Leah McGillivray Palko, B.A. (Hon), is a Managing Director & Partner, Executive Search at GlassRatner and North American Leader of the Financial Services Practice within the firm’s Executive Search & Interim Management business.
She is a trusted advisor to leading financial institutions, known for her deep market insight, partnership approach to working with clients and executive candidates, access to top-tier talent, and ability to deliver high-impact leadership solutions.
Leah partners with a broad range of clients including asset and wealth managers, insurance companies and family offices. Her client work focuses on recruiting C-Suite and senior leaders in these sectors across various functional areas – investments (all asset classes), distribution, operations, finance, human resources and other niche areas.
Her work extends beyond traditional executive search. Leah is recognized for advising clients on complex talent challenges, including succession planning, leadership / talent pipelining, and market intelligence. She leverages a highly research-driven approach, incorporating market mapping and competitive benchmarking to provide clients with a clear view of the talent landscape before and during a search process. This enables more informed hiring decisions and stronger long-term outcomes. She also brings a differentiated lens to talent, identifying high-caliber leaders from adjacent sectors or functional areas whose skills and perspectives translate effectively to a client’s requirements.
Leah’s approach is grounded in partnership and accountability. She works closely with executive teams and boards as an extension of their business, providing candid advice, real-time market insights, and access to highly sought-after, often passive candidates. Her mandates frequently involve building or evolving leadership teams in response to growth, transformation, or succession events.
Prior to joining GlassRatner in 2015, Leah led the Canadian Financial Services practice for a global recruitment firm and prior to this was an instrumental member of an early-stage search firm focused in Financial Services recruitment.
- Executive Search
- Fractional Executives
- Interim Management
- President (Canada) for a global asset manager, supporting the rebuild and strategic repositioning of the Canadian business
- Head of Intermediary Distribution for a global investment firm, successful placement completed in an accelerated timeframe
- Managing Director, Global Institutional Distribution for a leading multi-asset manager
- Chief Operating Officer for a real estate investment platform
- Head of Investment Operations for a global asset management business, overseeing a significant portion of the firm’s international workforce
- CEO for a private wealth platform, supporting rapid growth and increasing operational complexity; also placed the Head of Sales for the same organization
- Senior Portfolio Manager (Canadian Equities) for a leading institutional asset manager
- Head of Wealth Management for a well-known, Canadian Institutional & Private Wealth manager
- CFOO for a newly established Canadian single-family office
- CFO / COO for a middle market private equity firm