How Human Resources is Evolving: Sue Sanders, HVMG

Show Notes

Sue is the EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at HVMG, a hospitality management company based in Atlanta.

You could make a strong argument that the common thread through which many of today’s challenges in hospitality are connected are through Human Resources. That’s definitely not saying that HR is the cause, but rather HR being the bridge to many of the solutions.

We’ve done some episodes in the past about how hotels are dealing with challenges around retention, recruiting, culture, benefits or development, but I wanted to have Sue on the show to share how a large hotel company is thinking about these at a more global level.

It’s relatively easy to innovate on a one-off hotel basis, but it’s another thing entirely to find and implement non-traditional solutions at scale, and that’s what we’re discussing on this episode. I really enjoyed hearing about some of the ideas that HVMG is bringing to life and my hope, as it is with every episode, is that you find something here that can help you and your business.

About Sue

As EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Sue oversees all Human Resources functions, including talent acquisition, talent development, associate retention and engagement strategies, human resources services, associate relations and benefits. Prior to joining HVMG, Sue worked as a management consultant supporting leading organizations to improve their enterprise performance management processes for clients including the The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Marriott International and the American Red Cross.

Prior to working as a management consultant, Sue worked in the hospitality industry for 18 years. She worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts as Global Director, Six Sigma Training and Deployment and prior to that as Director of Organizational Development for St. Regis Hotels. From 1996 - 2000 Sue worked for Lodgian, Inc. (formerly Impac Hotel Group) as Director of Training and Development; from 1991 - 1996 she worked for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as Corporate Quality Advisor and The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in hotel operations and human resources. Her hospitality industry experience also includes a five-year adjunct faculty appointment at New York University's Robert Preston Tisch Center for Hospitality Travel and Tourism.

Sue serves on the Metro Atlanta Board of Directors for the American Red Cross, the Hospitality Board of Directors for Georgia State University and is a special advisor to the Castell Project, promoting diversity in the hospitality industry. She holds MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School. Sue has a BS in Marketing from The Florida State University.

Links

Website: https://www.hvmg.com

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