Mary McDermott Sanderson is the Director of Client Development at Quick Leonard Kieffer’s Chicago office. Guiding the strategic and operational direction for building productive client relationships and new business, Mary works closely with clients, candidates, and the firm’s managing partners.

Mary joined QLK in July of 2019 as a Principal and has had a key role in the execution of several C-suite and senior-level executive search assignments in a variety of functional areas for large healthcare systems and small, rural hospitals throughout the country as well as for large healthcare consulting firms. She has developed a reputation for carefully listening to the needs of clients and tailoring search activity to those needs, as well as for her transparent and proactive communication style.

Mary recently moved into a client development role to support QLK leadership and search executives in their outreach, communication and service to new and existing clients. As Director, Mary works to ensure that there is a true partnership from start to finish in the hiring process.

Mary brings over 30 years of experience to her work at QLK, having begun her career in contingency search. She subsequently spent over a decade with Ernst & Young’s management consulting division, growing the Chicago-based Great Lakes regional practice from 400 consultants to 2,000 in just a few short years, and serving as the associate director of human resources for the practice. After leaving EY she helped small local businesses set up their hiring processes and provided career search assistance to individuals. In early 2019, Mary employed her skills and knowledge to found an LLC designed to revolutionize sourcing through a proprietary technology platform.

Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois, and completed her Master of Management in human resources and organizational behavior at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management while working full-time.