Bob Shields is a partner in and previously managed the Chicago office of Spencer Stuart, where he brings more than 30 years of professional services and consulting experience to his executive search clients in principally the energy/utility power sector. Bob’s earlier management consulting activities with Towers Perrin also focused primarily on the energy industry globally and included strategic and organizational reviews for a broad range of U.S. and international energy company clients.
Bob has served a wide range of clients in recruiting board directors and senior executives for a variety of leadership positions, including general management, engineering, operations, logistics, finance, information systems, legal, human resources and sales/marketing. He has worked principally with infrastructure clients in the power, water, alternative energy and environmental sectors, including: large contractors such as Bechtel, Stone & Webster/Shaw and Fluor; water industry suppliers, such as American Water, Ionics and Pentair; power generators, such as Intergen, Environmental Power, Mirant and Calpine; large traditional energy utilities, such as Exelon, Duke Energy, FPL Group, Energy Future Holdings/TXU and Great Plains; and served various private sector investors such as Brown & Babcock, TPG, KKR, Goldman Sachs, Oak Tree et. Al.
In addition to his search leadership responsibilities, Bob represented the firm on the board of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), the professional practices group for the search industry. He also previously served on the Spencer Stuart Audit Committee.
Prior to Spencer Stuart, Bob was a partner with Towers Perrin’s management consulting division (formerly Cresap, McCormick & Paget). He led numerous consulting engagements in strategy, operations, process reengineering and organization design for a broad spectrum of clients. Before joining Towers Perrin, Bob spent more than six years with a large architectural engineering firm, where he held several management positions. As business development manager, he was responsible for marketing and sales management of engineering consulting services to domestic and foreign clients. Previously, as project manager and project engineer, he coordinated the work of mechanical, electrical and structural engineers engaged in project design studies and site permitting activities.
Bob also served 12 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy. As a nuclear submarine officer, he supervised maintenance and operations on three designs of shipboard nuclear reactor plants. He also was responsible for the quality assurance program and for training shipboard technicians. He retired as a Commander from the U.S. Naval Reserve with more than 26 years of service.
Bob holds an engineering degree (with highest honors) from the University of Kansas, and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he concentrated in finance and business policies. He also is a Registered Professional Engineer in Illinois.