In this issue, we feature Sylvia Stein, the Chief Legal Officer of Veralto. Prior to becoming its own publicly traded company, Veralto was a major division within the giant conglomerate Danaher.
In 2021, Evers Legal placed three attorneys within that division: Jim Barnes (Chief IP Counsel), Catherine Klima (Assistant GC of subsidiary Videojet Technologies) and Ashley Studsrud (promoted just this month at subsidiary Esko Brand Solutions).
I love seeing our placements succeed over time, especially when they stay with our client and progress through structural and leadership changes. Thank you Jim, Catherine and Ashley. And a special thank you to Vivian Metzger, the human resources professional who had the courage to recommend and engage us. I say courage, because HR everywhere is under increasing pressure to avoid outside search firm use.
My favorite success story will always be Curt Kramer, who I recruited to Navistar in 2002 at the most junior rung of the law department ladder, and who retired from Navistar in 2022 after serving for several years as the company’s General Counsel. When Curt retired, he left a kind and gracious voice message that I saved and listen to whenever I feel the need for a little encouragement.
I am fortunate to have other wonderful success stories, and in fairness I have stories of failed searches. My ultimate nightmare story happened once, and I won’t mention the person’s name … but he decided not to show up for his first day of work at Fifth Third Bank, and the General Counsel fired Evers Legal the following day. Recruiting is not a healthy pursuit for control freaks because outcomes are out of our control. Professional success for us comes from resilience and hitting a high percentage of our shots.
Speaking of success stories, the long-term editor of this newsletter, Cate Flahardy, has moved into a full-time plus position (i.e. a real job!) that deserves her complete attention. Therefore, this will be her last issue after an 11-year run. It has been a wonderful partnership. If you are one of the 42 general counsels interviewed by Cate for Evers eNews, you know this is a big loss for us.
Congratulations Cate! I am grateful for all of the success stories in which I may have played a small part. Thank you.