Barbara Blum

“The moment when a meeting concludes and you think, ‘I don’t think that could’ve gone any better, connecting with the client and delivering a creative, engaging solution’…That is the best,” Barbara enthuses. She’s connected with the right role at SmithGroup, developing client relationships for the new Atlanta office. “Business development is all about relationships and connecting the dots,” she suggests. “Connections often develop in surprising ways, so it’s a matter of being agile and strategic.” Barbara describes her typical day as “a shuffle of meetings—internal and external—and then putting together all the nuggets I gathered. Collaboration is the core of business development.” After a couple of years of pandemic life, Barbara would enjoy recharging her creativity in Copenhagen. “I’d spend my time touring art museums and checking out the architecture. Sketchbook in hand, it would be a week of design, dining, and art inspiration.”