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Conference call: Kouhaila (Ki) Hammer President and CEO of Ghafari (Hot Firm #54 for 2017), a 550-person multi-discipline firm based in Dearborn, Michigan.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
“I would describe myself as a people person and am elated to see colleagues develop into mature leaders – wheth- er in the technical disciplines or in management,” Hammer says. “Most of my career has been fun.” A CONVERSATION WITH KI HAMMER. The Zweig Letter: Diversity and inclusion is lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? Ki Hammer: We’ve always been diverse. Our culture is open and welcoming – it’s just who we are. It’s evident when you look around while walking through our buildings. There are 10 languages spoken here. Our mantra is to “embrace it and live it.” TZL: Do you tie compensation to performance for your top leaders? KH: Yes. We have a list of metrics that we use depending on the position. It’s always tied to company results first and then some of the following: division profitability, individual performance for new sales, revenue and new markets and long-term performance – annual and rolling metrics.
TZL: Do you share base salary or bonus amounts with your entire staff? KH: We have a bonus program for the general staff. It’s dis- cretionary and bonuses are paid almost every year. Manag- er bonuses are a percentage of their salary based on perfor- mance and for staff, each manager is awarded a pool of dol- lars, predicated on certain factors, and with oversight from HR the manager decides how to distribute it. TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s? “We’ve always been diverse. Our culture is open and welcoming – it’s just who we are. It’s evident when you look around while walking through our buildings. There are 10 languages spoken here.”
THE ZWEIG LETTER Nove
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