HR professionals made big moves across a range of industries last month — from technology to food manufacturing.
OpenAI
Arvind KC has joined OpenAI as chief people officer, the company announced Feb. 24. KC previously held senior roles at Roblox, Google, Palantir Technologies and Meta. He “brings a rare combination of engineering depth and people leadership,” the company said in its announcement.
“As AI reshapes how work gets done, our Chief People Officer will be central to how we navigate that transition responsibly,” OpenAI said.
Presidio
Global technology services provider Presidio announced the appointment of Tammy Sala as CHRO on Feb. 4. Sala was most recently CHRO at Medforth Global Healthcare Education and held prior roles at Sleepy’s, First Data and Merrill Lynch. She will handle all aspects of HR for Presidio.
The J.M. Smucker Co.
The owner of brands like Jif, Smucker’s and Folgers announced Feb. 10 the promotion of Jill Penrose from chief people and company services officer to chief people and administrative officer/chief of staff. She will add corporate strategy and chief of staff responsibilities to her plate in addition to her continued oversight of communications, public relations, government and industry relations, HR, community relations and philanthropy.
Astro Pak
Patrick McKeown has joined Astro Pak, a provider of high-purity chemical cleaning services, as chief people officer, the company announced Feb. 11. McKeown will focus on advancing HR strategy and growth while the company’s “culture and workforce capabilities keep pace,” Astro Pak said. McKeown was previously CPO for Horizon Group Holdings, and before that held positions at Aramark and Rentokil Initial.
Seekr
Seekr, an artificial intelligence company specializing in secure AI deployment, has tapped Darcey Villasenor as CPO, the company announced Feb. 4. She will lead global end-to-end people strategy and will oversee talent acquisition, organizational design and employee development. Villasenor was previously head of people and culture at Sprypoint and held past positions at Stackhawk, Sonatype and Mercuri Urval.
CoWorx
Amanda Platia has been promoted to CPO from senior vice president of people and culture for CoWorx Staffing Services, the company said Feb. 24. In her new role, Platia will ensure the centrality of talent, culture, leadership and well-being in the company’s business strategy, CoWorx said. Platia “was instrumental in modernizing CoWorx’s human resources function and strengthening talent development” in her previous role, the company said.
