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FREDERICKSON PARTNERS NEWSLETTER NEWS YOU CAN USE |
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February | ||||||
IN THIS ISSUE: | ||||||
LETTER FROM VALERIE | CURRENT HR EXECUTIVE SEARCHES RECENTLY COMPLETED SEARCHES | FEATURED HR PLACEMENTS HR MOVES AND PROMOTIONS | THE COVID CORNER |
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The Year of the New Startup | ||||||
Did you hear about the record funding for startups last year? U.S. VC investing reached a record $130 billion in 2020, and investors raised $1.1 trillion from IPOs, making 2021 a double avalanche. Two large funding recipients in January were Cockroach Labs, a cloud DBMS founded by ex-Google employees raising $160 million, and TripActions, for corporate travel, raising $155 million (both Series E). | ||||||
This record-setting funding has changed the rulebook once again for startups. making it a higher priority than ever to get to market, and gain a sustainable customer base and market share. The role of talent has greater significance than we’ve ever seen and elevates the Head of People/HR role to new heights. Companies with just 30 employees are asking us for a strategic Head of HR who can take the lead on everything from organizational planning, culture, and systems for growth and scale, to diversity. More CEOs are taking a deep dive with us on what they want in the HR function, in ways I’ve never experienced in the last 26 years. They want to know exactly what a candidate can do about culture or D&I. A new trend is what I'm calling "Acqui-HR'ing," selecting a Head of People/HR based on how many team members they can bring with them. | ||||||
With companies hiring a Head of HR so early and the stakes for startups astronomical, required skill sets are once again changing. Now it's an HR executive who can both closely strategize, consult and deep dive in areas from talent acquisition to total rewards. We’re also seeing more Heads of HR from large companies want to go to startups because of the fun and potential to make serious money, and the chance to have a greater impact.Should be a wild ride. | ||||||
Best, | ||||||
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FREDERICKSON CURRENT HUMAN RESOURCE EXECUTIVE SEARCHES |
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SAMPLE RECENTLY COMPLETED PEOPLE/HR SEARCHES |
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SPOTLIGHT COMPLETED PEOPLE/HR SEARCH – KLAVIYO |
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We partnered with Klaviyo to place Ed Meskey as Director, Human Resources. Meskey will report to Chief People Officer Jenny Dearborn and play a critical role in helping lead the strategy and design of Klaviyo’s HR programs as it expands. Meskey joins Klaviyo from Bird, an eco-transportation startup where he was Head of Tech HR Business Partners and Senior HR Business Partner (HRBP). Previously he was Senior HR Manager in Azure Cloud Storage at Microsoft, held HRBP roles at Facebook, Dropbox and Microsoft, and was an HR Generalist at GE. Meskey started his career in the U.S. Air Force. Meskey has an M.S. in HR and employment relations and a B.S. in labor studies and employment relations from Penn State University. Ed, welcome to Klaviyo and congratulations! |
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SPOTLIGHT COMPLETED PEOPLE/HR SEARCH – PLAYVOX |
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We partnered with Playvox to place Ismaily Piedra as Vice President, Global People and Culture. Piedra will be based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and will develop and lead the overall people functions for Playvox and develop its talent strategy for the next phase of growth. She joins from consumer electronics startup Magic Leap as Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP), and previously was HR Director at Xerox Corporation, overseeing HR across Latin America. She also held HR leadership roles at Newell Rubbermaid and Discovery Communications, LLC. Piedra has an M.S. in HR management from Nova Southeastern University, and a B.S. in business administration and HR management and A.A. in accounting, both from Hawaii Pacific University. Congratulations Ismaily on joining Playvox! |
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HR MOVES AND PROMOTIONS | ||||||
Some recent notable job moves and promotions by C-level and senior HR executives in the industry include:
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THE COVID CORNER | ||||||
A Silver Lining: The Little School | ||||||
My kids and I are 337 days into our lockdown. Hermione and Dashiell are fine, but Mom is a bit stir crazy and would like to dress up and go shopping or out to dinner sometime. | ||||||
Our Little School is continuing with my two fifth graders and four friends. This has been the best part of Covid-19 for me: experiencing six sweet little people having an amazing year with Miss Maddie, our gift-from-God, Northwestern University graduate, 23-year-old teacher. My twins are getting straight A’s in math for the first time, and their Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds, because the other kids speak it during recess. All the kids are in much better physical shape because I push sports, and have improved academically and bonded as a little unit. The Little School is doing tennis or soccer weekly, plus Covid tests Fridays. They bike to everything with Miss Maddie, a tiny Mary Poppins leading the troops. The kids also come to our house on weekends to play together, or I take them to the beach. It's an investment to register all for tennis or windsurfing, but seeing them thrive and hearing their joyous yells while I work from the pool house is something I will cherish my whole life. In fact, as they're all thriving with this approach, I’m not sure if returning to a real school will be best and am now exploring creative options for next year. |
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Covid Meme of the Month |
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Frederickson Partners, a Gallagher company is a market leader in retained executive search since 1995. As one of the top-rated HR executive search and C-suite recruiting firms, we have expertise in placing Chief People Officers, Chief Human Resources Officers, Chief Diversity Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Legal Officers and many other senior leaders. We draw on a broad network of rising and established executives and leaders, and a 28-year reputation as a talent acquisition and HR Advisory provider.