30 years Learning & OrgDev

Nora Arant Brennan, M.A. (she/her)

Passionate, fun-loving, & human-centered performance leader with over 30 years’ experience in driving bottom-line impact through expert design & execution of solutions for staff, customer, & organizational development. Known for strong integrity & high emotional intelligence. Proven ability to dissipate resistance & build sustainable credibility. Trusted change agent, counselor, & coach/mentor.

Leadership • Customer Success & Retention • Process Optimization • Data Analysis & Insights • Technology & Tools • Collaboration & Communication • Customer Advocacy • Staff & Customer Development • KPI Consultation/Management • Risk-Based Quality Management (RBQM) • Clinical Trial Project Management(CTPM) • Curriculum & Instructional Design • Virtual/Distance Adult Learning • Project Management • Instructional Design/Learning Technology & Methodologies (ADDIE, SAM, etc.)

Certifications

Risk-Based Quality Management, Cyntegrity Data Science for Clinical Trials: White, Green, Black Belts

Magic of Customer Relations, Default Negotiations, Communico, Ltd.

Performance Consulting, ATD

MBTI, Steps I, II

Interaction Management, DDI

Leadership for Results, Quest for Quality: Employees & Managers, Achieve Global

Franklin Covey Facilitator

Accelerated Learning, David Meiers

Integrity Sales Training, Integrity Systems

Accelerated Sales & Service Training, Richardson

Instructional Design, Facilitation Skills, Training Management, Langevin

Fish! Philosophy, Charthouse International Learning Corp.

Professional Experience

CYNTEGRITY GmbH 11/2022 – Present

A premier provider for AI-augmented Risk-based Quality Management (RBQM) SaaS Solutions for the BioPharma industry world-wide to reduce human risk and optimize clinical research operations.

Head of Customer Success

Facilitate achievement of customer business goals through designing, building & leading consistent customer success efforts from onboarding through all phases of the customer lifecycle.

Improved Customer Happiness Score from 80% to 100% in first year, sustained in 2nd.

Improved Customer’s Vendor Score from 3 to 5 (Scale of 1-5).

Created org’s first Customer Success functional framework, current & future strategy.

Built Customer Onboarding program including Change Management support & Training.

Advised leadership on various business strategies: educational programming, leadership communications & styles, HR practices, employee & customer training, customer relationships.

Redesigned processes across the enterprise to facilitate faster & better quality for our customers, & to prepare for scaling the business.

Partnered with diverse international organization from 17 countries across 4 continents.

to build a customer-centric company culture.

BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB / The Judge Group 02/2021 – 10/2022

Global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop & deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

Training Manager, Clinical Trial Risk Management (CTRM) (contract)

Owned the Learning deliverables for a complex enterprise-wide change for Clinical Trial Risk Management.

Successfully assessed/advocated for learner needs, delivery style/mechanism, evaluation criteria & method.

Designed/Implemented role-based, blended style curricula for all user roles at system implementation go live, for continued, more advanced education, & more independent curricula for future newcomers to project.

Provided all deliverables ahead of time & under budget.

MERCK / The Fountain Group 07/2020 – 02/2021

Inventing for life, bringing forward medicines & vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save & improve lives.

Human Performance Specialist / Deviation Management (contract)

Partnered with all levels of union & non-union employees to uncover/remedy latent errors in systems, processes & procedures. Investigated deviations, recommended CAPA, implemented sustainable, proactive solutions in pursuit of reduced deviations.

Consistently surpassed goals.

INTEGRATED PROJECT SERVICES (IPS), LLC 01/2017 – 01/2020

Leading provider of consulting, architecture, engineering, construction management, & CGMP compliance services for the biotechnology, life sciences & pharmaceutical industries.

Director, Learning & Development

Created org’s first L&D department to support key revenue drivers. Built Learning Culture & ecosystem with focused strategic direction. Business Partner/Performance Consulting: diagnosed pinch-points, partnered to design/build innovative solutions to drive organizational performance.

Successfully advocated leadership to:

Shift a fundamental business plan philosophy from “100% seller-doer” to initiating a Sales team, resulting in immediate significant uptick in Project Wins.

Modernize HR strategy to proactive Talent Management & Global Business Partner, resulting in increased efficiencies & credibility for HR (Competencies, Career Pathing, Recruitment Strategy Compensation Policy).

