Karen Gordon is the founder of Strategic Horizons, Inc., a boutique management consulting firm established in 1991, providing strategic, organizational, and communication guidance, as well as executive coaching, to a wide range of companies.  

Her twenty-five years of consulting experience includes six years at McKinsey & Company, where she led teams in strategic planning and organizational development on behalf of multi-national clients.  In that role, she managed teams in the analysis of business strategy and organization, and developed enduring solutions. 

Karen's unique set of complementary skills in solving complex business problems and understanding people-related issues enables her to elicit critical information, collaborate on developing and implementing effective solutions, and continually heighten awareness of key implications. Respecting her business sense and experience, clients turn to Karen for insights into formulating strategies, generating creative ideas, managing through change, building productive teams, and communicating effectively.  For several Fortune 500 companies and major not-for-profits, Karen has designed and delivered numerous leadership development workshops, addressing topics such as structured strategic thinking, written communications, and presentation skills. 

Furthermore, Karen is a certified executive coach.  For example, she supports C-suite executives who have transitioned from internal line positions or external advisory roles; she also supports members of professional service firms to be more effective and satisfied in their work.   One of the top three management consulting firms has continued to be one of Karen’s core clients in her coaching work.  Her exceptional understanding of human behavior…her ability to be a quick study of corporate cultures…and her skill at being present in supporting others to successfully become more of who they want to be in their professional lives: these are Karen’s attributes that enable her to be an effective coach. 

In Karen’s first career, she was a trained chef and restaurant manager.  In that capacity, she managed 150 people in a major NYC restaurant, thus having management experience that fundamentally informed her business sense.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Karen earned an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University. She received her coaching certification in The Art and Science of Ontological Coaching from the Newfield Network; she is also a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland Organization & Systems Development Program.