About Michelle M. Crosby, Ph.D.

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Michelle is an approachable, hands-on practitioner, with deep technical and subject-matter expertise. She brings in-depth knowledge of current best practices in people systems, programs, and technology, along with the wealth of practical experience that comes from leading the human resources functions for three organizations of varied size, industries, and business models. In addition to this rich human resources content knowledge, Michelle’s background in organizational development and her insights as an industrial/ organizational psychologist give her a unique ability and perspective to assist leaders and their organizations with key people issues.

Michelle was also recently Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officers for FRHI Hotels & Resorts, a privately-held $4B, 45,000 employee, 110+ luxury hotel company with three brands (Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel) operating in 35 countries. Responsible for all aspects of human resources globally including organizational design, recruiting & selection, talent & learning, compensation and benefits, internal communication, HRMS, and employee relations. Michelle started working with FRHI while managing Crosby Consulting in 2012. FRHI then asked her to join the company as head of human resources in early 2013. She served in that capacity for over three years before the company was acquired in 2016 and Michelle returned to consulting.

In addition to her recent experience with FRHI, Michelle has held three prior roles as head of Human Resources including Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. She had responsibility for all aspects of human resources worldwide and partnered with the senior teams on key people and business issues. In addition to her head of HR roles, she was Starwood’s SVP, Organizational Capability with responsibility for talent management, leadership development, recruiting & selection, learning & development, and employee engagement globally.

Before her corporate positions, Michelle was Senior Vice President and Northeast Region Head for Aon Consulting’s Human Resources Consulting Group (formerly HRStrategies). Here, she was the regional practice leader with responsibility for all aspects of the business and led consulting engagements on competency modeling, selection and assessment, performance management, 360 degree feedback and employee engagement surveys. Her clients included Allied Signal, Bell Atlantic, Capital One, Duracell, Florida Power & Light, Harley-Davidson, International Paper, Merck, Merrill Lynch, Nabisco, Pepsi, Pfizer, Texas Instruments, Warner-Lambert, and many others.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Brown University and both Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Connecticut in industrial/organizational psychology. She is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and business meetings on HR strategy, leadership development, talent management, selection and assessment, employee engagement, service culture, and HR metrics. She has spoken frequently to internal audiences both in her own companies and for client organizations at such forums as world conferences, regional and national meetings, owners and investors conferences, and Board of Directors meetings. In addition, her professional presentations include: The Conference Board, SHRM Strategy Conference, Argyle Executive Forum, Kenexa World Conference (Keynote speaker), HR People & Strategy, Tri-State SHRM, Human Capital Institute, Society of Industrial & Organizational Psychology, and the American Psychological Association. She has published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology and The Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. Michelle was also named one of the “Best of the Best” in HRD Magazine’s 2015 HR Hot List and a finalist for HRO Today’s 2016 CHRO of the Year.

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“Michelle Crosby is one those rare HR professionals who thinks like a senior line leader - always asking, 'what would the field think?' She approaches the design of people systems in a practical, hands-on and real world way to develop solutions that meet the business' needs while engaging the operators and creating buy-in from the business units. Her commitment and passion for people is a tremendous strength. Few people I've worked with have the aptitude, capacity and drive for teaching the importance of great leadership as she has.”

Geoffrey A. Ballotti, President & CEO
Wyndham Exchange & Rentals

“Michelle brings the technical skills it takes to assess the challenge, plan how to answer it, and execute effectively. But that's only part of what she offers. She's masterful at working with others, gaining commitment, and magnifying what she knows through the work of others. I've seen her enter situations again and again where, once finished, she becomes a trusted advisor. A tough profile to match; but that's why she's in such demand.”

David P. Jones, Ph.D., President
Growth Ventures, Inc.

“I worked directly with Michelle for many years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. She is able to think strategically and creatively about an opportunity and, at the same time, develop practical, executable solutions. Her leadership and influence skills are second to none. She is an accomplished professional with a great eye for talent.”

