Val Harper is head of data and analytics for Spencer Stuart.
Financial and operational experience
- Val began at Spencer Stuart as a practicing consultant doing search work in financial services focused on CROs, CEOs, CIOs, asset class heads, portfolio managers, analysts and compliance executives. Her specialties included work with investment professionals and risk management executives.
- Val then served in a variety of leadership roles at Spencer Stuart, most recently as a member of the global leadership team and as head of the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. Prior to that, she served in a series of roles, including as the firm’s chief financial officer, co-leader for the North America region, head of the Eastern region of the U.S., office manager and practice leader for asset management. She was also a member of the audit & risk oversight and pension and profit-sharing committees. As chief financial officer, Val was an ex-officio member of Spencer Stuart’s board of directors.
- Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Val began her career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. After business school, she spent eight years at Goldman Sachs, first in equity capital markets and then as part of the newly launched asset management division. Later, as chief investment officer for the State of Oklahoma, Val oversaw investment of the state’s $1.9 billion general revenue fund.
Val earned a B.A., summa cum laude, from Georgetown University, where she was valedictorian of her class. She earned her M.B.A. with second year honors from Harvard Business School.