Claire R. St. Louis, SPHR
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 *********@***.***
Dynamic Talent Strategist and Learning Facilitator
Driven, innovative leader with almost 20 years' experience delivering
exceptional results in driving successful organizational development and
succession management initiatives and strategies. Valued business partner
recognized for establishing collaborative relationships with internal and
external business partners. Areas of expertise include:
Employee On-Boarding & Engagement ( Leadership Development
Strategic Planning & Implementation ( Training & Facilitation
Professional Experience
MESA Research Group Basking Ridge, NJ Oct. 2011-Present
Human Capital Practice Leader
Offers clients across all industries and specializations extensive
experience in talent and succession management, employee on-boarding and
engagement, training and development, communication strategy and branding,
customer relations, organizational effectiveness, and human capital
planning. Speaks at conferences and webinars on topics ranging from HR
image and branding, succession management, on-boarding and strategic
visioning. Facilitates interactive workshops for small and large audiences.
Client engagements include:
> Strategy development and freelance writing for Johnson & Johnson, Dolce
Hotels & Resorts, BASF and Covance's employment branding, talent
acquisition, intranet and social networking platforms.
> Career coaching, personal branding and resume design for various
individual clients.
> Contract training on professional skills and leadership development for a
variety of organizations and enterprises; most recent engagement:
facilitation of in-person training on customer service, business writing
and presentation skills for Sikorsky.
> Teaching assistance in support of on-line liberal arts degree programs at
Ashford University.
United Water Harrington Park, NJ July 1997-Oct. 2011
Vice President, Human Resources, Contract Services, Oct. 2010-Oct. 2011
Vice President, Corporate Human Resources, July-Oct. 2010
Vice President, Talent and Career Development, Jan. 2009-July 2010
Director, Talent Acquisition and Development, May 2006-Jan. 2009
Director, Customer Relations, April 2004-May 2006
Director, Customer Communications, July 2003-April 2004
Manager / Director, Corporate Image Resources, July 1997-July 2003
Continually progressed through company proving invaluable in areas of
client service, talent acquisition and strategic planning to become Vice
President of Human Resources for company's largest business division. Drove
and managed all aspects of human resources and labor relations including
staffing, employee development and employee relations within the division.
Recognized as crucial business partner in the following areas:
Leadership
> Created and implemented division-level Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
Action Plan.
> Represented the company at professional speaking engagements; topics
included HR image and branding, succession management and strategic
visioning. Facilitated annual on-boarding program of 200-250 new hires
from all U.S.-based companies within GDF Suez group.
> Led team in the development and implementation of behavioral interviewing
techniques, standard hiring criteria, interview skills training for
hiring managers, and assessment tools. Increased the quality of the
candidates brought into the organization and decreased time to fill open
positions.
> Designed, implemented and managed company's employee engagement survey
program, including web-based survey and action planning, and multi-
channel communication strategy. Achieved employee participation rate of
over 70% in each survey, far surpassing the participation levels of the
other affiliates in the global organization.
> Managed a cross-functional team and external vendor to design and
deploy a web-based new hire on-boarding tour, on time and on budget,
including a multi-channel communication plan.
Strategic Planning
> Developed and managed a five-year Human Capital Plan to put the right
people in the right roles at the right time, with the right skills and
the right motivation.
> Streamlined annual talent review process by implementing dynamic web-
based platform which enabled executives and HR partners to collaborate on
key talent and succession gaps within their areas.
> Drove Strategic Visioning Programs bringing together high-potential
employees in a "think tank" setting; group generated framework and
release of the company's new mission statement, core values, vision
statement and instrumental new business lines to pursue.
> Spearheaded the development of a best-in-class Career Center on the new
company website.
Talent Acquisition
> Facilitated the alignment of people management strategies and culture to
the needs of the business through management of the company's talent
committee, succession plans and annual talent review process. Led the
team that implemented a web-based succession planning and career
profiling tool (SuccessFactors), which streamlined the capture and
presentation of our succession plans.
