Board Chair

Katherine Whitney is a co-founder and Director of Warren Whitney & Sherwood and a senior member of the management teams of a select number of the firm's clients. She primarily works with companies requiring experienced leadership in marketing and sales management. She also serves as a secondary resource to other clients requiring support in these areas.

Katherine generally takes the role of Vice President or Director of Marketing or Assistant to the President with client companies. Typically, these businesses are seeking to become more market-driven, with a need to identify new markets or to address changes in their primary markets. Developing and implementing marketing strategies is central to her role. Often, her ultimate objective is to integrate marketing into the culture of the organization in a manner which meets the needs of the market while recognizing the realities of the company's operations, financial position and human resources.

The approach that Katherine takes with her clients is illustrated by the work she has done to help a manufacturer diversify its customer base geographically and by industry. Strategies Katherine has created and implemented include expanding the company's distribution channel from one direct sales representative to 15 independent representatives. The marketing plan which supports them includes trade shows, advertising, an Internet presence and collateral material. The result has been to move from a local customer base to a national one with a corresponding increase in sales.

For another company, Katherine has implemented a direct mail campaign in conjunction with a public relations effort, sponsorships and advertising to help the company triple sales in four years.

With each client, the first important step is to assess the company's position in the marketplace, its goals and its resources in order to develop a plan which can be implemented successfully.

Prior to forming Warren Whitney & Sherwood, Katherine was Consulting Manager with McGladrey & Pullen, a nation‚al public accounting and consulting firm. She was responsible for the firm's sales and marketing consulting in Virginia.

Katherine holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Mathematics from Davidson College. She is a member of the Board of the Virginia Home for Boys. Other community involvement includes the Greater Richmond Technology Council, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Richmond Partnership.  She is a member of the Leadership Metro Richmond Class of '92.