It’s a fast-paced working environment and involves a lot of decision-making.”
He said what attracted him to Korn/Ferry was the opportunity to return to doing accounting at a public company, and the dual nature of his roles as both executive vice president and chief financial officer, which gives him a say in the company’s operations.
“At one point in my career, I served as chief operating officer, running operations and sales. I enjoyed that very much,” he said of his stint at Jafra Cosmetics International Inc., where he served as chief operating officer of the cosmetics company’s operations in the United States and Mexico. “Here at Korn/Ferry, I am involved in the operations business again.”
DiGregorio lives in Westlake Village with his wife, Araceli, and daughter Daniela, 23, and son Carlos, 20. In his free time, he likes to play golf and hike.
