Overview
Kelly O. Kay is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ San Francisco and New York City offices, serving technology clients across key markets, including the greater Seattle area. He is the managing partner of the global Software Practice and a member of the global Technology & Services Practice management team. Kelly cofounded the Sales & Commercial Officers Practice and is a go-to-market specialist for leading technology companies worldwide.
Experience
Kelly has authored numerous articles, including “3 Mistakes Executives Make When Telling People that They’re Leaving” and “If You’re About to Take a New Job, Should You Consider Your Boss’s Counteroffer?” in Harvard Business Review. He has been interviewed by major publications, including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and SiriusXM, and was a featured guest on the “Changing Role of the CRO” podcast.
Kelly is co-author, with Jeffrey Sanders, of the forthcoming Harvard Business Press book, “Show Up to Win.”
Kelly has also written the following articles:
- First time on an ELT? Advice for go-to-market leaders joining the executive leadership team
- What I wish I’d known before I took the job: Insights and advice from top technology company leaders
- Chief revenue officers and chief finance officers: Optimize their relationship for organizational success
- The services and software worlds are converging—here’s how to think about leadership and hiring at their intersection
- How to leave a job gracefully
Education
The University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, MBA
The University of San Francisco, Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing
Philanthropy and Service
Kelly serves and has served on the advisory boards of Eightfold.ai, Vyntelligence, BioLucid (acquired by Sharecare), Bunchball (acquired by Parallax Capital Partners), and Symphony (formerly known as Perzo and acquired by Goldman Sachs).