Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Changes in the carrying value of goodwill by reportable segment were as follows:
Consulting Digital Executive Search
Professional
Search & Interim
RPO
Consolidated
North
America
EMEA Asia
Pacific
(in thousands)
Balance as of May 1, 2023
$173,093 $325,558 $46,237 $46,401 $972 $254,666 $62,564 $909,491 
Exchange rate fluctuations(99)(171)(83)(155)— (321)(286)(1,115)
Balance as of April 30, 2024
172,994 325,387 46,154 46,246 972 254,345 62,278 908,376 
Additions (1)
— — — — — 36,857 — 36,857 
Exchange rate fluctuations202 668 (310)388 — 2,133 518 3,599 
Balance as of April 30, 2025
$173,196 $326,055 $45,844 $46,634 $972 $293,335 $62,796 $948,832 
_______________________________
(1)Additions to goodwill in fiscal 2025 were due to $36.9 million from the acquisition of Trilogy International ("Trilogy").
Tax deductible goodwill from acquisitions were as follows:
April 30,
20252024
(in thousands)
Salo LLC ("Salo")
$98,779 $106,526 
Infinity Consulting Solutions ("ICS")
55,785 60,339 
Miller Heiman
13,437 14,852 
PIVOT Leadership
3,812 4,497 
Total tax deductible goodwill from acquisitions
$171,813 $186,214 
Intangible assets include the following:
April 30, 2025April 30, 2024
(in thousands)
Amortized intangible assets:GrossAccumulated
Amortization
Net GrossAccumulated
Amortization
Net
Customer lists$197,370 $(139,957)$57,413 $192,099 $(121,977)$70,122 
Intellectual property69,100 (58,421)10,679 69,100 (52,804)16,296 
Trademarks12,857 (10,928)1,929 12,086 (9,549)2,537 
Proprietary databases4,256 (4,256)— 4,256 (4,256)— 
Non-compete agreements910 (910)— 910 (910)— 
Total (1)
$284,493 $(214,472)70,021 $278,451 $(189,496)88,955 
Exchange rate fluctuations172 (122)
Total Intangible assets$70,193 $88,833 
_______________________________
(1)In fiscal 2025, there were intangible assets additions of $6.0 million from the acquisition of Trilogy. In fiscal 2024 there were no intangible assets additions.
Acquisition-related intangible assets acquired in fiscal 2025 consists of customer relationships and tradenames of $5.2 million and $0.8 million, respectively, with weighted-average useful lives from the date of purchase of five years and two years, respectively.
Amortization expense for amortized intangible assets was $25.0 million, $25.6 million and $23.7 million during fiscal 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Estimated annual amortization expense related to amortizing intangible assets is as follows:
Year Ending April 30,Estimated
Annual
Amortization
Expense
(in thousands)
2026
$24,299 
2027
18,377 
2028
11,134 
2029
10,331 
2030
5,459 
Thereafter593 
$70,193 
All amortizable intangible assets will be fully amortized by the end of fiscal 2032.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Jun 27, 2025Showing above
2024Jun 28, 2024
2023Jun 28, 2023
2022Jun 28, 2022
2021Jun 28, 2021
2020Jul 15, 2020
2019Jun 28, 2019
2018Jun 28, 2018
2017Jun 28, 2017
2016Jun 28, 2016

About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures

Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.

Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.