Bill Shepard
Since 1999, Bill Shepard has worked almost exclusively with CEOs, COOs, CTOs and CFOs and their senior team supporting them and their business initiatives. Bill is a senior-level consultant who works most often inside the company to accomplish specific deliverables as set by leadership and ownership. His areas-of-focus have been Innovation, Profit, Talent, Execution, and Best Practices. His work has been equal with technology companies and non-technology companies. While his client list is confidential, Bill's work includes long-term relationships with a wide-ranging mix of companies including Internet, Financial Services, Branding, Human Resources, Software, Produce, Supply Chain, Construction, and Professional Services.
Bill Shepard's consultancy headline is that "He works for the C-level adding his know-how and capabilities to get important things done." As a skilled and experienced CEO, President and COO, he understands the need to align and support the vision and direction. Bill's work often travels deep into the company's organization resulting in providing the Leadership Team with added band width and expertise in helping achieve the company goals.
As the founder and owner of the COO Forum (www.cooforum.org), Bill currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board. This association has over grown from a five Chapters to over 70 Chapters in two years. Today the COO Forum is throughout the United States serving the professional development needs of COOs and Second-in-Command executives in the mid-market. In 2011, the COO Forum anticipates growth into all 50 states and to 100 Chapters throughout the U.S. Bill founded this association in 2004 in Northern California.
Bill also chairs a CEO group for the Chief Executive Council (www.chiefexecutivecouncil.com). This is a group of 12 CEOs of companies representing Innovation-Green, Mobile, Software, SaaS, Life Science, Technology, Design, and Internet.
From 1980 through 1999, Bill Shepard was a CEO or President at a series of companies, including Divisional President - Cole National, Spiegel, and Philips Electronics; CEO - Andrew Alexander, Pacific Linen, and NordicTrack. In his consulting practice, Bill has assumed the role of interim or part-time CEO, COO, and CFO at companies in the Internet, Produce, Furniture, Housewares, and Professional Services. Bill Shepard has served on the Board at CML (NYSE), Andrew Alexander (Chairman), Pacific Linen, Pacific Linen-Canada, and NordicTrack. From 1971-1980 he worked at Gap starting as a management trainee, progressing to Vice President-Operations.
Bill lives in the Silicon Valley area of the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Karen. They have four grown children who live in San Francisco, Gainesville, FL, Washington DC, and Rockland, ME. Bill and Karen are avid hikers, active in theatrical arts, and enjoy travel.