Overview
Paula Davis is a principal in Heidrick & Struggles’ New York office and a member of the Communications and Corporate Affairs practices. Her focus extends to roles in reputation management, employee communications, government affairs, sustainability, philanthropy, DE&I, and marketing and brand communications.
Experience
Paula works on senior assignments across industries and organizations, including Fortune 500 corporations, agencies, private equity-owned companies, and startups.
She advises clients on building effective corporate communications and corporate social responsibility functions and provides consulting services to companies pursuing transformation. In addition, Paula supports broader C-suite searches in the automotive, industrial, and consumer packaged goods practices.
Before joining Heidrick & Struggles, Paula spent over 30 years as a senior communications leader and general management executive for Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in different phases of business development, evolution, and culture change. As a corporate affairs leader and former chief of staff to the CEO, Paula is known for building world-class teams, strategies, and partnerships that drive organizational, reputational, and industry transformation and progress. Among her accomplishments, she successfully managed CEO transitions, corporate rebrands, culture transformations, significant global crises and shareholder activism campaigns, takeover scenarios, and complex merger and acquisition integrations.
Education
Kellogg Graduate School of Management, MBA, Marketing and Organizational Behavior
University of Michigan, BA, Psychology and English
Philanthropy and Service
Paula serves on the advisory board of Guild, a workforce development startup, and the Jed Foundation. She founded In Real Life Ventures, which focuses on youth empowerment and serves on the board of directors of the REACH Institute and American Corporate Partners. She is also a Girl Scouts troop leader.