Bill O’Leary specializes in talent and leadership advisory for C-suite and board roles, bringing expertise at the intersection of policy and business from his tenured career in Washington policy circles. He is recognized for his deep expertise in government affairs, corporate affairs and strategic communications across the private and public sectors. He works across industries in the U.S. as well as key global markets. In addition, Bill has placed numerous board directors and advisors with expertise in political, government and regulation for private, private equity-backed and publicly traded companies.

Bridging the gap between policy and the C-suite

  • In his prior role, Bill was partner-in-charge of the Washington D.C. office at a global executive search firm, leading senior-level executive searches for global clients like Google, BlackRock and American Airlines.
  • At another global executive search firm, he led the corporate and government affairs practice and conducted C-suite executive search and talent assessment across industries.
  • Bill began his career working for the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign. He then worked for the White House and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a political appointee in communications and external outreach roles.
  • Following the Administration, Bill spent more than fifteen years in senior marketing and communications roles at Citigroup, Fannie Mae, a technology start-up and Georgetown University. Immediately prior to joining the executive search industry, Bill served as senior vice president and managing director of strategic communications at Grenzebach Glier and Associates, a leading philanthropic consulting firm providing strategic counsel to leaders of global non-profit institutions.

Bill holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He serves on the board of Georgetown University’s Baratta Center for Global Business and is a member of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.

Practice Areas