Buck's Leadership
Region Leaders
Practice Leaders
Strategic Development
Corporate Support
BUCK'S LEADERSHIP
Jan K. Grude
President & Executive Managing Director, Buck Consultants
As the leader of the firm's global business operations, Jan's primary areas of focus are continuous development of thought leadership, client satisfaction, and business growth. He joined the firm as Managing Director of ACS/Buck in Canada in May 2004, providing leadership and direction to the Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal offices. Jan has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles with large consulting firms, including Mellon Financial Corporation, Arthur Young International, Ernst & Young LLP, and Watson Wyatt. He has experience across many industry sectors, as well as broad expertise in corporate governance, pension governance, strategy, restructuring, re-engineering, privatization, project management, labour management relations, and business change management. Jan’s academic credentials include: M. Phil. and M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Dip. CS, Economic History from the University of British Columbia, and B.A. Economics and Political Science from the University of Alberta. He has also undertaken continuing leadership education in the Executive Development Program at Cornell University. Jan has been extensively quoted in the Canadian media on various governance and human resource issues, and has co-authored a successful business book entitled: “Vanishing Jobs: Canada's Changing Workplaces.”
Gordon St. John
Managing Director, East Region, United States
Gordon is responsible for all aspects of client management and the coordination of service delivery for Buck's clients. He is a member of Buck's Consulting Leadership Council. He joined Buck in 1995, and has more than 22 years of benefits and related experience. As one of Buck's most experienced client relationship managers, Gordon is responsible for the global staffing and management of several of Buck's most important client engagements. He has managed client engagements in every aspect of benefit plan design, funding, administration, and communication. Gordon graduated with a BA in English from Trinity College, Hartford, CT. Gordon is based in Buck's Philadelphia office.
Jeff Leonard
Managing Director, Central Region, United States
In addition to Jeff's role as Managing Director, Central region, he is Consulting Actuary in Buck’s Cincinnati office as well as the office leader. Jeff consults with clients on strategic retirement financial management and plan design issues. Jeff has nearly 20 years of management and retirement consulting experience. He joined Buck in 2005 from Mercer, where he served as Retirement Practice Leader for its Cincinnati and Indianapolis offices. Some of Jeff's recent projects have included developing executive retirement and deferred compensation plans and developing objectives and design for retirement program redesign. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics from Centre College in Danville, KY, is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, an enrolled actuary, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Bruce Mamary
Managing Director, West Region, United States
As Managing Director for Buck's West U.S. region and manager of Buck's Dallas office, Bruce is responsible for client account management and service delivery. He consults with clients on the strategic planning, design, funding, and administration of employee benefits and total compensation. Bruce has been with Buck for 12 years and has more than 25 years of experience in employee benefits field, including 10 years in human resources, which has provided him with the employer perspective that informs his focus on practical consulting approaches and workable solutions. He holds a B.A. in Business from Wichita State University.
Michael Horton
Managing Director, New York Metro Region, United States
Mike joined Buck in November 1996 as a principal and consulting actuary. Since that time, Mike has expanded his role to New York Metro Region Managing Director and East Region Retirement Practice Leader. With more than 20 years of experience in the retirement field, Mike is also the global actuary for several of Buck's major corporate clients and handles the account relationship for more than 15 corporate and not-for-profit accounts. Some of Mike's clients include H.J. Heinz Company, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York University Medical Center, and Time Warner. Mike is a graduate of Whitman College with a B.A. in Math. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, Enrolled Actuary, and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Cameron McNeill
Managing Director, Canada
Cameron joined Buck in 1991 and has more than 20 years of experience in pension consultancy. Cameron graduated from Glasgow University in 1984 and qualified as a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries in 1990. He was previously a senior actuary in Buck's Edinburgh office and took over as manager of the Manchester office in November 1998. Cameron holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors.
Mike Roberts
Managing Director, United Kingdom
Mike, a principal and senior consulting actuary, joined Buck in 2000. Mike has more than 15 years of experience in providing corporate pension advice. He is a qualified actuary and has held a Scheme Actuary and/or consultant to a portfolio of pension funds for U.K.-based national and multinational clients suck as Bank of England, ITT Corporation, and Tyco International. He also works closely with and supports our European and U.S. Offices where U.K. benefits advice is required. Mike is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.
