About Kara
Expertise
Kara Gruver is a partner in Bain & Company's Boston office. She is a leader in Bain's Consumer Products practice.
Kara has nearly 30 years of consulting and industry experience. She was recognized as one of the Top 25 Consultants 2017 by Consulting Magazine for Excellence in Leadership.
Kara serves as a strategic business advisor to clients in the consumer products and retail industries, supporting them on issues including corporate strategy, pricing and trade strategy, M&A, innovation, supply chain restructuring and organizational effectiveness. She has developed deep expertise working with a broad set of clients across multiple industries on operating model, decision effectiveness and innovation.
Kara joined Bain in 1986 and was one of the founding members of the Chicago office, spending three years investing in the local clients and team to create a scale presence in the market. Before stepping into leadership of the Boston office, she served as the head of the firm's North American Consumer Products practice.
She holds an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, where she was selected a Shermet Scholar. She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a BA in Computer Science.
Recent Insights
- “The Top 25 Consultants 2017,” Consulting Magazine, May 2017
- “Innovation in Consumer Goods: Heroes to the Rescue,” Brief, September 2015
- “Deciding to fight or play in the private-label arena,” Brief, June 2011
- “Innovation in Turbulent Times,” Article, September 2009
- “Innovation in turbulent times,” Harvard Business Review, June 2009, Article