Speaker

Suzanne Burns

Partner with Spencer Stuart’s Board of Director Practice

Suzanne M. Burns is a trusted advisor to numerous public and private company CEOs, Board Compensation, and Board Nominating & Governance Committees, where she shares her knowledge of board best practices, CEO succession planning, insights on deliberate organizational and cultural alignment, and perspective on how to successfully attract and develop diverse talent to drive shareholder value. Ms. Burns is known for elevating strategies and developing winning, executable courses of action. She intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together in a cohesive design, and helps others broaden their thinking in the process.

Currently, as a Partner at Spencer Stuart, Ms. Burns is a member of the firm’s Board, CEO, Industrial, Private Equity, and Digital Transformation practices. She devotes her time to advising global clients on board and C-suite talent selection, cultural transformation, and board effectiveness to increase diversity and competitiveness. She also leads the firm’s B2B Distribution and Building/Architectural Product practices. Ms. Burns serves manufacturing and distribution clients around the world, bringing more than 25 years of industrial experience in the areas of P&L leadership and strategic growth leadership. Before joining Spencer Stuart, Ms. Burns served as Chief Talent Officer for global maintenance, repair, and operations distributor W. W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW) and led the supply chain and distribution center integration of 11 previously acquired businesses into a new U.S. omni-channel business model. Previously, as President of Fluid Management, a subsidiary of IDEX Corporation (NYSE: IEX), she launched IoT-enabled digital predictive diagnostic technology into DIY big-box channels. Earlier, during her 17 years with Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN), she served as President of the $1 billion global electrical Power Quality business following her strategy to acquire Powerware from Invensys, and oversaw the integration of $2.2 billion, 15,000-person hydraulic manufacturer Aeroquip-Vickers across 84 facilities worldwide. From 1995 to 1998, as Director, International Development, Ms. Burns headed Eaton’s expansion beyond North America and Europe and established 15 start-up/joint venture investments in Asia and Latin America.

As Spencer Stuart’s representative on the America’s Board of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) and the National Association of Corporate Directors, she stays abreast of the latest trends in corporate governance. She also serves as Spencer Stuart’s appointee on AESC’s global Diversity Leadership Council. Ms. Burns holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Moderator

Madelyn Sierra, MBA 1984

Founder and Executive Coach, Sierra Executive Advisory

Madelyn Sierra is an executive coach and leadership development consultant. She helps clients identify how their skills and behaviors support or hinder their business’ strategic objectives. She coaches them to develop high-performing teams, lead others effectively, manage career transitions and widen their network and sphere of influence. Her clients include executives in companies ranging from start-ups to global corporations in technology, media, financial services, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, healthcare, manufacturing and non-profit.

Madelyn has a Harvard MBA. She lives in Manhattan.