Karen O'Leary

Karen is the General Manager of Human Resources at Russell McVeagh and is based in Auckland. She is an experienced, commercially focused, empathetic HR leader with extensive experience and capability in senior HR roles.

Karen's expertise is utilised right across the firm's people experience, including recruitment, talent and capability management, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, learning and leadership development and remuneration.

Karen has over ten years of HR experience in professional services and financial services both in New Zealand and in the UK.

Prior to joining Russell McVeagh in July 2022, Karen was the Senior People and Culture Manager at another large New Zealand law firm for five years. Before that, she spent six years with Allen & Overy LLP, based in London. Earlier in her career, Karen worked with ANZ in New Zealand.  

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), Human Resource Management and Operations Management, University of Canterbury