I have forged connections between people for as long as I can remember. I’m the person who strikes up a conversation in an airport and leaves with a resume. I once introduced a hiring manager and job seeker on a flight which progressed to an interview, and I have put people together I’ve met through various channels. My conversations are usually sprinkled with suggestions for resources or connections.
This curiosity about people and their stories eventually led to my start in Global HR Operations on the Microsoft campus after moving to Seattle. This is where I developed two interests that would be lifelong: Hiking and removing barriers to operational excellence. Leading my customers to success in new environments while building lasting relationships became an obsession while culture became my currency.
One day in the Blue Ridge Mountains I began to see a linkage between the milestones for completing a successful hike and navigating cross-cultural challenges in communication, finding and connecting resources for new markets, caring for talent strategically, and branding.
Based on years of experience in operations managing international assignments, M&A, IJV, and special projects I designed my business with the purpose of helping business and individual clients land and brand in new markets, while managing strategic or cultural shifts, and career changes. I work with alliance partners who share the same energy for helping customers successfully navigate a changing landscape.
This has also been true for me with the arrival of Covid19. I had barely returned from a trip to India when the pandemic hit. As my international business was put on hold, I used this professional pause to pivot. I moved beyond resume writing, editing papers and websites to content creation. While it may seem unrelated, moving people and crafting moving messages both require creativity, patience, and constant learning. Just another way to help clients land and brand effectively!
May you also forge new paths.
– Laura
Founder, Principal Consultant, People Engineer
Laura O’Connell
Business Coach & CONSULTANT
Master of Science, Global Human Resource Management.
Laura O’Connell has worked both in-house and in a variety of consulting areas. With an experience profile in global human resources and operations, she has managed international joint ventures, expatriate assignments, mergers and acquisitions, full lifecycle recruiting, and coached international students and candidates. Her experience includes intercultural training and English instruction.
Laura holds a Master of Science in Global Human Resource Management from the University of Liverpool.
Outside of PATH HR, she is a volunteer for International Friendship Activities and Cultural Exchange and Greenville Literacy Association. In her spare time you may find her at a cultural event or enjoying the outdoors.