
Amber Kennelly
Chief Human Resources Officer

About Amber
Amber Kennelly, partner, is the chief human resources officer (CHRO) at William Blair, where she leads our global human resources team. She is accountable for human resource strategy development, programs and processes across the firm including accountability for global compensation and benefits, HR business partners, HRIS, firm inclusion and culture, learning and development, and talent acquisition.
Before joining William Blair, Amber served as CHRO for HUB International, an insurance brokerage company headquartered in Chicago, where she and her team were responsible for supporting over 15,000 employees across 500 offices.
Prior to joining HUB, Amber served as vice president of total compensation and was officer at Allstate Insurance Company. During her twelve-year Allstate tenure, Amber served as vice president of human resources for Esurance, an independently operated subsidiary located in San Francisco, and led the executive compensation, executive development, leadership development, and executive talent acquisition functions for the company. Amber's earlier career included eight years at two leading retained executive search firms, and positions at Deloitte & Touche as an audit professional and Jones Lang LaSalle as an assistant controller.
Amber enjoys chairing the William Blair benefit committee, coordinating our four employee-led Alliances, and serving on the national board for CareerSpring. She is also active in the HR community and serves on the advisory boards of several CHRO organizations. She holds an M.B.A. from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Science with honors in accountancy from the University of Illinois. Amber has also earned designations as a CPA and Certified Compensation Professional. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, two sons, and daughter.
About William Blair
William Blair is a premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.*
-
1935
Year William Blair was founded
-
1,900+
Employees worldwide
-
147 billion+
Client assets
-
90 Years
Independent and employee-owned
-
20+
Offices worldwide
-
~650
Companies under coverage
As of December 31, 2024
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.