About Carol Olsby & Associates, Inc.
Carol Olsby, MS, GPHR, GRP, CCP, ACC, SHRM-SCP
Carol has over 25 years of strategic HR and operational experience designing, and implementing custom, best-in-class US, country specific (40+), and global HR strategies and programs aligned with each client’s mission and strategy driving organizational transformation, fostering a winning culture, ensuring organizational effectiveness, preferred employer status in all locations, and with a long-term competitive advantage.
Carol is a highly credible and trusted HR SME strategist and operations leader with deep technical knowledge in all HR functional areas. She has a strong business acumen and track record of success leading organizational change – transformations/restructurings, establishing new locations, and managing mergers, acquisitions, and divestures. Carol has excellent client results and references by delivering targeted strategies, commitment to excellence, innovation, action-orientation, effective communications, collaboration, agility, and as a positive change agent.
Prior to starting this firm, Carol was the Global HR Director – Americas & Asia to Tieto, a 2.1 billion European software company and Microsoft partner with over 20,000 employees globally operating in over 30 countries. She led the fastest growing region and was considered one of the most influential global HR leaders within Tieto due to her strong business acumen and ability to design and execute HR strategies and programs including hiring more than 2,500 employees in four years. She joined Tieto as their US HR leader, and her responsibilities grew significantly by transforming existing operations, establishing new locations, acquisitions, and mergers including leading high-growth locations in China and India. In addition to Tieto, Carol was the VP, Human Resources for Bainbridge Networks.
Education and Professional Certifications
- Master’s Science, Human Resources Management – Chapman University
- Bachelor’s Science, Business Administration – Columbia Union College – with honors
- Executive International Business Management Programme – Tieto, IFL & Stockholm School of Economics
- Global Executive Coaching Program – Cambridge University
- Global Leadership Certificate Program – Thunderbird School of Global Management
- International Human Resources Programme – Tieto, Stockholm, Sweden
- Certification, Global Professional Human Resources – GPHR – HRCI
- Certification, Senior HR Professional – SHRM-SCP – Society for Human Resources Management
- Certifications – Global Remuneration & Rewards (GRP) & Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) – World at Work
Advisory and Boards
Advisory
- Founder and Chair, HR Roundtable, the high-technology human resources society with over 150 member companies.
- Founder and Chair, Global Human Resources Consortium an international human resources organization representing over 100 global companies.
- Technology company technical expert lobbyist for WA state laws pertaining to human resources. All the lobbying efforts were successful and resulted in amendments to WA state laws.
- Frequent speaker presenting domestic and global topics relating to creating scalable and sustainable companies. Some of the venues have been: UW MBA, UW Law School, global conferences, entrepreneurial and venture firm events, and HR seminars & conferences.
- SHRM Leadership & Advisory Boards speaks to the media on SHRM’s behalf– 250,000 members globally
- Global HR Expert Panelist – 2009 through 2013 and 2016 – present
- HR & Technology Panel – 2014 through 2015
- Global HR Director – Washington State – 2007 through 2013
Publications and Author
Carol has had articles written about her domestic and global HR work published in magazines, newspapers, and online sites to include: Bloomberg, Washington Post, Japan Times, CIMA Financial Management Magazine, Baton Rouge Business Report, Dayton Business Journal, International Employment Today, Seattle Times, Financial Forum, CFO Magazine Research Report, Wall Street Journal, SHRM Magazine, Workforce, Sweden’s Personnel & Leadership, Global HR News, Global Profit Tech, Computer Technology Associates, Inc., N.F. Casting (India) News, Drudge Report, and Yahoo Finance.
Carol’s work has been profiled in the publication “International Human Resources Management” by Briscoe, Schuler, and Claus utilized by both academia and business. She coauthored the “Talent Management – China” chapter of the Global Immersion HR Handbook Series, which is considered the top global HR handbook for international and business professionals. This series is also part of HR and business college programs and is a well-respected HR and business resource.
Testimonials
“Imagine working for a company where the HR executive is one of the most intelligent, caring, and effective people you know. Carol thoroughly understands how to work in a diverse international environment and helped Tieto, a relative newcomer to India and China, cost effectively attract and retain some incredible talent in those countries in a short period of time. Carol’s strong business orientation ensured that the newly established tech centers provided high value and acted as force multipliers for other areas of the company.”
“While I was President at Bastyr University, the HR functions were undergoing a significant amount of change in personnel and policy. I hired Carol as a long term interim to perform both the senior HR role and to help us get set up for the permanent HR hire. She was the perfect fit for us. Terrific breadth of background and experience along with the willingness to deal with issues at the operations level and the C suite level. She is very well organized and was able to deliver an amazing amount of work in short time. In the end, she set us up for a great permanent hire and a new focus for the HR functions at Bastyr. I would indeed hire her again without hesitation.”
“Carol was brought in after Physio was divested from a large medical device company. Carol was instrumental in recommending a new global HR strategy and framework. She led global and domestic HR projects focused on HR alignment with the business and also drove process improvement. Carol new APAC business entities and was considered Physio’s global HR SME. Carol was a great partner to the business leaders. Carol consulted with Physio-Control for a few years while I worked there and I would highly recommend Carol for future HR roles.”
