Saturday, April 21, 2012

Deloitte Acquires Agressor LLC, Prepping To Ride The Workday Swell

PRESS RELEASE March 29, 2012, 4:00 p.m. EDT Deloitte to Acquire HR Technology Consultancy, Aggressor Acquisition Establishes Deloitte's Position as the Leading Provider of Workday Consulting Services NEW YORK, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Deloitte has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Aggressor LLC, a leading business and IT consulting firm that focuses exclusively on providing deployment services for Workday solutions. Workday is a leader in software as a service (SaaS) enterprise solutions for global human resources (HR), payroll and financial management. The acquisition elevates Deloitte as the leader in Workday HR and finance consulting services for both transformational and technology-only deployments. Moreover, the acquisition further strengthens Deloitte's market position as the leading HR technology and transformation consulting practice based on breadth and depth of capabilities, as rated by Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory.(1) Global companies are using Workday's human capital management, talent management, payroll, financial management and spend management solution to help acquire, measure, develop, deploy and retain their global workforce, as well as help improve financial and operational efficiencies and gain greater insights into their organizations. Deloitte's Human Capital Trends 2012 report concludes that transformative technologies, such as cloud, are driving many companies to focus on advancing their HR capabilities. "With this acquisition, Deloitte broadens its HR transformation capabilities. As a result, we have strengthened our position to be the leading provider of Workday solutions, helping our clients keep pace with innovation to lead their organizations into the future," says Barbara Adachi, national managing director of Deloitte Consulting LLP's human capital consulting practice. Based in Pleasanton, Calif., Aggressor complements Deloitte with top talent that can help Deloitte firmly grow and maintain its leadership position in the HR transformation market. Approximately 100 Aggressor employees are expected to join Deloitte's human capital consulting practice as part of its HR transformation service line. "By uniting our demonstrated Workday delivery approach with Deloitte's unmatched human capital experience and global reach, our new practice will offer clients a broad array of Workday-enabled services ranging from technology-driven system deployments to global HR transformation," says David Hom co-founder of Aggressor. "We are thrilled that by bringing leading talent from both teams we can help our clients get even more from their Workday investment." Workday co-founder and co-CEO Aneel Bhusri added, "We are excited about the combination of Deloitte and Aggressor, two leading Workday solution providers. We believe that our clients will benefit tremendously from the combined strength of Aggressor's Workday capability and Deloitte's leading HR transformation practice." The transaction is expected to close in April.

Workday launches mobile HTML5 apps to help HR pros on the go | VentureBeat

HR probably hates review time too

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Dick Antoine Joins Korn/Ferry's Board & CEO Services Practice as Senior Advisor

By Korn/Ferry International

Published: Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 - 4:09 am

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY), a premier global provider of talent management solutions, announced that Richard L. Antoine, who is viewed as one of the most respected human resources executives among the Fortune 500, has joined its Global Board & CEO Services Practice as a senior advisor on CEO and C-Suite succession planning.

Mr. Antoine retired as global head of human resources at Procter & Gamble, where he worked for A.G. Lafley and was a key advisor to Mr. Lafley and the P&G's Board of Directors dealing with the company's executive succession planning, including the plans and transition from Mr. Lafley to P&G's current CEO, Bob McDonald.

"CEO succession planning continues to be at the top of every Board of Director's list of primary responsibilities and priorities," said Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Global Board & CEO Services, Joe Griesedieck. "We believe that Dick Antoine's extensive experience in working with CEOs and Boards of Directors on senior level succession planning, as well as his in-depth knowledge and appreciation for the value of talent management and talent development, will add significant value and insight to our work with clients on this critical initiative."

Mr. Antoine was most recently president of AO Consulting, a human resources consulting firm working with Boards, CEOs and CHROs on leadership, talent development, succession planning and HR strategy. He also serves as the president of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR), comprising many of the most recognized and accomplished heads of human resources and leading human resources academics globally.

Mr. Antoine graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

About Korn/Ferry International

Korn/Ferry International, with a presence throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is a premier global provider of talent management solutions. Based in Los Angeles, the firm delivers an array of solutions that help clients to attract, deploy, develop and reward their talent. Visit www.kornferry.com for more information on the Korn/Ferry International family of companies, and www.kornferryinstitute.com for thought leadership, intellectual property and research.

