Hanold Associates Seeks Head of HR and Diversity for the New York Giants
December 22, 2022 – Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive Search has been selected by professional football’s New York Giants to lead the search for a head of human resources and diversity. The assignment is being led by Jason Hanold, Lisa Yae, Ivy Arlia, and Meg McElroy.
As the Giants organization has grown and evolved, the need for more rigor around the people, culture, and talent practices has become increasingly more important, said Hanold Associates. The organization is looking to develop a sophisticated function that better supports the team, the business, and its people. This leader will report directly to CEO and president John Mara, serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, and lead the organization’s HR function.
The New York Giants compete in the National Football League’s NFC East Division. The organization is considered a cornerstone franchise of the league, being the fourth oldest team and operating in the country’s largest market. The team was founded as in 1925 by original owner Tim Mara. The Giants play its home games at the 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, and is headquartered at the adjacent Quest Diagnostics Training Center. The back-office staff of the Giants totals nearly 200 full-time employees. During the football season, seasonal employees total approximately an additional 150 employees who have various gameday/event functions only.
Hanold Associates is a boutique executive search firm focused on HR and diversity and inclusion officers. Its client list is diverse across industries, geographies, and business scenarios, and culture is at the core of everything the firm does. Its clients include the National Football League, Zoom, Domino’s Pizza, Under Armour, Gucci, Tom Brady’s TB12, Kohler, REI, Live Nation Entertainment, Dick’s Sporting Goods, McDonald’s, Major League Baseball, Kellogg, Apollo, Big Ten Conference, Blackstone, TPG, L Catterton, Northwestern University, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Electronic Arts, Fiat-Chrysler, SC Johnson, eBay, Moderna, Hillrom, Great Place To Work, Fossil, Vail Resorts, AbbVie, Carnival Corp., Biogen, Allstate, Bridgestone, Wikimedia, ClubCorp, Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Ford Motor Co., among others.
Mr. Hanold, CEO and managing partner, founded the search firm in 2010. Previously, he served as a managing director with Russell Reynolds Associates, where he led the firm’s global human resources officer practice and was a member of the board of directors and CEO practices. Before that he held talent and recruiting positions with Whirlpool, McKinsey & Company, Deloitte, and State Farm.
Related: Hanold Associates Recruits Chief People Officer for PE-Backed Cynosure
Ms. Yae is managing partner of the retail and luxury goods practice at Hanold Associates. She specializes in recruiting executive level HR leaders across industries, with a core focus on fashion, luxury brands, retail merchandise, and the broader consumer industry.
Hanold Associates Recruits Chief People Officer for the Arizona Cardinals Football Club
Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive Search recently recruited Kelly Jones as chief people officer of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. CEO and managing partner Jason Hanold and partners Keri Gavin and Katrina Prospero led the assignment. In the newly-created role, Mr. Jones reports to owner and president Michael Bidwill and begins on March 1. He will oversee human resources functions throughout the organization and lead all programs and initiatives involving workplace diversity, equity and inclusion. Mr. Jones will be charged with establishing and delivering a strategy that creates a world-class environment for the organization, enhancing a strong culture based on the Cardinals’ mission, vision and core values. Externally, he will act as a liaison for the team within the community on a variety of civic initiatives.
Ms. Arlia, an associate, focuses on recruiting HR and diversity, equity and inclusion leaders across industries and geographies. Prior to joining Hanold Associates, she held internships in the Chicago and Boston areas with Allstate Insurance and ESP Properties where she focused on customer relations, market research and corporate sponsorships.
Ms. McElroy is an associate with Hanold Associates where she focuses on recruiting human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion leaders across multiple industries and functions. Prior to joining Hanold Associates, she was the Director of Recruitment and Selection for Northwestern Mutual. There, she grew from developing and expanding the organization’s campus program to recruiting full-time professionals in the financial services industry.
Recent Search
Hanold Associates recently assisted in the recruitment of Orlando Ashford as the new chief people officer of Fanatics in New York City. “Orlando is an outstanding person and business leader, who brings an exceptional sense of wisdom, innovation and drive to an already outstanding leadership team,” said Mr. Hanold. “Culture is everything and our success is directly related to our incredible associates based around the world,” said Michael Rubin, CEO. “As we continue to grow and expand, it becomes even more important to double down on organizational development, and I can’t think of a better person to lead this charge than Orlando. His vast experience running HR teams and his CEO level experience, with people and culture being the primary lens for how he’s managed and operated his businesses, will help us further develop our ambitions to build one of the world’s most transformative and exciting brands.”
Mr. Ashford brings a wealth of expertise to Fanatics and possesses a unique skill-set that includes leading both businesses and global HR organizations focused on culture, talent development and retention. He has held senior level HR roles with several Fortune 500 companies, including Marsh & McLennan Companies, The Coca-Cola Co., and Motorola Inc., before expanding his responsibilities beyond HR to become president of the Holland America Line. Prior to joining Fanatics, Mr. Ashford was a strategic advisor to Sycamore Partners, a private equity company specializing in retail and consumer investment, where he served as a thought leader, confidant, and coach to senior executives on human capital and business issues with the board, C-suite, and HR functions.
Related: Hanold Associates Recruits Chief People and Culture Officer for Major League Baseball
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media