Robert J. Stark is a sought-after adviser and performance partner to boards, CEOs and CEO aspirants. He helps organizations achieve value-creating CEO transitions by guiding boards on the succession process, developing future CEOs to enhance their readiness for the unique demands of the CEO role, and coaching and advising sitting CEOs to accelerate their start and sustain performance over time.
Deep understanding of the drivers of CEO performance
- For the past 25 years, Robert has advised CEOs and boards on the fundamental drivers of CEO performance and how to cultivate these skills in leaders. As co-leader of Spencer Stuart’s CEO Succession advisory business, he has supported value-building CEO transitions at some of America’s most important companies, ranging from Fortune 50 companies to $500 million private businesses. He helps develop future CEOs from within, coaching and advising potential successors to prepare for the demands of the role, a successful transition and lasting success in the role.
- He is an established thought leader on executive performance, drawing on his extensive experience advising CEOs, interviews with many of the most effective CEOs of our time and in-depth analysis of CEO performance data. He established Spencer Stuart’s CEO analytics program, an ongoing study of CEO performance. Insights from this work have appeared in numerous business publications, including Harvard Business Review. He is co-author of the book, The Life Cycle of a CEO, which provides practical guidance for preparing for and thriving in the CEO role.
- Robert co-founded the Executive Intelligence Group, which revolutionized CEO assessment and development with a methodology to evaluate multiple dimensions of leadership potential. The Executive Intelligence Group was integrated into Spencer Stuart in 2007.
- Earlier in his career, he helped to build Hagberg Consulting Group, an innovator in executive development and coaching in Silicon Valley. After that, he co-founded a human resources software company, HiringTools, which was acquired by Monster.com in 2001.
Robert graduated with honors from the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario, with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration.