It’s safe to say that Linda Bialecki was ahead of her time. As the founder of Bialecki Inc., Linda focused on advancing women’s progress in the corporate world by recruiting and promoting the best talent. “At Bialecki Inc., our (secret) mission was to identify talented women for every search — when no one was looking for them. Our Wall Street clients trusted our extensive research, our uncompromising evaluations, and our candor,” says Linda. Leading investment banks hired Bialecki Inc. to recruit top talent, and the company stood out by consistently finding and recommending women for jobs that would otherwise have gone to men. Under Linda’s leadership, Bialecki Inc. was named one of the “50 Most Influential Headhunters in the World” by BusinessWeek.
Linda’s diligence and determination paid off as Bialecki Inc. became known for the quality and depth of its database, one of the first relational databases in the industry. “We were early in leveraging technology,” she explains. That database would still surpass the capabilities of many search firms today. Her unique approach was so successful that Stanford GSB taught a case study, “Performance Evaluation: Bialecki Inc.,” on her methodology in its MBA and Executive Education programs.
Linda maintains close ties to the GSB. She served as co-chair of the Board Match Committee for Stanford Women on Boards. During her tenure, SWB’s ability to match Stanford alumni with board openings tripled, using a new process and technology. Even today, Linda leads her Stanford GSB Circle and recently hosted one of the 100 small dinners to celebrate the Centennial. She’s also instrumental in organizing content and keeping tabs on alumni happenings for every Stanford GSB reunion. Through her vision and purposeful work, Linda has truly changed the lives of many, including that of her own daughter. “She’s the best mom for me, and inspired me to pursue a challenging career. We are, to our knowledge, the first mother/daughter at Stanford GSB, so in some ways you can say we changed the GSB itself,” says Kristin Hoefer, MBA ’97.
