Gary Pikul

Gary Pikul

Chief Technology Officer - Boyden

For Gary Pikul, leadership has never been about titles.

It has always been about solving problems.

Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, Gary has built a reputation as a lifelong learner, a strategic thinker, and a leader who thrives in complex environments. From accounting and finance to technology, security, digital transformation, and executive search, his career has been defined by a willingness to step into difficult situations and find solutions.

“I’ve always been a lifelong learner and a lifelong problem solver,” Gary says.

That mindset has guided him through every stage of his professional journey.

From CPA to Technology Transformation Leader

Gary began his career as an accountant and CPA, spending the first fifteen years of his career in finance, business operations, and leadership roles across healthcare, legal services, technology, and energy.

One of the defining chapters of his early career came at Shell, where he ultimately served as Head of Refining Finance for the United States.

After retiring from Shell at age 35, Gary took time to explore new opportunities and found himself unexpectedly entering the recruiting industry.

The recruiting firm that had previously placed him in a leadership role at Pennzoil invited him to join their team. Although his time in recruiting was initially brief, the experience introduced him to an entirely new perspective on talent, business, and organizational growth.

When his non-compete agreement expired, Gary returned to the corporate world, rejoining former colleagues from Compaq who were then part of HP.

What followed was a career built around tackling the toughest challenges organizations faced.

“I just kept volunteering for the biggest problem that needed to be fixed,” he recalls.

That approach led him into technology, transformation, operational leadership, and eventually executive search.

Today, Gary serves as Chief Information Officer at Boyden, a global leadership and executive search firm with offices in roughly 50 countries and more than 80 locations worldwide.

Over the past several years, he has helped modernize the firm’s technology infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity capabilities, improve data governance, and create a more connected ecosystem of tools and platforms that support consultants around the globe.

Learning from Exceptional Leaders

When reflecting on the people who shaped his leadership philosophy, Gary points to two mentors whose influence continues to guide him today.

One is Ed Pennington, a former technology executive at Compaq and one of Gary’s most respected leaders.

“Most of the good things in my career over the last fifteen years can probably be traced back to asking myself, ‘What would Ed do?’”

Gary describes Ed as one of the most structured, thoughtful, and effective leaders he has ever worked with. His calm approach, clear communication, and disciplined decision-making left a lasting impression.

The second is Robert Crawford, a leader who helped Gary understand the importance of adaptability and presence.

While Gary naturally identifies as an introvert, Robert demonstrated how great leaders can adjust their communication style to fit the audience, the situation, and the challenge at hand.

Together, those lessons helped shape Gary’s own approach to leadership—one grounded in thoughtful analysis, effective communication, and practical problem solving.

Modernizing Executive Search Through Technology

As CIO of Boyden, Gary sits at the intersection of leadership consulting, executive search, and technology transformation.

He believes the search industry is currently experiencing many of the same technology shifts that other industries faced years ago.

“Executive search is going through a lot of the same transformation that accounting, finance, and other industries went through years earlier,” he explains.

Much of his focus today involves helping Boyden modernize how information is managed, connected, and utilized across the organization.

That includes exploring new AI-powered capabilities, improving interoperability between systems, and challenging long-held assumptions about how recruiting technology should work.

Rather than viewing technology as a collection of disconnected tools, Gary sees an opportunity to create a more integrated ecosystem that enables consultants to access information faster and make better decisions.

His perspective reflects a broader trend across the industry: moving beyond traditional systems and toward more intelligent, connected platforms that support decision-making in real time.

Advice for Leaders Entering 2026

When asked what advice he would offer other leaders navigating an increasingly complex business environment, Gary’s response centers on three core principles.

1. Look Beyond the Surface

Leaders should resist the temptation to accept information at face value.

Instead, they should seek a complete understanding of challenges, opportunities, and decisions before taking action.

“Don’t just accept what you see on the surface,” Gary advises. “Dig in and understand the full picture.”

By examining situations from multiple perspectives, leaders can make better decisions and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

2. Be Transparent with Your Team

Gary believes strong leadership begins with clarity and trust.

That means being transparent not only about tasks and expectations but also about growth opportunities and career development.

He encourages leaders to have ongoing conversations with team members about their long-term aspirations and future goals.

If leaders fail to understand where people want to grow, they risk losing talented individuals who feel unseen or unsupported.

“Ask people what they want to do three months from now, three years from now, or at the end of their career,” he says.

For Gary, leadership is about helping people develop—not simply managing the work they do today.

3. Build Genuine Relationships with Customers

The same transparency leaders bring to their teams should extend to their customers.

Whether those customers are clients, stakeholders, or internal business partners, trust is built through consistent conversations and genuine curiosity.

By asking thoughtful questions and understanding what matters most to customers, leaders position themselves to provide meaningful solutions rather than transactional responses.

“You can’t build trust in a single conversation,” Gary explains. “It takes time, consistency, and a willingness to listen.”

A Career Defined by Curiosity

Throughout every chapter of his career—from finance leader to technology executive to transformation strategist—Gary Pikul has remained driven by one thing: curiosity.

He believes organizations improve when leaders ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and focus on understanding problems before rushing to solve them.

That mindset has allowed him to navigate multiple industries, adapt to changing technologies, and lead complex transformations throughout his career.

As organizations continue to evolve through AI, digital transformation, and shifting workforce expectations, Gary’s approach remains remarkably consistent:

Stay curious. Stay transparent. Keep solving problems.

And never stop learning.