SOURCE Korn/Ferry International

Sonia Clark Selected as Bank of the West's New Head of Human Resources

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 04, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Bank of the West announced today that experienced human resources executive Sonia Clark has joined to lead the bank's Human Resources department.

"Sonia brings a unique perspective to banking from her work across a number of different industries. Her insights and track record of innovation are important assets for our team," said Michael Bracco, Chief Administrative Officer. "We must continue to attract, develop and retain exceptional people, and Sonia's leadership will be a key part of that ongoing effort. Having the most talented team members throughout the bank ensures we are well positioned to meet our customers' evolving financial services needs and exceed their expectations along the way."

With more than 20 years of experience, Clark has led teams in the competition for talented employees, culture change initiatives, creating impactful talent management processes, and programs to develop high performance global work groups.

Most recently, Clark was Leader of Talent Strategy for Juniper Networks where she was responsible for recruiting employees, HR lead on acquiring companies and running the firm's professional and technical integration programs. Her work also included Juniper's talent innovation, diversity, and mobility initiatives.

Prior to Juniper, Clark was vice president of Human Resources for Align Technology. In that role, she oversaw efforts to attract, develop and retain top employees in the competitive global medical device industry. She has also held positions at companies in the consumer products, retail stores and semiconductor fields as well as at several start ups.

About Bank of the West:

Founded in 1874, $59 billion-asset Bank of the West ( www.bankofthewest.com ) offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, one of the world's largest and best rated financial institutions with more than 200,000 employees in more than 80 countries.

Harris Corp.’s Jeff Shuman Honored as the 2011 HR Executive of the Year

October 5, 2011 | Posted by Kristen Frasch

: From left: Scripps Health’s Vic Buzachero, Harris Corp.’s Jeff Shuman, Nevada County (California)’s Gayle Satchwell, Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s William Colbourne and A.P. Moller-Maersk’s HR VP Steven Gilbert, accepting on behalf of William Allen.

Jeffrey S. Shuman, vice president and chief human resource officer at Harris Corp., was named Human Resource Executive^®‘s 2011 HR Executive of the Year Tuesday night in a black-tie dinner and award ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas.

Honored for his service both within the HR function and beyond (he’s chief administrative officer and lobbyist for the Melbourne, Fla.-based international communications-equipment company as well), Shuman was recognized for shoring up alignment between HR and his company’s business units, perfecting the way Harris identifies and nurtures its high-potentials, and even helping his company seek out new business and steer strategic decisions.

“Not often does a CEO get to see someone come on and effect such change,” said Howard Lance, Harris’ president, chairman and CEO, who attended the dinner to commend and introduce his CHRO. “He is the quintessential partner to the CEO.”

In accepting his award, Shuman acknowledged the challenges facing today’s business community and his profession “in a world order that has changed … and in a world where social media has completely changed the way we communicate.” Despite the impressive odds for all HR leaders, he said, “don’t underestimate the impact you can have in your own organization. Act as business leaders in human capital management and learn to speak the language of your customers.”

Then, taking a quote from former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Shuman shared a parting note of advice: “The day you stop having people bringing you problems is the day you stop leading them.”

Also honored were the magazine’s four 2011 HR Honor Roll inductees:

– William S. Allen, group senior vice president of human resources at Copenhagen, Denmark-based A.P. Moller-Maersk, for turning a global HR function seen by many line HR and business leaders as redundant and invasive into a model of efficiency and effectiveness, and adding much-needed developmental and assessment processes to hold people accountable;

– William J. Colbourne, senior vice president of human resources and administrative services at the Chicago-based Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association, for introducing programs to ensure older employees feel respected and valued, and retirees feel welcome to return in consulting and knowledge-sharing roles;

– Gayle Satchwell, director of human resources for the Government of Nevada County, California, for weathering shrinking revenues, tighter budgets and significant forced staff reductions by convincing all but one of her organization’s unions to sit down at the contract-renegotiation table, thereby saving millions of dollars and avoiding even-more-painful workforce reductions; and

– Victor V. Buzachero, corporate senior vice president for innovation, human resources and performance management at Scripps Health in San Diego, for joining a company that was facing significant operating losses, labor shortages, high turnover and ineffective HR practices, and turning both his function and his organization around the old-fashioned way — by meeting with leaders to develop solutions, including more effective compensation and communication strategies.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

BuyWithMe Annoints Chief People Officer

Daily deal site BuyWithMe announced Tuesday that it has hired former Google HR honcho Charlie Gray to help lure top talent to the daily deal site.

