A woman walks past the entrance to offices of the McGraw-Hill Companies, in New York
A woman walks past the entrance to offices of the McGraw-Hill Companies, in New York August 15, 2008. REUTERS

McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. has enlisted executive recruiters Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. to help in the search for a CEO for its recently spun-off education business, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday in its online edition.

Citing people familiar with the situation, the newspaper said executives of its education company, tentatively named McGraw-Hill Education, knew educational-publishing players and recruiters would look outside that industry.

McGraw-Hill was unavailable for immediate comment.

Last month, McGraw-Hill, agreeing to investor demands, decided to split into a markets-data company that includes its Standard & Poor's ratings businesses and an education company for textbook publishing.

The breakup of the mini-conglomerate followed public demands starting in July from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund and hedge fund Jana Partners LLC for a broad reorganization.

The groups suggested breaking up the company into more than two pieces to highlight the value of its individual equities, commodities, and financial analytics units.

(Reporting by Chris Jonathan Peters in Bangalore; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Reuters