Fortune
by Caroline Fairchild
The Hill Holliday CEO finds herself leading the Boston-based ad firm after working her way up the corporate ladder.
Karen Kaplan didn’t even want to work in advertising when she applied for her first job at the Boston-based ad firm Hill Holliday. At the age of 22, Kaplan walked into the company’s office for an interview to be a receptionist. She was looking for a low-commitment job that would help pay the bills while she saved money for law school and studied for the LSAT. Some 32 years later, Kaplan hasn’t left Hill Holliday. Now, after having 16 different jobs at the firm, she’s the company’s chief executive.
The receptionist turned CEO talked to Fortune about her unpredictable career path, what it was like to work in advertising in the 1980s, and the best advice she ever had. Read full article.