Gavin Kerr

Gavin Kerr is a chief executive known for his strategic insight, ability to achieve results, and proven success in enhancing organizational health and productivity.

As a CEO Mentor, Gavin helps his clients and their organizations find meaning, purpose, and a path to success in their work. He believes a leader’s primary job is to connect people to their purpose, to empower them to do worthwhile work, and lead them in achieving their goals. Gavin works alongside his clients to help them fulfill their aspirations while leading their organizations to success.

Before joining Building Champions as a CEO Mentor, Gavin served as President and CEO for Inglis Foundation, an organization dedicated to enabling both people with disabilities and those who care for them to live life to the fullest. Partnering with the board and leadership team, Gavin dramatically enhanced the organization by improving financial sustainability, implementing a successful culture change initiative, and instituting leadership development and succession planning processes.

Throughout his career, Gavin has held many CEO, COO, Vice-President, and Director roles leading the areas of marketing, human resources, general management, and strategic planning. He directed operations, facilities, and finances as Executive Vice President and COO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, leading the organization in their mission to provide exceptional care to patients in 43 locations, with a team of 10,000 healthcare professionals and generating $1B in revenue. He also served as President and CEO of Mercy Health System, overseeing five hospitals, physician practices, academic programs, and home care services employing over 5,000 staff.

Gavin’s leadership background extends to e-commerce in his former role as President and CEO of AssetTRADE.COM, where he stabilized an early start-up and launched the organization to the Internet marketplace, receiving recognition by Forbes as one of the “Best of the Web.” Formerly, Gavin served in various Vice President leadership positions at University of Pennsylvania Health System where he reported to the CEO of a $2.1B academic health system. Through these roles, he developed extensive experience in board leadership and development.

In his role as CEO Mentor, Gavin desires to help leaders and their organizations achieve greatness while becoming their best selves. He recognizes that business and personal success is built upon a foundation of trust. And, he believes trust is earned by seeking to understand, acting with integrity, and leading with courage. With a focus on values-based cultures, Gavin excels in turning around struggling organizations and building healthy, sustainable businesses.

He holds a Masters of Divinity in Counseling from Princeton Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Colgate University. Gavin and his wife, Cindy, currently reside in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Together they founded and lead Ryan’s Case for Smiles, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping kids with cancer and other life-changing illnesses and injuries feel better to heal better. Their volunteers serve children in 363 hospitals in 120 cities across North America.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill