After establishing a successful career, Katie Gilmore made the decision to join her father John Gilmore, BarkerGilmore’s founding partner, in the family business. Growing up, Katie had a first-hand and intimate view of the legal executive search world, allowing her to bring a unique perspective and depth to her new position.
Prior to joining BarkerGilmore, Katie was an inventory planning manager for a Fortune 500 retail company, helping to drive exponential revenue growth with a keen focus on optimization of the global supply chain and margin upside. In year-end peer reviews, Katie was celebrated for her strong cross-functional collaboration and team management skills. Her ability to effectively communicate and develop relationships with others has made for a seamless transition to executive search.
Recognized for her ability to effectively interface with today’s legal leaders, Katie uses her expertise to recruit exceptional in-house legal and compliance talent, supporting the strategic counsel, executive development, succession planning and other services BarkerGilmore advisors provide to legal and compliance departments, CEOs, and boards across the country.
What advantages does your corporate background and first-hand understanding of the executive search business give you?
Throughout my career, I have worked with brilliant leaders of large public organizations across many industries. Collaborating with and strategizing alongside senior-level executives gave me a good look at the qualities one needs to be a successful business partner and leader. Pulling from this experience, I readily identify inherent executive presence in potential candidates, allowing me to place effective leaders with our clients. With an entrepreneurial father, I learned to be a strategic thinker and to think outside of the box from an early age, and I now apply these skills to every client engagement.
How do you leverage your prior Fortune 500 management experience in your approach to the executive search process?
In my previous role, I led a diverse team of people with different backgrounds, levels of experience, interests, and goals. This management experience directly translates to the executive search process since we do not take a one-size-fits-all approach to any client or candidate. We take the time to assess the needs of each candidate and each client individually so that we ultimately find the best fit for both.
Lauded in the business world for your high degree of emotional intelligence, how does it benefit potential candidates?
Critical listening and response are imperative when working and connecting with both our clients and the candidates. Having just done it myself, I certainly can empathize with a career move being a big and (sometimes) stressful decision. Knowing this, I try to alleviate as much of that uneasiness as possible by carefully identifying the needs of each candidate and placing them where I know they will find long-term success. The candidates I work with can feel confident that I truly listen to their needs and wants and have their best interests at heart.
What value do you bring to legal or compliance department clients in search of a candidate with the right fit?
It’s easy enough to find a candidate with the right tactical experience, but what sets us apart from other search firms is our ability to connect our clients with emotionally intelligent candidates with highly proven leadership capabilities though our CustomFit assessment process. I make it my priority to understand the soft skills needed to be a successful cultural fit within our clients’ organizations and only put forth candidates that I know have the capacity to impact the company positively.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about diversifying the workplace by introducing our clients to top-tier candidates from all walks of life. Women and minorities are underrepresented in Fortune 500 General Counsel positions, and it is an honor to have the opportunity to change that. Throughout my career, I have found that diversity of thought and background on teams acts as a catalyst for success. I also enjoy making others happy, helping them achieve their career goals and bringing their long-held career dreams to fruition.
What triggered your decision to transition from the retail industry to the executive search world?
There’s no question that the pandemic gave me and many others a pause to reflect and evaluate both our career and life priorities. While I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of working in corporate retail for the last eight years, I realized a career in legal executive search was ultimately more tailored to my personality and strengths. I love connecting with people and making a significant difference in their lives by giving them meaningful, career-advancing opportunities, and I feel privileged to have conversations with some of the brightest legal minds on a daily basis.
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