Singlehandedly designed, implemented & trained Performance Management program, driving engagement from 15% -99% in first year. (From paper to system, major cultural change.)

Created, launched, led successful US-wide employee Onboarding program.

Implemented, launched & trained enterprise wide LMS.

Implemented, trained & successfully drove Peer Recognition Program.

Developed 3-tier Management Leadership Curriculum.

Conceptualized, initiated & led Women’s Initiative Affinity Group (WIPS-Women of IPS), which opened the door to other affinity groups, like the Black Employees &LGBTQ+ Employees groups.

CDM SMITH, INC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 02/2013 – 01/2017

Engineering & construction company providing solutions in water, energy, transportation, & facilities projects for government & private clients.

Lead Training Specialist

Lead & project managed all learning initiatives from proposal/SOW development to continuous improvement for technical & interpersonal skills. Mentored junior staff.

Effectively campaigned for & introduced soft skills curricula to organization.

Introduced & Trained Trainers in new delivery styles: soft skills delivery, Flipped Classroom, Micro Learning, Social Learning, Mentoring & Lynda.com self-directed resource.

Introduced & embedded ADDIE & SAM Instructional Design processes & created process tools to ID Team Development

Implemented & managed ID Team development initiatives: Yammer Learning, Think Tank (innovation), Book Club, State of the Team

PENTEC HEALTH, INC, Boothwyn, Pennsylvania 01/2010 – 01/2013

Leading protein therapies provider for malnourished dialysis patients & intrathecal pump meds & medical devices.

Training, Organizational Development & Human Resources Lead

Built org’s first training department: Change management, performance improvement, gap analysis, curriculum development, design/delivery of key revenue driver programs.

Won & executed PA DOL Grants for Workforce Development.

Functioned across traditional Human Resources capabilities: Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Management Consulting, Talent Review, Role Analysis & Competency Assessment.

2012 HR Department of the Year

2011 HR Department of the Year Nom.

#3 Best Places to Work in PA 2012

#4 Best Places to Work in PA 2011

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT (contract) 01/2007 – 01/2010

Performance consulting, process design & training. Clients include: Accenture, American Water, Amerihealth, Camden County Community College, Chester County, Crozer-Chester Hospital, Delaware County Community College, Delaware County, Lockheed Martin, Media Boro, New Jersey Department of Labor, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Thermo-Fisher Scientific, & Wyeth.

CIGNA INTERNATIONAL EXPATRIATE BENEFITS, Claymont, Delaware 03/2005 – 11/2006

Global Expatriate Medical Benefits Healthcare

Training Manager, North America

Drove culture change initiative from “indifferent” to “exceptional” customer service orientation, increased staff personal accountability.

HR Partner: redesigned recruitment strategy for improved hire quality & enhanced retention.

POPULAR FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, Marlton, New Jersey 03/2001 – 03/2005

Financial Services

Manager, Learning & Leadership

Built org’s first Training Department with operating budget of $1M.

Captured $25M+ in annual incremental revenues through creation of university-style Loan Officer/ Account Manager training programs to facilitate recruitment of top sales talent from other industries in shallow labor market during mortgage boom.

Contributed to $10M+ monthly revenue increase by designing & leading customer-focused product training initiatives in wholesale segment.

Successfully moved organization from costly in-person training to cut-rate web-based delivery media, saving approximately $80k annually.

Won & executed NJ DOL Grants for Workforce Development, for approximately $500k.

Led initiatives that resulted in being named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune Magazine in 2005.

Elevated Moody & Fitch & Standard & Poor’s ratings of Loan Administration Division from Average to Above Average by strengthening training based on customer feedback.

Project Managed annual sales conference planning & implementation team to strong acclaim.

Earlier Career Details on Request.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

LA SALLE UNIVERSITY, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Adjunct Faculty, Graduate & Undergraduate Communication

Training & Development

EDUCATION

PROFESSIONAL ALLIANCES

Master of Arts: Human Services/Counseling Psychology

Bachelor of Arts Degree: Professional Writing/Psychology/US ARMY ROTC

La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

US

Member:

Harvard Business Review Advisory Council

Executive Women’s Breakfast Group

American Society for Talent Development (ATD)

International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)

Greater Valley Forge Human Resources Association (GVFHRA)

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