CTPartners’ controversial CEO to step down

Brian Sullivan, the controversy-plagued CEO of Wall Street headhunting firm CTPartners, will step down from his position next month, the company said Wednesday.

The move comes just four months after The Post exposed a “boys club” culture at the company — complete with Sullivan stripping naked during a boozy off-site company event.

Sullivan will leave on April 2 after more than 10 years as the company’s CEO, the company said. Vice Chairman Sylvain Dhenin will become CEO.

The company, named a top 25 recruitment firm by Crain’s New York Business, was rife with discrimination, insiders told The Post and federal regulators, where women had profitable accounts taken away and were held to higher standards than their male colleagues.

A complaint filed against the firm with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is pending.

Since The Post published its initial report on Dec. 8, the company’s shares were off 65 percent. After Wednesday’s announcement of Sullivan’s departure, the shares gained 18.2 percent to $7.65.

DHR International, a rival headhunter that’s the third-largest shareholder and has made an offer to buy CTPartners, will propose six new directors to the board, including William Perez, former CEO of companies like Nike and SC Johnson, and William Farley, chairman and president of private-equity firm LV Ventures.

“We wish Brian the very best in his future endeavors and we look forward to engaging with the board in meaningful dialogue soon to discuss our continued acquisition of the company,” Geoff Hoffmann, CEO of DHR International, told The Post.