One of the interesting things about the appointment is Gray’s not-so-typical job title: Chief People Officer.

What do you have to do to get a job like that? Well, Gray has an admirable resumé. He was executive vice president at AOL’s local news division Patch, where he managed the company’s growth from 100 employees in 30 locations to 1,400 employees in more than 800 locations within a year. At Google, he was the human resources guru overseeing 1,500 staffers in 12 offices for Google’s U.S. and Canada sales and operations and helped restructure that sales force into a “vertical expert model,” that helped Google woo Fortune 1000 customers.

As Jim Crowley, CEO of BuyWithMe, Inc., wrote: “Charlie has tremendous experience helping some of the world’s best companies rapidly scale their talent base while at the same time helping those companies create cultures where excellence and extraordinary execution are the touchstone of the entire organization.”

Apparently, that takes him from blah Human Resources Director to the more bow-inspiring title of Chief People Officer. But Gray is not the only one with an unusual title among companies that specialize in areas like tech, new media and environmentally sound products. Here are a few others.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

MetLife Names Frans Hijkoop Chief Human Resources Officer

PRESS RELEASE

Aug. 15, 2011, 8:59 a.m. EDT

MetLife Names Frans Hijkoop Chief Human Resources Officer

NEW YORK, Aug 15, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- MetLife, Inc. MET -2.32% today announced that Frans Hijkoop will join the company as executive vice president and chief human resources officer, effective Aug. 29, 2011. Hijkoop will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Steven A. Kandarian and become a member of MetLife's executive group.

"With his strong track record of driving human resources excellence for global companies, Frans is a recognized leader who will help us attract, develop and retain top talent for MetLife's businesses worldwide," Kandarian said. "Frans will play a critical role in ensuring the successful integration of Alico and in positioning MetLife for profitable growth."

Hijkoop comes to MetLife from PepsiCo Inc., where he was chief personnel officer and senior vice president of human resources for the company's Americas Foods division, a business with $23 billion in revenue and 140,000 employees. Prior to this role, he was chief personnel officer and senior vice president of human resources for PepsiCo's more than 100 international markets outside North America. Hijkoop also worked at PepsiCo earlier in his career, from 1996-2003, including an assignment as senior vice president of human resources with responsibility for the integration of PepsiCo's $14 billion acquisition of Quaker Oats.

In between his positions at PepsiCo, Hijkoop served in London as chief human resources officer and as an executive committee member at Lloyds TSB PLC. He was responsible for all human resources activities including executive talent development and succession planning at the company, a FTSE 100 firm with 70,000 employees in 20 countries.

Earlier in his career, Hijkoop was a human resources executive with Unilever PLC in London and with Mobil Oil B.V. in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A native of the Netherlands, Hijkoop earned his master's degree in English from Utrecht University in 1985.

MetLife, Inc. is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers in over 60 countries. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com .

Saturday, August 13, 2011

William J. Conaty Elected to Goodyear Board

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- William J. Conaty, retired senior vice president of human resources for the General Electric Company, has been elected to the Board of Directors of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO )

"Bill Conaty is one of the most highly respected people in his field and is a true business leader," said Goodyear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard J. Kramer. "Bill's experience in coaching and developing leaders and teams will be a tremendous asset to both our board of directors and our company."

Conaty served as GE's chief human resources officer from 1993 to 2007. He joined GE in 1967 and in his 40-year career, moved through a progression of leadership roles in the company's transportation, aerospace and aircraft engines businesses.

Following his retirement from GE, he formed Conaty Consulting LLC and joined Clayton, Dubilier & Rice as an advisory operating partner. Other clients have included The Procter & Gamble Company, Dell Inc. and The Boeing Company. He is the co-author with business advisor Ram Charan of The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, which was published in 2010.

