Ron Thomas

Human Capital Institute

International Country Manager: Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific Region

Ron Thomas is the Managing Director of Strategy Focused Group an international consulting firm based in Dubai. He is a visiting executive faculty member at the Global Human Resources Leadership Institute at Howard University School of Business in Washington, DC. He is also a senior faculty member of the Human Capital Institute, covering the MENA/Asia Pacific & Africa Region.
Ron is the former CEO of Great Place to Work-Gulf and CHRO of Al Raha Group, based in Riyadh. He holds certifications from HCI as Global Human Capital Strategist (GHCS), Master Human Capital Strategist (MHCS), and Strategic Workforce Planner (SWP) as well as New York University. Prior to consulting, he worked in senior level roles for IBM, Martha Stewart Living, Xerox HR Services [HR Consulting] in the US.
He has been identified as one of the top 5 HR/Leadership thinkers in the Middle East by CIPD.  He received the Outstanding Leadership Award for Global HR Excellence at the World Human Resources Development Congress in Mumbai, and was named as one of the 50 Most Talented Global HR Leaders in Asia. As a consultant and management educator, he has worked with companies such as Central Bank of Nigeria, Iran MTNCell, King Faisal Hospital-Jeddah Saudi Electric Company, BASHRM, JLT [Saudi Arabia], Dubai Tourism, American Hospital of Dubai, Dar Al Riyadh, Gulf Bank-Kuwait, Boybyan, Kuwait, CIMB Bank and Singapore Government Civil Service.

Erica Briody

Culture Index

Executive Advisor

Erica Perry Briody is the epitome of strategic excellence in executive advisory, renowned for her unparalleled expertise in shaping high-performance cultures through precision talent acquisition strategies, incisive leadership assessments, and visionary succession planning, all meticulously aligned with organizational values and objectives. With a distinguished track record as Global SVP of Talent at industry-leading firms, including Reef, OYO, Quintiles, General Electric, and Novartis, Erica has consistently elevated organizational performance through transformative leadership interventions. As a seasoned entrepreneur, she has not only founded but also successfully guided multiple Global Executive Search enterprises, testament to her innate ability to navigate complex business landscapes with finesse and foresight. Erica's intuitive grasp of communication dynamics across diverse generational cohorts, including the dynamic Generation AI, ensures seamless alignment between leadership vision and organizational strategy. Collaborating closely with C-suite executives, she facilitates cultivating leadership teams imbued with the requisite traits, behaviors, and values to drive sustained growth and competitive advantage. At the forefront of innovation, Erica spearheaded the pioneering C-Hire initiative in partnership with Culture Index, offering C-suite leaders’ exclusive access to transformative workshops designed to attract and onboard culturally aligned top talent. Leveraging data-driven insights and analytics, she consistently delivers impressive 20% increases in top-line revenue metrics, positioning organizations for unparalleled success in today's dynamic marketplace. A distinguished MBA alumna of London’s prestigious Henley Business School, Erica's academic credentials are augmented by Six Sigma certification and fluency in multiple languages, reflecting her global perspective and cross-cultural acumen honed across five continents. Erica's trailblazing contributions to the HR landscape have earned her widespread acclaim and a host of prestigious accolades, cementing her reputation as an indispensable partner in driving organizational excellence and C-suite success.

Bill Craib

Human Capital Institute

Senior Vice President of Enterprise Learning

Bill Craib is a Senior Faculty Member at the Human Capital Institute and after serving in multiple executive roles over a 12-year tenure at HCI has been the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Learning since 2013. In this capacity, Bill has had the great pleasure to work with dozens of HCI clients to bring Human Capital Institute certifications and learning programs on site. Bill is also the Founder and Managing Principal of Talent Agility Partners, a small consulting firm focused on helping organizations keep up with the pace of change through talent strategies. Bill is a frequent emcee, moderator, and keynote speaker at a variety of industry conferences hosted by HCI as well as other organizations.
Prior to joining the Human Capital Institute in 2005, Bill was a founding member of AIRS, a recruitment training and services company, and was the initial primary author of that organization’s groundbreaking Internet search curriculum. Before finding his way into the world of strategic talent management, Bill Craib was a journalist. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Bill has worked for a variety of outlets in radio, newspaper, and television including ESPN and the Rocky Mountain News.
When he isn’t traveling, Bill can be found in the hills of Central Vermont with his wife and nine-year-old son.

Temitope Sadiku

Kraft Heinz

Strategic Planning Lead

Tope brings a dynamic blend of expertise spanning finance, economics, psychology, and human-centric design to the forefront of organizational evolution. With a track record of partnering with Fortune 200 companies, she integrates her diverse academic background to drive profitability with a conscience.

For the past eight years, Tope has been a driving force at Kraft Heinz, navigating the intersections of technology, food, and human experience. From her role as Strategic Planning Leader to her previous tenure as Global Head of Employee Digital Experience, she has spearheaded transformative initiatives that redefine industry standards.

At the heart of Tope's mission is the relentless pursuit of pioneering opportunities for transformation. Collaborating with leading technology partners, she crafts narratives that illuminate the future of food and technology, shaping the narrative of Kraft Heinz's evolution.

As a thought leader in the Future of Work, Tech, and Food transformation, Tope is not content to merely observe change—she actively contributes to shaping it. Her commitment to research and experimentation extends beyond the boardroom, exploring how people interact, achieve objectives, and connect in both physical and virtual realms.

