Victor Assad

CEO, Strategic Human Resources Consulting

Managing Partner, InnovationOne

VA@VictorHRConsultant.com.  707-331-6740

Victor is a results-driven, innovative, and broadly experienced global human resources leader who works on talent management, leadership development, accelerating change, organization and culture development, innovation, and other strategic initiatives. With over 25 years of experience, Victor has led human resources organizations in fast growth, high-technology, global businesses for Honeywell and Medtronic, in the medical device, aerospace, software, specialty semiconductors, and electronics industries.

His experience includes direct accountability for global talent management and rewards and incentives for over seven regions and 120 countries.  He is recognized for his strong business acumen, strategic thinking, analytical skills, and designing and implementing effective talent management systems that drive business results. Victor provides coaching and leadership and team effectiveness training.

In his consulting practice, he has worked with firms in the following areas: software, healthcare, medical devices/biotech, real estate, insurance and manufacturing.  He has helped organizations with their talent strategies and has provided hands-on work with the following: improving innovation; leadership training; culture change; updating performance management practices, integrating new technology and changing work processes and employee roles, executive recruiting, improving recruiting and onboarding, optimizing the role of the HR Business Partner; designing new organization structures, expanding U.S sales forces; compensation and sales commissions, and employee relations.

Better business outcomes from Victor’s talent management solutions include:

• Advised executives on multiple reorganizations, new business strategies, mergers and acquisitions from organization design to capability planning and effective strategy implementation, achieving business milestones and financial targets and winning awards for his facilitation, coaching, and implementation.
• Improved employer branding and recruiting, which led to a 25% reduction in recruiting costs, a 50% reduction in recruiting cycle times and the hiring of over 650 new employees in 18 months.
• Implemented an award winning flexible workplace program which saved the business $1.2 million annually in real estate costs and increased employee retention, productivity, and morale, and the ability to recruit millennials.
• Implemented new and realigned existing performance management systems emphasizing on-going feedback and aligning the systems to business strategies, job competencies, and pay-for-performance. One re-aligned system saved hundreds of hours, raised performance, and performance appraisal/development plan completion to 95%.
• Launched new product/innovation team kick-offs, and team effectiveness surveys and interventions. Partnered with newly created Project Management Office to align cross-functional processes. On-time new product launches increased from 57% to 95%.
• Partnered with executives on culture, values, organization design, incentives, and talent management plan for technology start-up–revenue tripled over three years.

Victor holds a Master of Arts Degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He has executive certifications from Harvard and Kellogg and is certified in the InsideOut Development’s G.R.O.W Coaching methodology.

See Below for Presentations, Professional Certifications, Awards, and Affiliations.