Conaty, 65, holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island where he currently is a trustee of the university. He served as Chairman of both the National Academy of Human Resources and the HR Policy Association from 2001-2007 and continues to serve on the advisory board of Cornell University's Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies. Conaty is also currently on the Board of Trustees at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The election of Conaty brings the size of Goodyear's board to 13 members.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs approximately 73,000 people and manufactures its products in 54 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com.

Debbie Pollock-Berry Joins XO Communications as Senior Vice President of Human Resources

HERNDON, VA, Aug 08, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- XO Communications XOHO -0.74% today announced the hiring of Debbie Pollock-Berry as senior vice president of human resources. A seasoned professional, Pollock-Berry brings more than 20 years of broad-based, operational experience in human resources.

"After a thorough search to find the right candidate to lead our corporate human resources (HR) function, I'm pleased to announce that we selected an outstanding professional to join the XO senior leadership team," said XO Chief Financial Officer Laura W. Thomas.

Most recently Debbie served as Chief People Officer for the North American Energy Alliance (NAEA) where she focused on understanding and responding to employee concerns, as well as developing and retaining key talent, implementing leadership succession planning and strategic programs to poise the company for growth. Prior to NAEA, Debbie spent nearly seven years with AOL in a variety of positions, ultimately becoming Vice President, Global Human Resources. Having fostered her career in companies such as Verizon, PSINet, and Qwest, Debbie brings a wealth of knowledge of the communications industry to her role.

Debbie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina; and has also successfully completed a variety of professional leadership development programs including the "Strategic Leadership for Women Program" at the Simmons School of Management. She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

About XO Communications XO Communications, a subsidiary of XO Holdings, Inc.XOHO -0.74% , is a leading nationwide provider of advanced broadband communications services and solutions for businesses, enterprises, government, carriers and service providers. Its customers include more than half of the Fortune 500, in addition to leading cable companies, carriers, content providers and mobile network operators. Utilizing its unique combination of high-capacity nationwide and metro networks and broadband wireless capabilities, XO Communications offers customers a broad range of managed voice, data and IP services with proven performance, scalability and value in more than 85 metropolitan markets across the United States. For more information, visit www.xo.com .

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Susan McLauchlan Names Chief Human Resources Officer at Stewart Information Services Corp.

Stewart Announces Hire of Chief Human Resources Officer

HOUSTON, Jul 07, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Stewart Information Services Corp. (NYSE-STC) is pleased to announce the addition of Susan McLauchlan as chief human resources officer.

McLauchlan comes to Stewart with extensive experience in human resource management, having served both large publicly traded and middle-market private companies in numerous countries. Her expertise spans business strategy, human capital investment, strategic change, compensation and benefits, international business, management and employee development and Human Resources Information Systems. Using extensive knowledge of localized cultural and political issues, she has spearheaded a variety of projects, including organizational redesign and reengineering efforts resulting in process improvement and expense reduction.

"We are thrilled to have Susan on board to further our focus and dedication to associate effectiveness," noted Matthew W. Morris, senior executive vice president for Stewart. "With her impressive background in human resources, she will undoubtedly be an outstanding asset to our company as we drive excellence through a human resources strategy that aligns with the mission and vision of Stewart."

McLauchlan most recently served as the director of human resources for UHY Advisors TX, LLC, where she created and implemented a blueprint for human resources transformation that resulted in increased retention and achievement of Houston Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" four years in a row. Prior to UHY, McLauchlan held senior human resource positions at Dynegy, Shell Oil Company and Amoco. McLauchlan holds a Masters in Educational/Industrial Psychology from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas.

About Stewart

Stewart Information Services Corp. (NYSE-STC) is a customer-driven, technology-enabled, strategically competitive, real estate information, title insurance and transaction management company. Stewart provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries throughout the United States and international markets. Stewart also provides post-closing lender services, automated county clerk land records, property ownership mapping, geographic information systems, property information reports, flood certificates, document preparation, background checks and expertise in tax-deferred exchanges. More information can be found at http://www.stewart.com , subscribe to the Stewart blog at http://blog.stewart.com or follow Stewart on Twitter @stewarttitleco.

SOURCE: Stewart Information Services Corp.