With nearly 40% of CHROs now holding accountability for corporate real estate decisions, the HR function’s influence over where and how work happens has never been greater.
Real estate and facilities leaders increasingly report into HR, looking to CHROs for strategic direction on one of the largest line items on the balance sheet.
In this webinar, Holly Tyson of Cushman & Wakefield; Gretchen Zech of Arrow Electronics; and Nicole Daggs of NextEra Energy, explore the CHRO’s expanding role through the lens of three critical dimensions: Labor — aligning global workforce demographics with space needs; Location — making smart decisions about where to be, from market selection to lease structures; and Layout — designing spaces that foster collaboration, signal culture, and enable equitable participation in a hybrid world.
Holly brings three years of firsthand experience bridging HR strategy and workplace design at one of the world’s leading real estate firms. Gretchen and Nicole will share how these decisions play out inside their own organizations — Gretchen through a portfolio that pairs HR with governance and sustainability, both increasingly central to real estate strategy, and Nicole through her dual leadership of human resources and corporate services, where people strategy and workplace operations intersect.
Topics Covered
- 01 Labor — aligning global workforce demographics with space needs
- 02 Location — making smart decisions about where to be, from market selection to lease structures
- 03 Layout — designing spaces that foster collaboration, signal culture, and enable equitable participation in a hybrid world
Speakers
Nicole Daggs
Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Services, NextEra Energy
Nicole J. Daggs is executive vice president of human resources and corporate services for NextEra Energy, Inc., the largest electric power and energy infrastructure companies in North America and a leading provider of electricity to American homes and businesses. Ms. Daggs is responsible for NextEra Energy’s workforce initiatives including recruiting, learning and development, health and well-being, engagement and recognition, as well as shared services, including corporate real estate, corporate security and aviation.
Prior to her role as executive vice president, Ms. Daggs served as vice president of human resources for Florida Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc., and America’s largest electric utility. She played a key role managing human capital through talent management, leadership development and organizational effectiveness, while also holding accountability for corporate labor relations and corporate safety.
Prior to working in human resources and corporate services, Ms. Daggs served as vice president, portfolio management and operations in the business management organization of NextEra Energy Resources, the largest energy infrastructure developer in the U.S. Previously, she held various positions in NextEra Energy Resources, including vice president, Midwest and international, business management, and senior counsel, trading and origination in the legal department. Before joining the company, Ms. Daggs practiced law for more than a decade with a focus on transactional matters in the energy sector.
Ms. Daggs holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Holly Tyson
Chief People Officer, Cushman & Wakefield
As Chief People Officer (CPO), Holly Tyson is responsible for leading Cushman & Wakefield’s human resources function and developing and implementing a customer-centric and results-focused people strategy for the firm’s employees globally. Holly is focused on elevating the employee experience while ensuring talent and culture agendas, structures and approaches support the firm’s strategic objectives.
Holly is a data-driven business leader with a particular focus on transformation and more than 20 years of public company HR leadership experience in the technology, retail, logistics and healthcare industries. She brings deep expertise in strategic talent management, succession planning, compensation, organizational effectiveness, culture change, inclusion and diversity.
Before joining Cushman & Wakefield, Holly was Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Zebra Technologies, a $4.5 billion hardware and software technology company, where she notably led the cultural integration of a major acquisition and managed COVID-19 challenges across the globe. Prior to that, Holly was CHRO at DICK’S Sporting Goods, and before that, held the same role at The Brink’s Company. Prior to becoming a CHRO/CPO, Holly spent eight years at Bristol-Myers Squibb, working her way up to VP of HR for the U.S. Pharmaceuticals business. She began her career in consulting at Accenture and CIGNA where she focused on organizational change and talent initiatives.
Holly holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Columbia University and bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology from the College of William & Mary.
Gretchen Zech
Senior Vice President, Chief Governance, Sustainability, and Human Resources Officer, Arrow Electronics
Gretchen Zech is senior vice president and chief governance, sustainability, and human resources officer for Arrow Electronics, Inc. She provides executive leadership for the company’s corporate governance, corporate stewardship and impact, and human capital strategies. Her responsibilities include executive administration and oversight of global functions that span corporate affairs (internal communications, environmental sustainability, community engagement), enterprise resource and planning (real estate, indirect sourcing and procurement), legal and compliance, and human resources and payroll.
Zech joined Arrow in 2011 from Dex One Corporation, having served as senior vice president and chief human resources officer since 2006. Before then, she served in roles of increasing responsibility in human resources functions at Gartner, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Bloomingdale’s, Best Buy Company, and Johnson Controls.
Zech holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in human resource management from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She currently serves on the board of directors of America Succeeds, a national nonprofit education research and advocacy organization for K-12 and postsecondary education and workforce development. She previously served on the board of directors of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest professional association for human resources practitioners.
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Open to CHRO Association members worldwide