Eddie O'Hara
Managing Director, International
Eddie has accumulated 30 years' experience in the employee benefits field with both insurers and consulting firms; he joined Buck Consultants in 1996 following the acquisition of WF Corroon. Prior to becoming Managing Director for Europe he was the Practice Leader for the UK Health & Welfare line of business, assisting major UK employers with accounting issues, benefit design alternatives and executing successful healthcare strategies. His current role includes managerial responsibility for Buck's European, Latin American and Asian-Pacific offices and he is also a member of the Buck Consultants global board of managers.
PRACTICE LEADERS
Tamara R. Shelton, F.S.A.
Managing Director, Retirement
Tammy directs Buck’s domestic retirement consulting business. She joined the company in 1982 and specializes in employer-sponsored retirement programs, including both defined benefit and defined contribution plans. She also has experience in collective bargaining assistance, merger and acquisition consulting, and retiree medical consulting. Her consulting clients have included Exxon Mobil Corporation, Vought Aircraft Industries and AM General. Tammy earned a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in mathematics from the University of Texas and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries. She is based in Buck’s Dallas office.
Sam Marra
Managing Director, Health and Productivity
Sam is Managing Director of the Health and Productivity consulting business.He has more than 20 years of experience in the employee benefits field. He has successfully developed and managed a community health plan and been involved in direct provider contract negotiations on behalf of a number of major health care companies. His consulting clients have included E&J Gallo Winery, Memorial Hospitals Association, Plantronics, and Janus Capital Corp. Sam is a member of the Northern California Employee Benefits Council. He is based in Buck’s San Francisco office.
Donald R. Sanford
Managing Director, Communication
Don is a principal of Buck Consultants, an ACS company. He joined Buck in 1992 and has more than 20 years of consulting and management experience. Previously, he managed Buck’s St. Louis office. Under Don’s leadership, Buck has created successful internal and external communications programs for such clients as Albertson’s, Applebee’s International, and Express Scripts. Don earned a political science degree from Southern Illinois University. He is a past president of the Employee Benefits Association. He is based in Buck’s St. Louis office.
Sanjiv Kumar, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Human Resource Management
Sanjiv has more than 15 years of experience helping companies improve performance by aligning their organizational and people programs and practices with their overall business strategy. His specific areas of focus include talent management, organizational change, and HR strategy and service delivery. Prior to joining Buck, Sanjiv was a director in the Human Capital practice of Deloitte Consulting and, previously, served as the vice president of organization effectiveness for Dynegy, Inc. Sanjiv has presented at professional conferences on a range of HR topics and has taught at the University of Houston and in the EMBA program at Tulane University. He holds a Ph.D. in Management and an MBA. Sanjiv is based in Buck’s Houston office.
Christopher Young
Managing Director, Compensation
Chris leads Buck’s Compensation consulting practice. He rejoined Buck in 2007 after serving as managing director at Executive Wealth Management. He has also served with UBS Warburg, Mercer, and The Hay Group. Chris’ broad rewards expertise includes developing capital market solutions to enhance, finance, and hedge employee remuneration programs. He also has specialized experience in nonqualified deferred compensation financing solutions. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He has published articles in the Journal of Compensation and Benefits and Journal of Business Strategy. Chris is based in Buck’s New York office.
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
Steven Maxwell
Managing Director, Global HR Technology and Administration
Steve leads the global expansion of Buck’s technology, administration, and customer care services business. He also directs the firm’s Asia-Pacific operations in Singapore and Hong Kong. In these roles he is responsible for client service quality, business growth, innovation, and product development. Prior to joining Buck, he had more than 20 years of experience including leadership roles at Hewitt Associates, KPMG, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and Towers Perrin. Steve's expertise includes human resource strategy and service delivery, large-scale organizational change, and the application of leading technology to drive employee performance. He is a graduate of Boston University, where he earned a B.S. in Finance and Organizational Behavior. He has also undertaken continuing executive education in Strategy, Leadership, and Technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is an ISCEBS Fellow and a Chartered Financial Consultant. Steve is located in Buck's Boston office.
Nicole Giantonio
Senior Vice President, Sales
As Buck’s global sales leader, Nicole will be responsible for obtaining new logo clients as well as cross selling within existing accounts. She will lead and grow our sales team, and work with Regional Managing Directors, Practice Leaders, Market Leaders, and Account Managers to drive account planning and growth. Nicole received her bachelor’s degree from Babson College (Massachusetts). She is a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) , and has presented at International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans conferences. Nicole joins us from Ceridian Benefit Services, where she served as Senior Vice President, Sales. In that position, she was responsible for 15 percent year over year growth, including new business sales and competitive retention. Nicole’s expertise includes sales team organization, cross selling, sales strategy, lead qualification, and sales forecasting. Nicole is based in Buck's New York office.
