GERALD L. PETERSON - "GERRY"
Founder and Managing Principal
Gerry Peterson is the founder and Managing Principal of Tartan Group, LLC, a firm committed to helping organizations across North America find and develop leaders who are critical to business success. With over 25 years of experience in operations leadership and senior HR roles, including at the General Electric Company, Gerry brings a rare blend of business acumen, organizational insight, and leadership strategy to every engagement.
He is the creator of The Pivotal Fit®, Tartan Group’s signature executive search methodology — a rigorous, four-step process designed to bring clarity, confidence, and alignment to high-stakes hiring. Drawing on lessons from Six Sigma and organizational psychology, Gerry developed this approach to help organizations make better leadership decisions — and avoid the costly consequences of a misaligned hire.
A native of western Pennsylvania, Gerry earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh, followed by an MBA with a concentration in Finance from California University of Pennsylvania. He later earned a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, graduating with Highest Distinction. He was invited back to Carnegie Mellon to design and teach a graduate-level course, where he shared his expertise with the next generation of public and private sector leaders.
A certified Six Sigma Green Belt and GE Crotonville instructor, Gerry has trained extensively in Organization Design, Leadership Development, Facilitation, and Change Acceleration Process (CAP). He has developed and delivered executive training programs and coaching engagements across a wide range of industries, always with a focus on measurable performance improvement.
Gerry approaches transformation through a systems lens. He has led multi-billion-dollar change initiatives using tools from the Toyota Production System (LEAN) and Six Sigma. His projects have included enterprise-wide operating model redesign, strategy alignment, employee engagement, leadership development, and end-to-end process integration — all focused on enhancing performance across every major organizational system.
Outside of his professional work, Gerry is a committed community volunteer and a strong supporter of youth development through the Scouting America.
He is currently working on a forthcoming book, “Who Was Your Teacher?”, exploring the formative influences that shape today’s leaders. He welcomes introductions to individuals with compelling stories to contribute to this project.