August was another busy month across US HR leadership, with thousands of new hires and promotions captured in Honch. That’s your cue to engage while strategies, budgets and tech stacks are in motion.

3,049 New HR leaders taking the helm (selected highlights)

• Zoot Enterprises — Amy Webbink, Vice President of Human Resources
• Pappas Restaurants — Evelina Rojas, Vice President of Human Resources
• Universal Music Group — Timo Gorner, Vice President, People Business Partner
• Pittsburgh Penguins — Rachel Brecht, Chief People Officer
• Uniti Group Inc. — Andrea Harper‑Presley, Vice President – Human Resources
• USA DeBusk — Huei‑Ren Pan, Chief Human Resources Officer
• VB Spine — Rachel Robinson, Chief Human Resources Officer
• Swisher — Michael Rady, Executive Vice President, People & Culture
• Samuels Seafood — Michael Smith, Vice President, Human Resources
• Crexi — Monica Robinson, Vice President, Total Rewards & People Operations
• Edelman — Victoria Gerstorfer, VP, Learning & Development
• Yielder — Martje Gescher, Chief Human Resources Officer
• Bloomin’ Brands — Jessica Mitory, Chief Human Resources Officer
• Balfour & Co — Lisa Trefois, Chief Human Resources Officer
• Bridgewater Bank — Ali Schmidt, Vice President, Human Resources
• Calabrio — Helen Vergel de Dios, VP, HR
• Performance Foodservice — Cheryl Jensen, Vice President, Human Resources

Why this matters: New leaders typically review org design, people analytics, benefits, L&D and HRIS within their first 90 days. It’s a prime window for discovery calls, diagnostics and pilot proposals.

Promotions driving strategic HR agendas

Honch tracked 2,316 promotions in August. Selected highlights:

• BNP Paribas — Carl Manawelian, Vice President, HR Business Partner
• Intuit — Caryl Hilliard, Chief People & Places Officer
• RR Donnelley — Christine Hertneky, Vice President, Human Resources
• Target — Christine Robles, Vice President, Stores Human Resources
• SSAB — Frida Wennberg, VP, People & Culture
• Love’s Travel Stops — Les Thompson, Executive Vice President & CHRO
• Continuum Global Solutions — Lisa Hanlon, Chief People Officer
• Walmart — Mandy Mcdonald‑Brashear, SVP & Chief People Officer, Global Corporate Functions
• The Kraft Heinz Company — Rodolfo Camacho, Global Chief People Officer

Why this matters: Promotions often come with expanded remits and budgets. Leaders are incentivised to deliver quick wins — ideal timing for roadmap accelerators, change management support and ROI‑backed upgrades.

CEO moves that will influence HR strategy

New chief executives set the tone for workforce strategy, culture and investment priorities:

• GXO Logistics — Patrick Kelleher, CEO
• Ben & Jerry’s — Jochanan Senf, CEO
• Athleta — Maggie Gauger, President & CEO
• Club Car — Craig Scanlon, President & CEO
• DHL Supply Chain Europe — Rainer Haag, CEO
• O2 Daisy — Jo Bertam, CEO
• Pizza Pilgrims — Gavin Smith, CEO

Why this matters: New CEOs frequently trigger org redesigns, EX initiatives and vendor rationalization. Expect HR to reassess talent strategies, skills programmes and HR tech stacks to match the refreshed corporate agenda.

Where to focus, fast

• Food & Hospitality (Pappas Restaurants, Bloomin’ Brands, Pizza Pilgrims, Performance Foodservice): Pitch labor planning, frontline EX, scheduling/compliance, multi‑site onboarding.
• Media & Marketing (Universal Music Group, Edelman): Emphasize skills intelligence, L&D personalization, global mobility and creator/agency workforce models.
• Industrial & Services (USA DeBusk, Swisher, Samuels Seafood): Lead with safety, shift optimization, benefits modernization and wage‑inflation analytics.
• Financial Services (Bridgewater Bank, BNP Paribas): Focus on risk‑aware talent mobility, regulatory training, internal talent marketplaces.
• Tech & SaaS (Calabrio, Crexi): Prioritize people analytics, TR comp governance, AI‑assisted hiring and retention playbooks.
• Sports & Entertainment (Pittsburgh Penguins): Spotlight culture, DEI strategy, volunteer/staff alignment and seasonality planning.

Make the first 30 days count

1. Day 0–7: Congratulations note + 20‑minute discovery. Offer a fast diagnostic (attrition hot‑spots, skills gaps, benefits take‑up).
2. Day 8–20: Socialize a pilot with 2–3 measurable outcomes (e.g., onboarding time ↓, store‑level turnover ↓, internal fill rate ↑).
3. Day 21–30: Executive readout with ROI, rollout options and change plan.

Used by SAP, HiBob, Mercer and Sage, Honch continually tracks these HR changes so you can engage precisely when decision‑makers are reviewing solutions.

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