William G. Varnell
Bill Varnell is a broadly experienced executive and career consultant.
He has worked for over thirty years in industry and has been a CEO of a statewide organization, two national companies, and an international firm. He now has a private practice in Career Consulting.
As a CEO he recognized that his personal and professional successes were a direct result of the success of the staff he assembled and coached. This experience, and the pleasure he derived from it, led him to career consulting.
Bill moved into career consulting taking the
position of Vice President with Manchester, an international career
management firm. Within a few
months he was asked to lead the professional staff and oversee all
services provided to Manchester’s customers in both its Boston and
Waltham offices. In this
capacity Bill led the quality improvement process, hired and evaluated
staff and connected candidates and counselors.
Most importantly, he worked
with a wide range of senior level candidates working successfully to find
and develop new career options.
He now has created an independent, Career Consulting practice with exclusive focus on senior level people who are:
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seeking employment;
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seeking to change employment;
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interested in being in business for themselves; or,
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creating and managing balance as they move toward an active retirement combining their passion for work as well as the joy of leisure.
This is the fifth business Bill has developed, the third business of his own. He started his first business at age fourteen.
Trained as a mathematician at Jacksonville University (B.A.) and Duke University (M.A.) Bill began his formal work life as a college teacher and consultant. His consulting led to a career with Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Florida and Ohio. He ultimately became the senior corporate officer for managed care, responsible for leadership of an HMO, two other healthcare delivery systems and all relationships with healthcare providers. Over 1000 people were employed in this $170 million operation. The significant result from this effort was to take the financially failing HMO to profitability, while assuring growth and stability. First year results included a 16% improvement in results and the first profitable year in memory.
Bill was recruited to become the President and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) in Denver, Colorado. This organization was in a difficult financial situation but was turned around and made financially sound. In addition a national home nursing care organization was organized to leverage the capacity of the more than 450 Visiting Nurse Associations around the country. This became the largest and best-known home care provider in the national marketplace with nearly 15% market share attained in just three years.
He left VNAA and began to work with a variety of clients as an independent consultant developing strategic business partnerships between symbiotic organizations. He developed business transition and succession plans for a family owed conglomerate and developed a national group purchasing strategy for a national healthcare charity.
He was then recruited to become the President of a medical liability systems and healthcare quality improvement firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This start up proceeded through two rounds of funding, exceeded first year sales goals by 450% and continues to develop.
It was during this time that his interest in career management became clear and Bill managed his career into a new industry.
Bill is married to a wonderful lady, Mary, has a terrific daughter and a new grandson. He has golf clubs and goes around the course but does not claim to actually play golf.