Lunch with Keynote Speakers
Donna Morris, executive vice president, Customer & Employee Experience, Adobe
Starbucks: HR's Role in Creating a Culture of Success
Scott Pitasky, executive vice president and chief partner (human) resources officer, Starbucks
At Starbucks, HR is viewed as central component to the company's success because the partner experience is the core of its business. When Pitasky joined Starbucks in October 2014 he was hired to lead efforts to support and transform the Starbucks partner (employee) experience. Starbucks was one of the few companies in the retail sector to provide generous benefits to both full-time workers as well as part timers which ensured that employees remained motivated. However, in the early 2000s, the company faced the challenge of finding and retaining the right number and kind of employees to help facilitate its future growth. Pitasky will discuss:
· The role of HR in creating economic and social value.
· HR's role and responsibility as a public company ... and the role talent plays.
· Strategies Starbucks employed to appreciate the value of motivated and committed employees in service-based industries.
Donna Morris, SHRM-SCP
"Disrupt or be disrupted" is Donna Morris's rallying cry. From abolishing Adobe's annual performance reviews to dramitically expanding its family leave policy, she has set the industry agenda while making Adobe a great place to work. In her new role as Executive Vice President of Customer and Employee Experience, she leads the product, customer service and technical support experience for all Adobe products, in addition to all aspects of human resources and the workplace. Her breadth of experience and unique point of view on workplace issues has been sought out by hundreds of media outlets including CNN, NPR, CNBC, Fast Company and Fortune.
Donna sits on the board of directors for the Society for Human Resource Management and the Adobe Foundation and was formerly a board member for California's Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. She is also a member of the Fordham University Parents Council and mentors C100, a non-profit that supports Canadian technology entrepreneurship.
Scott Pitasky
Scott Pitasky leads Starbucks global partner (human) resources organization as executive vice president and chief partner resources officer. Scott joined Starbucks in October 2014 to lead efforts to support and transform Starbucks partner experience.
Scott’s background includes three decades of broad human resources and organizational design experience from the technology, financial services and other business sectors.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Scott spent more than a dozen years at Microsoft, where he led the global talent function for the company as Corporate Vice President of Talent and Organization Capability. Prior to that, Scott led Amazon’s human resources function during a period of rapid growth as the company grew from 800 to 8,000 employees. His career has also included human resources and finance roles with AlliedSignal and as a consultant. Before pursuing his career in human resources, Scott worked in strategy consulting and financial services with Citicorp.
Scott graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in finance and management. Outside of work, he serves as a trustee with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and enjoys outdoor sports and cooking. His favorite Starbucks beverage is coffee brewed on the Clover (iced with one brown sugar in the summer), which he enjoys at his neighborhood Sammamish, Washington store.