Beyond her corporate endeavors, Tope serves as a driving force in shaping the landscape of work and life through technology and the arts. With board memberships at the Institute of Work and Economy, the Science and Technology Coalition, and the Better Business Bureau, she champions initiatives that bridge the gap between possibility and reality.

An executive chair at the Network of Executive Women, Tope is dedicated to fostering inclusive environments where innovation flourishes. Her passion for experimentation knows no bounds, drawing inspiration from abstract concepts and the natural world alike.

Join Tope on a journey of discovery, where the boundaries of possibility are continually redefined, and transformation is not just a destination but a way of life.
 

Claude Silver

VaynerMedia

Global Chief Heart Officer

Claude Silver is VaynerMedia’s (and the world's) first-ever Global Chief Heart Officer, tasked with fusing empathy with agency to unlock employee potential and foster a culture of belonging across the 1200+ person organization. Between her deep education in psychology and spirituality and the two decades she has spent as an advertising strategist, Claude has been studying and influencing human behavior for over three decades. 

Outside of her role at VaynerMedia, Claude speaks globally about the need for heart-led leadership in today’s workplace and the importance of treating “employees” like people, not numbers. Her success in guiding client relationships, global brand strategies, operations, management, and culture is driven by her abiding passion for creating spaces in which people can show up as their true selves and thrive as a result.
 

Stephen Chesley

NASA

Senior Workforce Planning Specialist

Stephen Chesley is a member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s agency-wide Workforce Planning Team and Program Office and is based at NASA’s Headquarters in Washington DC.  The Workforce Planning Office is responsible for directing the agency’s workforce planning activities.  Mr. Chesley is the primary architect of the agency’s annual workforce planning process.  And as the agency leader in workforce planning, analytics and modeling, Mr. Chesley is a recognized functional expert responsible for building the workforce analytic and modeling expertise throughout the agency.  Mr. Chesley has successfully built and implemented tools to collect and aggregate workforce data; these tools are used as a primary resource for workforce data within NASA and for researchers outside of NASA. 
Mr. Chesley received a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Utah and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations from the University of Utah.
 

Kristen Trubey

Mozilla

Chief People Officer

As Chief People Officer, Kristen leads all areas of HR and Organizational Development at Mozilla Corporation including Recruiting, Total Rewards, Learning and Development, Culture and Engagement, Client support, Workplace Resources and People Operations. 

Previously, Kristen provided interim support and leadership to companies in all areas of people business including, talent acquisition, compensation and strategic business partnering. Prior to that, Kristen was Chief People Officer at Hearsay Systems, a mid-sized startup with offices around the world. She also spent more than five years at Netflix where she supported a variety of teams including a two year assignment scaling the Netflix culture to Amsterdam, their first office outside the U.S.. 

Kristen lives in San Francisco and is passionate about travel and exploring new places and cultures. She also serves on the board of The Orchard at Altapass, a non-profit focused on preserving the land, history and culture of a small slice of Appalachia on the Blue Ridge parkway.

Lori Costew

Ford Motor Company

Chief Diversity Officer and Director of People Strategy

Lori Costew is Ford Motor Company’s chief diversity officer and director of people strategy. She assumed this role in June 2019. In this role, Costew oversees the company’s corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts to cultivate a culture of belonging and advance the organization’s mission and business objectives.
Costew also serves as Ford’s director of people strategy where she ensures Ford’s talent strategy supports corporate goals and transformation efforts.
Before being appointed to this role, Costew held positions within Ford leading human resources for the organization’smobility division, as well as The Lincoln Motor Company.
Costew joined the automaker in 1993 and for nearly three decades has leveraged her expertise in positions supporting marketing, UAW negotiations, equal employment planning and organizational development. In addition to her leadership role at Ford, Costew is also an accomplished author of two award-winning novels that provide inspiration and tools against bullying.
Costew has a master’s degree in human resources from The Ohio State University and a certification in executive coaching from the Hudson Institute.
She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children.

Jennifer Christie

DocuSign

Chief People Officer

Jennifer Christie is the Chief People Officer at DocuSign. In this role, she oversees the HR and Workplace Experience functions, as well as plays an active role in the product and go to market strategies for the company's HR industry vertical. She is also a regular guest lecturer at Cornell University at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Jennifer previously served as Chief People Officer at Bolt, a fintech startup powering one-click checkout on the internet. Prior to Bolt, Jennifer was the Chief Human Resources Officer at
Twitter. She led the global People, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and Real Estate and Workplace teams, and worked with the executive management team, as well as the board of
directors, to support the strategic direction of the company.
Prior to joining Twitter, Jennifer was the Senior Vice President and head of HR for the Global Consumer Services Group at American Express. In this role, she was responsible for developing and executing the talent, organizational, and leadership strategy for the business. Prior to this role, Jennifer was the Vice President and HR Business Partner for Enterprise Growth Group, led by then Group President, Dan Schulman. In her first three years with American Express, she served as Chief Diversity Officer and VP, Global Executive Recruitment, and was responsible for developing the company’s global diversity and inclusion strategy, while leading executive level recruitment for all business and staff groups worldwide.
Before joining American Express, Jennifer was a consultant at a leading executive search firm, and spent two years as a Special Assistant to the President of the United States in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton in their organizational design and change management practice, and worked for more than a decade at several federal government agencies, including another detail assignment to the White House, to support community safety and security programs, and implement offender reentry initiatives.
She has served as a member of the board of directors for three non-profit organizations: Special Love, Prevent Cancer Foundation, and Compass Family Services. Jennifer received a master’s degree from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.