Associate
Mariam Whitten has more than 25 years of management experience. Starting in retail and soon moving to the world of art and antiques at Butterfield and Butterfield Auctioneers and Appraisers in San Francisco where, through three promotions, rose from Front Desk Manager to Vice President of Operations and successfully helped support the staff through two ownership changes. As Director of Internet Services, under eBay ownership, Mariam successfully led the Butterfield team in working closely with eBay and a consortium of International auction houses to launch the first online platform to offer dedicated auctions of high-end art and antiques.
When the company was later purchased by Bonhams, Mariam was promoted to Director of Business Management, overseeing 15 specialty department operations managers in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, developing and implementing more efficient, cost effective processes and procedures for managing the sales production process while meeting a tight deadline structure and overseeing the scheduling of auctions and preview logistics in the three US locations. While honing her logistics acumen, Mariam also continued building her people management skills through hiring, training and mentoring a team of managers and working with department heads to meet goals while keeping her team motivated and on track.
Mariam has a proven track record as a strong and fair leader. As Vice President of Operations, her finely tuned judgement was key as she worked effectively with strong personalities to recognize and align common goals to achieve project and company success. Under very complex conditions and budgetary constraints, Mariam knows the subtleties of when to compete and when to support, when to accelerate and when to slow down. She’s well respected by colleagues and clients who speak of her strength and integrity. She’s an adept and creative problem solver, identifying solutions after artfully defining and exploring options.
Mariam often says, “There are no problems, only challenges”. Challenges which she embraces head on until a solution is identified and implemented.