Deborah Ruffins
Vice President, Marketing
Deb is a Director in the New York office of Buck Consultants, an ACS company, responsible for leading the Marketing team. She aligns our marketing and sales strategy to Buck’s top business priorities. Her expertise covers strategic planning, key market identification, proposal development, thought leadership programs, collateral, and communications. Deb recently joined Buck from PricewaterhouseCoopers where she served as Director of Sales Strategy. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and business development. Deb has a B.S. Degree in Finance from Marymount College.
Kasey Kirschner
Leader Operational Excellence and Implementation
Working closely with Buck leadership worldwide, Kasey is responsible for moving forward major strategic and operational initiatives for our firm. This includes developing and implementing new programs and policies to help manage and grow the business — from performance management processes to financial review to infrastructure improvements. Most recently Kasey served as National Operations Leader for Buck’s domestic Communication Practice where she was instrumental in leading and managing efforts that led to successful growth and strong financial performance. She also manages client relationships serving as the lead communication consultant on key accounts. Kasey joined Buck in 1998 and is based in Buck’s Atlanta office.
CORPORATE SUPPORT
Michael Davidson
Chief of Corporate Services
Michael has been with Buck Consultants since March 2002 and works out of our Toronto office. He brings years of multi-disciplined accounting, IT and Human Resources expertise from work he's done in the manufacturing, financial, and telecommunications sectors. During his career, Michael has held progressively senior positions in Finance and Accounting, Telecommunications, Human Resources, and General Management. Since joining Buck, Michael has worked very successfully with various teams to drive the success of our business. A graduate of the Computer Sciences program at Sheridan College, Michael has also completed post graduate work in Telecommunications Management and Human Resources Management.
Michael Hardy
Chief Financial Officer
Mike applies his financial and business acumen to keep Buck’s executive team abreast of the connection between Buck’s operations and its financial performance. He directs quantitative and qualitative analysis to gauge alignment with overall business direction and goals. Mike and his team establish and oversee financial controls that help ensure that Buck continues to grow on a strong foundation. Their reporting and forecasting provide the framework crucial to ongoing financial discipline throughout the firm. Mike is based in Buck's Secaucus office.
David Fitzgerald
Vice President, Human Resources
Dave is a conceptual, creative thinker with extensive experience in linking human resources functions to the strategic direction of the business. He is a decisive problem-solver, effective communicator, and a team player with a successful record of operating in unique business environments. Dave has led a worldwide Human Resources function which included more than 14,000 employees in 52 locations globally with eight direct reports responsible for the growth and development of over 60 Human Resources professionals. Dave is a true HR Business Partner bringing skill sets of HR strategic planning, organizational design, performance management, succession planning, and compensation to ACS. Dave possesses a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, Carlisle, PA and a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences from California Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA.
Karl Lohwater
General Counsel
Karl manages the Legal and Risk Management & Compliance departments at Buck, and serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Buck Kwasha Securities LLC, an NASD-member broker-dealer. Karl also consults with clients on matters involving fiduciary responsibility and governance and on compliance matters relating to international equity and compensation and benefit programs. Karl is an ex-officio member of Buck's board of directors. He is based in Buck's New York office.
Andrea T. Sellars
Managing Director, Research, Survey and Knowledge Management
Andrea is responsible for Buck’s Research, Survey and Knowledge Management group. She also chairs the company’s Professional Services Committee. Andrea has more than 30 years’ experience in employee benefits and actuarial consulting. Prior to joining Buck, she held a number of management positions at Alexander and Alexander. At Buck Consultants, she has managed the Atlanta office, worked as senior managing director for the Eastern Region and served on Buck’s board of directors. Her consulting clients have included Anchor Hocking Corp., Georgia Pacific Corp., Honeywell, and Mead Corp. Andrea earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in actuarial science from Georgia State University. She is based in Buck’s Atlanta office.
Steve McCormick
Managing Director, Chief Information Officer
Steve is responsible for the global IT infrastructure that supports our client systems, consultant tools, and business processes. He has over 25 years of experience developing and managing innovative HR technology solutions. Steve’s expertise includes IT consulting, process management, and managing technology development and implementation teams. His technology thought-leadership has appeared in such publications as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and CFO Magazine. Steve received a B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in Education from Purdue University and a Doctorate of Education from Harvard University.