Bjarne Tellmann’s Range of Expertise Includes Organizational Excellence, Digital Transformation, and Talent Development for the Legal Profession
BarkerGilmore LLC, the nation’s only executive search and talent advisory firm dedicated exclusively to the in-house legal and compliance profession, today announced the appointment of Bjarne P. Tellmann as a Strategic Advisor and Executive Coach.
With more than three decades of global legal and C-suite experience, Mr. Tellmann joins BarkerGilmore’s advisory team of former Chief Legal Officers and Chief Compliance Officers who have led some of the world’s most respected companies.
Mr. Tellmann served as Founding General Counsel and Executive Committee member of Haleon plc, where he co-led the £32 billion spin-off from GSK and the company’s dual listing on the London and New York Stock Exchanges, building a 230-person global legal, compliance, and security team from the ground up.
Earlier in his career, he was SVP and General Counsel of GSK Consumer Healthcare, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Pearson plc, and held senior legal roles at Aramco, The Coca-Cola Company, Kimberly-Clark, Ltd., Sullivan & Cromwell, and White & Case.
Mr. Tellmann is CEO of a boutique consultancy firm for the legal industry. He is also the author of Building an Outstanding Legal Team: Battle-Tested Strategies from a General Counsel, which is widely recognized as a leading reference for in-house leaders. His forthcoming book, Law in the Era of AI: Clients, Firms, and the Future of the Legal Industry, explores the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal services market and will be published in early 2026.
BarkerGilmore’s coaching and advisory platform is designed exclusively for in-house legal and compliance leaders and is tailored to distinct career stages: seasoned CLOs and CCOs seeking a trusted advisor and coach, newly appointed executives to accelerate their impact, and succession candidates preparing for the top role.
“Bjarne is widely regarded as one of the most innovative legal leaders in the U.S. and the world,” said Bob Barker, Managing Partner of BarkerGilmore. “His experience guiding a FTSE 20 company through the largest London listing in a decade, combined with his proven ability to build high-performing global teams, will be an extraordinary asset to our clients.”
“I have always believed that world-class legal teams are strategic enablers of business success,” said Tellmann. “BarkerGilmore’s reputation for partnering with the most forward-thinking legal and compliance leaders made this a natural next step. I look forward to helping our clients navigate complexity, find talent, and seize opportunities with confidence.”
Mr. Tellmann serves on the UK Civil Justice Council’s Futures Group, is a Senior Visiting Fellow at The London School of Economics, and is a Senior Advisor to G3, a global business intelligence, risk, and cyber advisory group. He is also a founding faculty member of the Global General Counsel Academy at King’s College, London, and at the Digital Legal Exchange, as well as a faculty member of the General Counsel Academy in the Netherlands. Bjarne has served on the boards of several global public and private companies, including Mowi ASA, a $10 billion publicly traded Japanese beverage company, Germany’s largest beverage business, and a U.S.-based tech recruiting firm. His honors include General Counsel of the Year (British Legal Awards), Legal Era’s GC Award, Legal 500’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Burton Awards’ “Legends in the Law,” and inclusion in Chambers’ GC Influencers Global 100.
He earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Chicago Law School, an M.Sc. (Econ.) from the London School of Economics, his B.A. (summa cum laude) from Boston University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Founded in 2006, BarkerGilmore is recognized as the leading executive search, coaching, and leadership development firm dedicated to creating high-performing in-house legal and compliance teams that drive business success.
BarkerGilmore’s professional team combines the expertise of seasoned executive search consultants with highly respected General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officers to deliver integrated, comprehensive solutions that enhance the recruitment, long-term performance, and success of in-house legal and compliance teams.
The firm measures success through high client satisfaction rates, exceptional search completion rates, and impressive retention rates. Learn more at www.barkergilmore.com.
Connect with a legal recruiting advisor
* indicates required fields
