About Michael W. Roberts
Michael W. Roberts is the Founder and Chief HR Strategist of groHR Consulting, Inc.
Michael has extensive Human Resources experience in the high tech sector. As a generalist and leader, he has gained a deep understanding of all facets of the People & Culture function and how it drives employee engagement.
Michael’s experience ranges from large, publicly-traded multinationals to venture-capital start-ups. He has led HR teams through periods of explosive growth as well as contraction and restructuring. He has developed his expertise in a wide variety of settings, from corporate head offices to manufacturing plants.
Michael’s expertise is in developing strategic People & Culture programs and initiatives aligned with company strategy to create engagement cultures that drive growth.
Michael holds a BA (Hons.) from the University of Calgary and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. See more about his background on LinkedIn.
Endorsements FROM COLLEAGUES AND CLIENTS
In searching for a flexible HR resource model, Elastic Path engaged Michael to provide senior oversight to a team of internal and external HR professionals. Michael quickly established the HR function, including hiring key talent, and was able to positively impact the organization within weeks. Under Michael’s leadership and leveraging his seasoned expertise, Elastic Path has significantly improved the sophistication and breadth of services delivered by its HR team, including; a new staff performance management program, executive coaching series, annual HR policy and practices audits, and total compensation framework. I highly recommend Michael to anyone seeking an experienced HR professional capable of delivering immediate organizational value while effecting long term structural change.
Brenton Brown, CFO, Elasticpath Software
Michael is a strategic and experienced HR leader. We collaborated closely on multiple change and HR initiatives that resulted in significant improvements to engagement levels and business performance. Michael's ability to offer valuable mentorship led to stronger program offerings that were closely aligned to business needs. He has a natural mind for analysis and a real strength for simplifying and tailoring content for the audience - this provided us with deeper business insights and allowed for greater organizational buy in & support for the HR agenda. Michael is an avid facilitator and has a talent for interviewing. On a number of occasions, his facilitation led to important realizations and breakthrough discussions to drive our business forward. Overall, he is one of the most approachable and authentic leaders I know. I highly recommend Michael and consider myself privileged to have worked with and learned from him.
Elise Ward, General Manager, People & Culture, Prospa
It’s been a pleasure working with Michael over the last year. In that time, he's done a great job working with our executive team and talent team to help us evolve our annual and quarterly planning cycles. He’s facilitated offsites, helped advance our talent acquisition program, and added strategic guidance to our overall talent function. I’d recommend him to any company or leadership team looking to establish or evolve HR to become a strategic vs. functional part of their organizational architecture.
Harry Chemko, Founder & CEO, Elasticpath Software
Michael is a highly talented and effective senior HR leader. He has been instrumental in bringing strategic order to Elastic Path’s HR function. His extensive knowledge, professional approach, and seasoned personal credibility has made a lasting positive impact on the company. Michael brought much-needed structure to the HR function, and to the company, by introducing appropriate infrastructure and process. He recruited a team of highly effective HR professionals, and acted as an impactful facilitator in high-stakes situations. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a well-rounded, experienced, strategic HR business partner who can drive deep and effective organizational change.
Peter Lukomskyj, General Manager, Lyft
Michael is very smart, with excellent analytical skills. His ability to grasp complex situations, understand the core issues and drive to a simple outcome is extremely effective in building solutions to difficult business problems. He also has excellent judgment, concerning both people and business issues. He has the best ability to evaluate people of any human resources professional that I have worked with. His advice is always thoughtful and based on sound common sense.
Layle K. (Kip) Smith, CEO, Noranda Aluminum Holding Company
