Peter Quigley became CEO as a result of a stand off between him and another female executive, who we all felt was the most qualified and logical successor to take the company forward. As a strong orator Peter did provide a calm steady voice of reason when DEI and Woke movements were sweeping companies with a liberal propensity. However, this was short lived as his lack of vision, leadership and inability to hold people accountable began to surface. And while the OCG, SETT, and Educational BUs are performing relatively well given the strength and autonomy of those teams, while plagued by pervasive incompetency within the corporate functions that are adrift without meaning, purpose or influence. It's no wonder KPMG is now calling the shots.
The P&I organization, which morphed from the once core commercial staffing business of Kelly, is crumbling under it's own weight, with no vision, strategy, self awareness, ability to acknowledge or adapt to the current times, and most of all no leadership. Lead by a "lifer" at Kelly, who has no external experience, who has made it all about himself, where having to be the smartest guy in the room and have the last word is the more important that actually achieving success. He would rather parade across the country to be adorned by his subordinates and showered by gifts, than encourage creativity and innovation as a way to remain relevant. Afraid to build a team of strong leaders, he challenge the status quo, or offer varying perspecives, he would rather surround himself by people who praise and adore his every move. The organization has experienced 4 consecutive years of double digit revenue decline, and yet no changes are made to put the organization and company back on track. Instead, bad decision after bad decision is allowed to be made, with no consequences or accountability, ultimately leading to wave after wave or RIFs and an imploding business that was once the backbone of the company.
The only hope is that with Peter's pending retirement at the end of 2025, sweeping changes will be made across the company, beginning with the removal of some of the most incompetent leaders I have ever encountered over a long and illustrious career spanning multiple industries and companies. This time in Kelly's history will go down as the worst, if not the last, and will be the stigma of Peter's tenure due to his inability to recognize incompetency and act accordingly.