> Implemented a talent acquisition and development program to attract,
capture and train talented candidates for the division's most critical
role: the project manager; program created "success profile" against
which potential candidates were screened to ensure placement of the right
candidate in the right role.
> Designed and implemented "United Water Discovery Days" to on-board new
talent across the organization.
Training
> Partnered with senior executives, department heads, project managers and
individuals to conduct training needs assessments; increased
understanding of each of their business objectives and critical skill
needs; designed training to address and build those skills.
> Designed and delivered a variety of training topics, including customer
relations, conflict resolution, employee engagement, succession planning,
diversity awareness, employee recognition and performance management.
> Certified to facilitate 360-degree feedback.
Budget Oversight
> Oversaw Corporate Training and Development function, including
accountability for budget and training content; annual budget ranged each
year from $500K to $1M.
> Saved the company over $72K in 2010 through re-negotiating agreements
with outside training consultants and optimizing spending on temporary
staff.
Additional Experience:
Production Manager, The Louis Berger Group, East Orange, NJ, November 1993
- June 1997
Education and Professional Development
M.S., Professional and Technical Communication ( New Jersey Institute of
Technology, Newark, NJ ( 2000
B.A., English (minor: Sociology) ( Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT (
1993
ICEDR HRD Leadership Program Americas
Suez University: Global Player Program ( Finance for Non-Financials Program
(
Leadership & Change Management Program ( Discovery Program
Certifications and Affiliations
Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources Member,
Bernardsville (NJ) Chamber of Commerce
Member, Society for Human Resource Management Member, American Society
for Training & Development
Speaking Engagements
> "Building a Talent Pipeline: How to Stop Planning for Succession... and
Start Managing It." Fairfield University Alumni Series, December 2012.
> "Strategic Visioning: Tap Your Existing Talent to Build Your Next
Strategic Business Plan." Briefings Media Group audioconference, November
2012.
> "Building a Talent Pipeline: How to Stop Planning for Succession... and
Start Managing It." Webinar Masters, October 2012.
> "Succession Management Best Practices." Performance Management Virtual
Conference. Institute for Human Resources and HR.com, May 2012.
> "Building a Talent Pipeline: How to Stop Planning for Succession... and
Start Managing It." Integrated Talent Management Virtual Conference.
Institute for Human Resources and HR.com, February 2012.
> "Accelerating Productivity through On-Boarding." Institute for Corporate
Productivity (i4cp) Webinar, October 2010.
> "Tap into Your Rising Stars for Building your Next Strategic Business
Plan: Strategic Visioning Program." IQPC Talent Management Summit, Las
Vegas, NV, September 2010.
> "Building a Talent Pipeline: How to Stop Planning for Succession... and
Start Managing It." HR Executive Forum. Connex International, Chicago,
IL, August 2010.
> "Building a Culture of Collaboration." Human Capital Institute Webinar,
August 2010.
> "Developing the Branding and Change Management Strategy for HR
Transformation." Towers Watson HR Service Delivery Forum, Boston, MA, May
2010.
> "HR Portals that Work: An Interactive Discussion." Enwisen Virtual
Roundtable, March 2010.
> "Leveraging Technology to Gain Top-Level Visibility over Your Succession
Planning Pipeline." HR Shared Services & Outsourcing Summit, Chicago, IL,
May 2009.
> "Launching a Successful Emergency Home Repair Program: Weighing the Risks
and Rewards." Energy, Marketing and Customer Service (EMACS) Annual
Conference, Chicago, IL, October 2006.
Articles and Case Studies
> "Ramping up On-Boarding." Article, HR Magazine, May 2010.
> "United Water Begins with U: Roundtable Discussion with United Water
Employees." Article, Diversity Careers magazine, July 2009.
> "United Water Begins with 'U' - Leveraging Web-Based Onboarding to Engage
New Hires, Streamline Costs and Processes." Case Study, Enwisen, June
2009.
> "SuccessFactors and HR Solutions Announce Alliance." Press Release, June
2008.