Karen Niovitch Davis is Partner and Chief Human Resources Officer at leading communications firm, Prosek Partners. Karen is responsible for recruitment, employee relations, and compensations. She also oversees training and development, as well as performance and talent management.
Before her role at Prosek, Karen worked as Director of Human Resources at Third Avenue Management, where she was influential in setting-up, developing, and running the Human Resources department. As Senior Human Resources Relationship Manager at Moore Capital Management, Karen oversaw recruitment, program development, performance management, as well as compensation. Additionally, she facilitated training and development for the trading teams and investment professionals at the firm.
During her tenure at Morgan Stanley, Karen worked as Vice President of Human Resources, where she had a range of functions on a global scale. Karen ran Human Resources for the company‘s Equity Research Division internationally and also led Campus Recruitment for the firm’s Sales, Trading and Research Divisions. In addition, Karen supported Morgan Stanley’s Hong Kong office in implementing the Campus Recruitment program in China.
Karen is the author of the important article titled "Why You Should Write Down Your Company’s Unwritten Rules", published in the Harvard Business Review. In it, she underlines the importance of organizations being aware of the unwritten practices that are ingrained in their company culture. Even in company cultures that are built upon solid, accepted norms, she says, it is a good practice for leaders to assess the unstated rules, behaviors, and expectations from time to time.
Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law from Binghamton University.