Vice President
Talent Development
Hill-Rom Holdings Inc.
Chicago, Ill.
The opportunity to advance her career compelled Angela B. Lee to enter the human resources field more than 20 years ago. What she considers the most valuable part of any organization — its people — kept her there. “Really understanding what motivates individuals to go above and beyond is something that has always intrigued me,” she states. “And when you think about businesses that fail, it’s usually because they don’t know how to harness the talent most effectively.”
As vice president of talent development at Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., a global medical technology company, Lee makes sure to put the emphasis on the company’s employees. She received Hill-Rom’s 2018 Innovation Award for that emphasis. With a team of just four people, she designed a “conscious inclusion” workshop, created in-house compliance training, and launched Hill-Rom’s first podcast that focuses on getting employees to appreciate the critical role they play in owning their own path within the organization. “That award is usually awarded to engineers and marketers but this year, my work in the talent development space was recognized,” Lee says.
Lee earned a bachelor of applied science degree in business management and economics from SUNY (State University of New York) Empire State College. Her innovative work dates back to her early days at medical device manufacturer Welch Allyn Inc., where she was a talent acquisition specialist. There, she launched Inside Track, an initiative for employees on the manufacturing floor who sought office-level positions. “It was an opportunity for them to gain the practical experience while earning the education necessary for the positions they wanted. Inside Track became a part of the fabric at Welch Allyn, so it was pretty cool,” she notes with pride.
Lee confesses that the secret entrepreneur in her plans to encourage and support young, would-be entrepreneurs when she retires.
