“It becomes up to the HR leader within
the organization to be able to make that
happen on a proactive basis,” he said. “HR
leaders see that people should be a fundamental
part of an organizational strategy,
and I think it’s up to the HR leader to actually
make that happen.”
YOU ARE HERE
Forming strategic partnerships takes a
certain view of one’s self and how to work
within the executive ranks. It is, therefore,
important to know what sets you apart
from other high level management at your
organization.
“Both my role and the CFO role are the
only roles that can go anywhere within the
organization,” said Suanne Nielsen, senior
VP and chief talent officer with Foresters
in Toronto. “If I believe we have a peoplerelated
issue, I can insert myself into it and
it’s unusual by that nature.”
She says, however, that HR VP roles are
also unusual in relation to other C-suite
cover feature
executives because they act as a coach to
the CEO in full support of the CEO’s
mandate.
“There aren’t many places internally
that a CEO can go to talk about concerns
around people,” said Nielsen. “The CEO
will need a confidential executive with
whom to speak with about peer-related issues.”
She recently supported a new CEO
that was brought in from the U.S. by getting
him up to speed and helped refresh
his business strategy.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ 25