Bio

Karen West

Karen advises boards, CEOs, and HR leadership on succession planning, leadership development, and talent management. She works globally, has lived internationally, and has developed a deep concentration in insurance, healthcare and life sciences, and natural resources industries. She leads a team of psychologists who develop tools and methods to support the creation of deeper leadership insights at the leader, team, and organizational levels. Karen is a lead architect for the Heidrick Leadership Framework and the firm’s proprietary tool, Leadership Signature®.

Her early career was with the United States Navy, where she served as a lieutenant commander aerospace psychologist. In this role, she specialized in effective teamwork and resource management of aircrew and ground support. She earned her wings as a naval aviator through the Navy flight surgeon designation program, including land, water, open ocean survival, aeromedical, and pilot flight training.

A licensed psychologist, she is also a certified professional coach through the International Coach Federation and currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Foundation for Women Warriors.

Karen holds a BSc in Psychology with Honors and a Minor in History from Wright State University, MSc and PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Ohio University.

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