Dave Norton, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
People's United Bank

“Michelle Crosby is one of the best HR leaders that I have had the privilege to work with in my career. Her broad business experience, keen intellect, strategic guidance, and deep expertise in organizational effectiveness make her a wise and trusted ally for any business leader wishing to build an aligned, engaged, and high performing workforce. Michelle's strong collaboration and consulting skills and focus on driving business results make her a excellent business partner and organizational leader. During her tenure at Starwood, she effectively partnered with global senior leaders to build and implement a number of major best-in-class talent/leadership strategies and programs that maximized Starwood's organizational performance and culture. Another (or better) measure of her success is the number of business and HR leaders that continue to seek out her advice and guidance and the many she has helped develop and promote throughout her career.”

Matt Redmond, VP Talent & Development
Fannie Mae

“Michelle Crosby approaches Human Resources in a creative way that pushes people to take stock of who they really are and how they can be at their best. She believes that we all possess latent talent that deserves to be unleashed, and that everyone in an organization has the power to create change if stretched and supported in the right way. She has added a special spark to our people leadership at Save the Children that keeps everyone clamoring for more.”

Kirsten Clark, PHR, Director, Global Workforce Learning & Development
Save the Children

“Michelle Crosby is one of the most visionary and strategic Industrial/Organizational Psychologists and HR executives I have ever worked with. She is solutions and business results focused with a practical understanding of how organizations actually operate and get things done. Her broad expertise, along with her passion for talent and culture, make her an exceptional business partner.”

Mariangela Battista, Ph.D., VP, Organization Capability
Pfizer Inc

“Michelle Crosby puts heart and soul into her purpose, puts theory and insight into practice, and transforms individuals and enterprises.”

Scott Williams, Principal
Scott Williams and Company

“Michelle really is one of those rare individuals that have the ability to grasp the most difficult concepts and break them down for a diverse audience to work through. She excels in effective and positive communications improving the interactions with all others and provides an intellectual atmosphere conducive to the stimulation and interchange of ideas that have shaped ideas into brands and managers into industry leaders.”

John Evans, General Manager
The Silverado Resort and Spa

“Michelle is one of the finest professionals I've worked with. She quickly forms effective working relationships with executives and others. She works extremely effectively at both the strategic and tactical levels. And when she promises something, she delivers on-time and within budget.”

John Arnold, President
Polaris Assessment Systems, Inc

“Michelle delivers the perfect blend between technical expertise and practical application. She takes the time, up front, to fully understand what the business needs. She then develops a solution that is technically sound but comes with a clear roadmap for execution that provides the business with the tools needed to deliver great results”

Eric T. Levy, President
American Benefits Consulting LLC

“Michelle is not only a very strong business leader but also represents the next wave in creating organizational effectiveness. I have had the pleasure of working with Michelle at Starwood for the better part of 3 years during my tenure as Director of Marketing for Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts. Michelle’s guidance that any organization is as good as its people was critical in the re-launch of Le Meridien guest experience and an important factor for its global success and market differentiation. Her focus on principals that people bring brands, service and relationships to life has shaped my leadership style and provided great inspiration.”

Javier Cedillo Espin, Regional Director, Japan, Korea & Guam
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

“Michelle brings a wealth of experience and insight to her clients, and is committed to developing practical solutions that really work.”

Steve Arneson, President
Arneson Leadership Consulting

“I had the opportunity to work with Michelle Crosby when she was with us at Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Her impact organizationally was quite significant and widely felt through the organization. Michelle took a fresh new approach from an Organizational L&D perspective, all while maintaining the balance and foresight around heritage companies that were now forming as one Starwood.
During her tenure, she produced systems to guide on us leadership competency modeling not only for performance purposes but also for career succession planning. Her work created a platform that left out the subjectivity and brought in a thoughtful objective approach utilizing several key tools. Her contribution truly created a sustainable foundation.”

Sarah E. Cannon-Foster, Regional Director of Human Resources -- West Region
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide

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