Private Company Director’s Directors to Watch 2025 highlights 31 significant and diverse directors who have contributed to and will continue to expand ongoing dialogue on board best practices and corporate governance excellence.
Racquel Harris
Carl Buddig and Company, Bader Rutter
Racquel Harris is an independent director with over 25 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies spanning global marketing, strategy, P&L management and retail buying.
She currently serves as an independent director and people & compensation committee chair of Carl Buddig and Company, a family-owned food manufacturing company, and independent director of Bader Rutter, an employee-owned advertising agency. Previously, she served as VP of merchandising for the adult beverage business and senior VP of marketing for Sam’s Club. She also spent 15 years leading the marketing portfolio of several grocery brands at Kraft Foods in both North America and Europe, including as VP of marketing for the flagship Kraft Cheese franchise and the frozen pizza portfolio.
Harris graduated from Duke University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Suggestions don’t always dictate actions: “It is critical for independent directors to be a sounding board for the CEO. Private company CEOs may have limited experience outside their own company and independent directors can fill that gap with their breadth of backgrounds. Directors should probe the CEO on issues keeping them up at night, actively listen to their concerns and provide thoughtful suggestions. To guide the discussion, directors should learn to ask great questions — preferably questions that help a CEO identify solutions. Finally, independent directors need to accept that their suggested approach may not always be the path the CEO decides to take.”