Erin Lavelle

As WittKieffer’s Chief Financial Officer, Erin Lavelle plays a critical role in the development and execution of the company’s global strategy and oversees all fiscal and fiduciary needs of the organization. In her role, she is responsible for deriving strategic value out of data, driving financial planning for the business, providing informed and objective counsel on business issues and offering technical and experience-based advice to peer executives, practice leadership and staff. Along with the rest of the executive leadership team, she is a proactive advocate for value creation across all functional areas of the organization. She brings over 25 years of experience in financial and professional services as a talented finance strategist who possesses strength in leadership, creative thinking, strong collaboration and sound judgment. In her work she demonstrates vast experience, comprehensive financial knowledge, a data-driven operational mindset and strategic acumen.

Erin joined WittKieffer, the only global executive search and leadership advisory firm focused on providing talent solutions to organizations devoted to the quality of life, in the fall of 2021. While the privately held organization has had an unrivaled history of consistent organic growth, post-pandemic leadership needs accelerated growth to a 23% CAGR since FY2021, providing the capital needed for the organization to set Into motion intentional expansion plans focused on broadening the solutions offered to clients at the intersection of science, healthcare delivery and education.

Since joining WittKieffer, Erin has successfully led initiatives that brought efficiency through automation resulting in optimization of the cash conversion cycle, streamlining the financial close and reporting through the deployment of Workday ERP / Adaptive Planning & Reporting systems, fully onboarding US GAAP accounting, moving to a paperless accounting department and the development of financial process documentation discipline. Through these projects, she seeks to empower her team by sharing the end game vision while providing support and feedback loops along the way as the team executes. Through her team, she also steers the financial reporting and key metrics to align more effectively with the matrix reporting organization WittKieffer has become and ensures leadership and the Board have the strategic and operational decision support required.

Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Erin was COO/CFO of CBIS, Inc., a privately held global asset management firm in Chicago. Reporting to the CEO, she led and transformed the firm’s global accounting, finance and operations to support firm growth and product development. Prior to that, she spent nearly two decades with Mesirow Financial, Inc., most recently as Chief Administrative Officer and, before that, as SVP Finance, Accounting Operations & Compensation, and began her career in GE Capital’s Corporate Finance division.