John Gilleland is the only one of the five original executives who helped launch Campbell Global LLC 33 years ago remaining at the timber investment management firm.
Campbell Global's flat structure has enabled succession to go on “without a blip,” said Mr. Gilleland, CEO and chairman.
Mr. Gilleland joined the Portland, Ore.-based money manager just after it was founded by Duncan Campbell in 1982, before timber was an established asset class among institutional investors, he said. Mr. Campbell retired in 2009.
“We have distinct teams, however, no single department or team can operate alone,” Mr. Gilleland said. “We deliberately avoid silos. We deliberately avoid isolation.”
Campbell Group also has a group of “future leaders” from all disciplines around the firm that work on issues and make recommendations to the executive team, he said.