Presentations

• “Talent Strategies to Support Cultures of Innovation,” Bay Area HR Executive Council. Wednesday. Oct. 17, 2018, Stanford Park Hotel, Menlo Park, CA.
• “Ten Talent Strategies to Support Innovation,” Presented as part of invitation-only panel at Xerox PARC in Palo Alto CA, “Toward Better Innovation Metrics for Business.” Sponsored by The Conference Board and hosted by Xerox PARC, July 26, 2018.
• “It Is Time to Face the Truth About Employee Engagement,” DisruptHR San Francisco, May 31, 2018. Domenico Winery, San Carlos, CA.
• “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Fixing Performance Management.” Presented at three SHRM Northern California gatherings in Nov. 8 and 9, 2017 in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, CA.
• “Succession Planning: Developing and Retaining Your Best.” AscentisHR Webinar on Nov. 2, 2017.  View webinar here. 
• Emcee at DisruptHR San Francisco Bay Area, Computer History Museum, Mountain View CA, Oct. 17, 2017.  View presentations at https://www.disrupt.work/october-17-2017.
• “Signposts of Innovation: Best When Viewed Holistically and Implemented through Collaborative Cultures,” Victor Assad and Dr. Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research, The Conference Board, at The Conference Board’s, 5th Innovation Master Class, Atlanta, Ga. Oct. 3, 2017
• “Six Winning Traits of Highly Innovative Companies,” Silicon Valley OD Network, August 7, 2017.
• “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Fixing Performance Management,” Society of Human Resources for Greater Phoenix, Doubletree by Hilton, Tempe, June 21, 2017
• “Break the Boxes, Bridge the Pieces” DisruptHR San Francisco, April 27, 2017.
• “Seven Mistakes Companies Make with Talent Strategy” Webinar on AscentisHR, April 11, 2017.
• “Six Mistakes Companies Make While Trying to Improve Innovation” Webinar on AscentisHR, March 28, 2017.
• “Do you believe innovation can be inspired, measured and managed? We do. And we have the empirical evidence to prove it!” Workshop with Dr. Brooke Dobni and Victor Assad, ISPIM Toronto, 2017 (International Society of Professional Innovation Managers), March 20, 2017
• “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Fixing Performance Management,” Webinar with AscentisHR, January 10th, 2017.
• “Creating a Dynamic Employee Experience: The New Model for Talent Management,” Webinar on LTEN (Life Sciences and Training Network), September 9, 2016.
• Co-Track Chair for the “Leadership, Culture and Team” track of the Front End of Innovation Conference, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston MA. May 10th, 2016.
• “Innovate or Die: Measuring-Managing Innovative Cultures for Sustainable Competitiveness,” with Ed Colby, Managing Partner InnovationOne. ISPIM 2016, Boston, Massachusetts. March 14, 2016.
• “Six Traits of Highly Innovative Organizations and Human Resources Role in Fostering Innovation,” LEARN Filed Trip, Glenn Taylor Innovation Corporation, Mankato, MN. February 26, 2016.
• “Strategic Thinking in the H R Paradigm,” NCHRA H R Business Leader Series, NorthBay Health Care, Fairfield CA, December 3, 2015.
• “Win-Win Conversations for Optimal Outcomes,” NCHRA H R Business Leader Series, University of the Pacific, Sacramento, CA. October 8, 2015.
• “Strategic Thinking: Conquering the Traditional H R Paradigms to Enable Business Results.” Sutter Health H R Retreat, Aug. 26, 2015.
• “Facilitating Executive Level Meetings,” NCHRA H R Business Leader Series, Law Room, Walnut Creek CA. August 25, 2015
• “Win-Win Conversations for Optimal Outcomes,” NCHRA H R Business Leader Series, NorthBay Health Care, Fairfield CA, August 6, 2015
• “Creating and Delivering on the ROI of Talent Acquisition and Selection,” NCHRA Talent Acquisition and Selection Conference. July 30, 2015.
• “Strategic Thinking in the H R Paradigm,” NCHRA H R Business Leader Series, Redwood City Credit Union, Santa Rosa, CA, July 7, 2015.
• “Facilitating Executive Level Meetings,” NCHRA H R Business Leader Series, NorthBay Health Care, Fairfield CA, June 4, 2015.
• CEO Roundtable. Topics: Strategies for ACA, Competencies for Growth; Executive Recruiting, Sustaining Culture. Jan. 16, 2014.
• “Flex Work is Not a Stretch at Medtronic,” Workforce Live – Ritz Carlton, San Francisco. Sept. 24, 2013.  (Online Nov. 12, 2014).
• “Flexible Workplace Pilot at Medtronic,” Re-Learning Work. Distributed Workplace, 2010.
• “ROI of Executive Coaching”, Human Resources Strategy Forum, 2009.
• “Retaining Talent in Uncertain Times,” HR West Annual Conference, 2009.
• “Health Care Challenges,” North Bay Business Journal’s Healthcare Conference, 2007.
• “Diversity at Medtronic,” Arizona Diversity Leadership Alliance. 2003.

Professional Certifications

• Skill Deployment Inventory, Personal Strengths Publishing
• InsideOut Development, G.R.O.W. Coaching Methodology
• Leading with a Global Mindset, Thunderbird School of Global Management
• GE Change Acceleration Process
• Accelerating Sales Force Performance, Executive Programs, Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University
• Behavioral Interviewing, DDI
• Lean Sigma Green Belt, Honeywell
• Change Management, Implementation Management Associates
• Honeywell Advanced Program for Directors, Harvard University

Selected Awards

• United Way of the Wine Country, Top Fund Raising Award, 2013
• Cardiac & Vascular Group, Star of Excellence Award for Flexible Workplace Implementation, 2012
• Cardiac & Vascular Group, Sales Organization Award for Organization Change, 2012
• Cardiovascular Group, Core Process Leader, High-Performance Work Teams, 2006
• Cardiac Rhythm Management, Quality Stand Award for implementation of Medtronic Microelectronics Center, Quality Culture, 2004
• Medtronic Distinguished Service on behalf of the Mission and Community Volunteerism, 2004
• Arizona Senior Human Resources Executive Council, Distinguished Achievement Award, 2004
• Valley of the Sun, Best Companies to Work For, Medtronic Microelectronics Center, 2003
• Southwest Chapter of the American Indian Society of Scientist &Engineers, Diversity Award, 2001
• Honeywell Aerospace Group, Diversity and Inclusion Award for Excellence, 2001

Affiliations

• Society of Human Resources Management
• Northern California Human Resources Association
• Society of Human Resources Management for Greater Phoenix
• Former Executive Board member, Chairperson of the Human Resources Committee, United Way of the Wine Country, Sonoma County, CA
• Former Board Member Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, Santa Rosa, CA
• Former Executive Committee, American Heart Association of the North Bay, Santa Rosa, CA
• Former Chairmen of the Board, HandsOn Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona