Ekaterina (Katya) Gorokhova

Katya is vice president and practice lead for KellyOCG® Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) in EMEA, responsible for a team of more than 150 RPO professionals supporting over 55 programs. She oversees the strategic and operational direction of the solution portfolio with a strong focus on growth.

Throughout her career, Katya has worked in Russia and Europe in a variety of leadership roles and began her career in sales management at Unilever before joining Kelly® in 1999. At Kelly, Katya has held several senior positions, including general manager for Sweden and group leader for Russia, Poland, and Hungary.

Known for building strong relationships with colleagues, competitors, and clients, Katya believes that fostering a sense of community across the industry is one of the most powerful ways to meet common goals. She brings an entrepreneurial spirit to every challenge, focusing on key strategic areas to drive success. Respect and integrity are the foundation of her leadership style and she takes pride in building diverse, high-performing teams.

Katya is active in the industry and is recognized for her extensive work advocating for temporary staffing in Eastern Europe and as the former General Manager of the non-commercial Association of Private Employment Agencies. She has also been named to Staffing Industry Analysts’ Global Power 100 – Women in Staffing list and featured in the Top 1000 Russian Managers list by Kommersant for more than 15 years.

Katya has a master’s degree in Technical Sciences from Leningrad Polytechnic Institute and earned further management qualifications at the University of Chicago in a joint program with the Instituto de Empresa (Spain).

Outside of work, Katya spends her free time with her husband and two daughters and enjoys ballroom dancing. She competes occasionally and her favorite dance is the Foxtrot.