Allegis Partners Expands Human Resources Practice
January 26, 2017 – Executive search firm Allegis Partners has named Lawrence Krema as a managing director in the firm’s human resources practice. Based in Chicago, he will focus on identifying chief human resources officers (CHROs) and other senior leaders for organizations as well as contributing to search projects across the broader C-suite.
Mr. Krema has more than 20 years of human resources leadership and recruitment experience optimizing the structures and functions of HR departments within large corporations. He well versed in developing talent management strategies that align with an organization’s strategic directions.
Prior to joining Allegis Partners, he was a managing director with executive search firm Ferguson Partners, where he led the firm’s corporate officers practice and focused on recruiting for CHRO, CFO, capital markets and treasury roles, as well as performing searches for C-suite executives and other senior business leaders for companies throughout the real estate and hospitality industries. Before that, he led human resources as global senior vice president of human resources and corporate operations for Simon Property Group, a leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and an S&P 100 company.
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Mr. Krema’s human resources career began with leadership positions at retail corporations Macy’s Department Stores, and The Limited. He then joined NEC Corporation, where he ultimately led the human resources division for North America. He then served as executive vice president of human resources for Equity Office Properties Trust and then as senior vice president of human resources for Lawson Products.
“Larry’s experience as both an executive search consultant and a strategic human resources leader together with his strengths in leadership development, management consulting and succession planning make him ideally suited to work with clients who are looking to attract and retain the best talent across all industries,” said Mike Bergen, managing partner of Allegis Partners U.S.
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Grace Blue Snags Chief Talent Officer As Asia Pacific CEO
Jean-Michel Wu, chief talent officer at ad agency McCann Worldgroup, recently joined search firm Grace Blue Partnership to help lead the firm’s expansion into Asia. Mr. Wu will bring an assortment of recruitment and talent management skills honed over a decade in the corporate sector.
Allegis Partners, which is part of the Allegis Group, delivers a boutique, high-touch approach to talent management. The firm provides an entire range of related recruitment services as part and parcel of its standard search mandates, which includes succession planning, talent mapping, compensation benchmarking, assessment, and market intelligence. The firm also facilitates onboarding of new leaders as part of its normal search process.
HR Leaders In High Demand
Demand for senior level HR executives is rising, according to recruiters specializing in the function. Hiring forecasts point to a growing sense of urgency within the HR community to prepare and plan for coming talent shortages. Recent hiring trends data show that a full one third of companies polled said their organizations were hiring for HR positions. This number is up from 20 percent just 18 months ago.
While the CHRO has always played an essential role within organizations, changing times have helped to elevate the position to new heights. According to Alan Guarino, vice chairman in the CEO and board services practice for Korn Ferry, there’s a bit of a revolution going on in the world of CHROs.
“CHROs have become critical stakeholders in defining the strategy of a company, and they are expected to tackle the HR challenges and evolving expectations of a dynamic workplace environment that will consist of constant change, calculated risk taking and evolving expectations from top stakeholders,” said Neil Shastri, leader for global insights & innovation at Aon Hewitt. “Those well-equipped to achieve the greatest success will have diverse skill sets, be adaptable and agile, and gain hands-on learning from working through real life situations and acquiring knowledge across disciplines and industries.”
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
