Today, we’re speaking with Stephanie Bonnet, a PE/VC Chief Human Resources Officer.

Having built and rebuilt HR functions across multiple organizations, how do you define what a truly effective HR team looks like today?

Today is the keyword. A truly effective HR team is business-first, data-driven, and tightly aligned with business outcomes. It focuses on the levers that matter most: hiring velocity, quality of talent, leadership effectiveness, retention of top performers, and performance accountability.

 Also, I think HR needs to stay lean, and the function should be designed to influence productivity and growth, not just operate as a support layer or a reactive resource, but as a proactive partner. To do that, HR needs to be tech-enabled, execution-oriented, automated in whatever ways matter most, especially as far as being able to provide real-time insights to leadership.

It also requires operator rigor: prioritizing speed in how and when we act, and choosing clarity over unnecessary processes and policies; in other words, not just creating programs simply for the sake of creating them.

Today we’re speaking with Kendall Cherry, the Founder and Chief Storyteller at The Candid Collective. Kendall, can you start by introducing yourself and describing your work at The Candid Collective?

I started my career as a copywriter and ghostwriter for 7-figure brands. I've written for content powerhouses like Codie Sanchez at Contrarian Thinking, Vanessa Dew who co-founded Health-Ade Kombucha, and AppSumo just to name a few.

I've also developed an educational curriculum around storytelling and sales skills that serves both small business owners and copywriters who are ready to emerge into a premium market.

Today, we’re speaking with Courtney King, SVP of People & Culture at BeatBox Beverages. Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself and your role at BeatBox Beverages?

When I joined, the company had fewer than 40 employees and a big vision to redefine what it means to work in the alcohol beverage industry. Today, BeatBox has grown exponentially in size, creativity, reach, and impact.

My role is to make sure that as we scale, our people and culture grow with us. I lead the People & Culture team, which covers everything from recruiting and onboarding to learning, leadership development, analytics, and engagement. Our goal is to create an environment where people can do the best work of their careers while feeling connected to something fun, fast-paced, and purpose-driven.

Today we’re speaking with Cathy Miron, CEO of eSilo. Cathy, can you start by introducing yourself and describing your work at eSilo?

My 20-year career journey has landed me squarely at the intersection where technology meets risk management and business operations. Having served as the global head of IT Audit for GE Capital back when it was at its peak, and later in a CTO role at the GE parent company level, I’ve been an integral part of multi-million-dollar process reengineering, security, and compliance projects across a range of regulated industries—from finance to healthcare.

Today, I lead eSilo, a data protection and cybersecurity company that supports small and mid-market businesses in securing their most critical information assets. Our focus is on preventative security—helping leaders implement practical protections aligned with their stage of growth. And as a woman- and minority-owned firm, we understand the importance of building trust, delivering on our commitments, and empowering decision-makers to navigate complex technical issues with confidence.

Today we are talking with Angela Smith, the Founder and CEO of Work Nouveau, where she partners with leaders to build workplaces that balance compliance and culture while empowering people to do their best work. With more than 20 years of HR experience, she brings a human-centered, practical approach to creating respectful, healthy, and inspiring work environments for today’s modern workforce.

Welcome to our Women Leaders Spotlight blog series, part of our Changing the Conversation initiative. This series reflects our founding commitment to advancing women in leadership by moving beyond identifying barriers to focusing on solutions—supporting women in their careers while also influencing organizational practices and policymaking.

Can you start by introducing yourself and describing your work at Durable Minds Everboarding?

My name is Jillian Ferry, and I’m the CEO and Co-Founder of Durable Minds Everboarding. After more than 16 years in HR and people operations, I saw firsthand how many talented young professionals enter the workplace feeling underprepared—not because they lack ambition, but because traditional career readiness only takes them part of the way. Career readiness has become a buzzword, but too often it stops at the surface level. Students learn how to polish a résumé, answer interview questions, or network effectively, but not how to navigate the day-to-day challenges that come once they’ve been hired.

Welcome to our Women Leaders Spotlight blog series, part of our Changing the Conversation initiative. This series reflects our founding commitment to advancing women in leadership by moving beyond identifying barriers to focusing on solutions—supporting women in their careers while also influencing organizational practices and policymaking.

Can you start by introducing yourself and describing your role at CEA Staffing?

My name is Adrienne Burgos and I am the founder and CEO of CEA Staffing, an experiential and event staffing agency based in Chicago with a nationwide reach. I started this business completely on my own when I was just 24 years old, and over the years I’ve grown it into a trusted partner for some of the biggest brands and events in the country.

Welcome to our HR Leaders in Focus blog series, where we feature conversations with HR executives shaping the future of work. These leaders share strategies, lessons learned, and insights on the evolving role HR plays in driving organizational success across industries.

At CFW Careers, we bring together the expertise of global executive search and the personalized guidance of professional coaching. Our dual practice allows us to support organizations in building strong leadership teams while helping individual leaders navigate transitions and accelerate their growth.

We’re now talking with Colette Gardner, a former opera singer turned people leader who is now part of Movement's executive team, where she embeds the people perspective at the heart of the agency’s overall strategy.

Welcome to our HR Leaders in Focus blog series, where we feature conversations with HR executives shaping the future of work. These leaders share strategies, lessons learned, and insights on the evolving role HR plays in driving organizational success across industries.

Today, we’re talking with Nathalie Rodriguez, who is a 3x first-in-seat Founding Talent and HR Leader at Cambio.ai. Nathalie currently supports Cambio’s post series A growth, overseeing all things talent, hiring, and people ops. 

Welcome to our Women Leaders Spotlight blog series, part of our Changing the Conversation initiative. This series reflects our founding commitment to advancing women in leadership by moving beyond identifying barriers to focusing on solutions—supporting women in their careers while also influencing organizational practices and policymaking.

Can you start by introducing yourself and describing your work at The Mom Pact?

I’m Molly McCartan, Founder and CEO of The Mom Pact. I built The Mom Pact because I lived what so many women face: trying to advance a career in systems that were never designed for working mothers. I navigated two maternity leaves and people were constantly asking why my career was so important to me. I kept wondering: why is it always framed as one or the other? I watched talented, ambitious women step back or leave altogether, not because they lacked ability or drive, but because they lacked support.

A critical component of building diverse and inclusive organizations is around recruiting and hiring, and it often presents one of the greatest challenges. “How can we build a more diverse candidate pool?” “How can we diminish drop off through the hiring process?” and, ultimately, “How can we improve our retention statistics?” The implications are significant, not only relevant to fulfilling a corporate commitment, but fundamentally impacting long-term employer brand.

As we gear up for our semi-annual women’s panel, Changing the Conversation: Empowering Women in Business (check out recaps of our events from last October and this April), we wanted to introduce you to one of our panelists: Lori Blinder Barr, Director of Buyer Platforms, Tremor Video.

We asked Lori to share with us a little more about herself and her career. Below are her responses:

With our roots firmly planted in promoting women in business (“CFW” stands for our original company name, “Careers for Women”), CFW has been dedicated to the mission of creating an equal workforce for over 40 years (43, to be exact!). After hosting our event, Changing the Conversation: Women in Leadership, last month, CFW Careers President, Cynnie King, reflected, “the hiring and promotion process for advancing women into higher level positions needs to be intentional.” We’re certainly not alone in our attention to this topic.