BarkerGilmore Adds Strategic Advisor and Leadership Development Coach
December 6, 2024 – Boutique search firm BarkerGilmore, which specializes in building corporate legal and compliance teams, has named David Rowan as a strategic advisor and leadership development coach. “We are thrilled to welcome David as a strategic advisor and coach,” said Bob Barker, managing partner. “His unparalleled experience in legal and governance leadership, particularly his work guiding the strategic expansion and complex governance at Cleveland Clinic, will be invaluable to our clients. His strategic approach to executive leadership development, combined with his background in succession planning and organizational transformation, will elevate the value we bring to every engagement.”
Mr. Rowan recently completed a 30-year career as chief legal officer at Cleveland Clinic, which is consistently regarded as one of the top hospital systems in the United States and the world. At Cleveland Clinic, he oversaw a law department of 50 attorneys and was responsible for all legal functions across a globally expanding organization, including the establishment of Cleveland Clinic London and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and collaborations with leading technology companies. During his tenure, Mr. Rowan’s roles also included chief governance officer and corporate secretary.
As a trusted advisor to the Cleveland Clinic board and working as a senior team member under the direction of three different CEOs – all cardiac surgeons – Mr. Rowan was involved in the strategy and growth of Cleveland Clinic, particularly in the negotiation of complex business transactions and development of an international healthcare governance model spanning multiple U.S. and global locations. He also assisted the Cleveland Clinic board in its succession process for two of those CEOs.
Before joining Cleveland Clinic, Mr. Rowan was a partner at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (currently Squire Patton Boggs), where he co-chaired the healthcare practice and served on the firm’s management committee. He has served as a life director of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, a non-profit dedicated to social justice. Throughout his career, he has been a frequent speaker on topics including healthcare law, non-profit governance, tax-exempt compliance, and business and international transactions.
At BarkerGilmore, Mr. Rowan will serve as a strategic advisor and leadership development coach for organizations and senior professionals primarily within the healthcare and non-profit sectors. In that capacity, he will advise and collaborate with executive leadership and boards across a range of disciplines, including executive coaching, legal, compliance, governance effectiveness, and succession planning.
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“From a career perspective, there are experiences and insights I intend to share that I believe will be helpful to others in addressing traditional management-related challenges, as well as how to recognize and benefit from opportunities to innovate, both in the healthcare space and general industry,” said Mr. Rowan. “The healthcare industry’s rate of change will continue to accelerate, and BarkerGilmore’s differentiated approach makes sense to me, in terms of its potential to help organizations manage in-house legal and compliance talent as a long-term strategic asset. I’m proud to be associated with the firm.”
BarkerGilmore’s 2024 Compliance Compensation Report: Rising CCO Pay and Gender Pay Gaps Highlight Industry TrendsAs a compliance professional, how does your compensation benchmark against that of your peers? How can your organization leverage compensation to create a competitive advantage within its compliance department? To answer these questions, BarkerGilmore has released its 2024 Compliance Compensation Report. The report reflects changes in chief compliance officer (CCO) total compensation, factoring in salary, bonus, and long-term incentives; the type of organization (public, private, non-profit); and the organization’s revenue.
“CCO compensation continued to rise over the past year,” said John Gilmore, managing partner. “We attribute the slowing of salary increases to various factors, including tighter post-COVID corporate hiring budgets, and economic and political uncertainty. While our executive search business experienced a softening of demand for compliance professionals in 2023, we have witnessed a robust turn around in 2024 as positions opened due to internal promotions, resignations, and retirements. The good news is that positions at the top cannot go unfilled for long. As the compliance discipline continues to grow in importance as a risk management discipline, we expect CCO compensation increases to continue in the year ahead.”
BarkerGilmore is a boutique firm specializing in executive search and selection in law and compliance. With a network of advisors and recruiters spanning the U.S., BarkerGilmore consistently places talent at leading consumer, energy, financial, healthcare, industrial, and technology companies.
Finding Law and Compliance Talent
John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner, has over 30 years of executive search experience. He has developed trusted relationships with general counsel and C-suite leaders across the country. With a profound institutional understanding of how in-house legal and compliance departments function most effectively, Mr. Gilmore has earned a reputation as one of the top executive search consultants for general counsel and chief compliance officer placements.
Mr. Barker is co-founder, managing partner, and chair of the industrial practice at BarkerGilmore. He brings over three decades of executive search and international business experience to his clients. Mr. Barker has successfully managed general counsel and chief compliance officer engagements for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, including consumer, energy, financial, healthcare and life sciences, industrial, non-profit, technology, and private equity industries. Clients rely on Mr. Barker for advice and counseling both during and after the engagement.
Related: BarkerGilmore Names Senior Advisor
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
