Paola is a Global HR Executive with 25+ years of International HR experience in multiple sectors within Fortune 500 Companies. She is also an entrepreneur, coach and designer of programs, workshops, events, and podcasts that center around redesigning the World of Work. Having seen, led and experienced the incredible speed of change driven by mergers, acquisitions and business transformations, and the disruptive impact this has on engagement, trust, and morale, Paola believes we need new ways of looking at employment, leadership, culture and talent that are more in line with the challenges of our time.

Professional background

Paola worked in the Tobacco sector (16 years), in Life Science (7 years), and most recently in Professional Services (3 years) as entrepreneur and interim CHRO for a consulting firm. Throughout her tenure she had over 14 HR roles at local, regional, functional and corporate level. Her preferred assignments were in Portugal for the post-acquisition of the state-owned manufacturing company, Tabaqueira, in Neuchatel leading the radical transformation of the Global R&D function in Philip Morris International, and in Zurich/Zug for the 5 M&As that characterized her 7 years tenure in Life Science. Her roles ranged from leading the HQ for Baxter International to leading the South European Cluster & Immunology when the Bioscience business became Baxalta, to taking on multiple responsibilities when Baxalta was bought by Shire, to divesting the Oncology business to Servier and finally to leading the Region Europe Global Manufacturing & Quality HR role when Takeda bought Shire.

Education and qualifications

Personal

Born in Italy, raised in Brazil and US, Paola has lived in over 12 locations.