Lori Ott
Los Angeles,CA
Summary
Accomplished HR executive with a proven record in crafting and executing transformational strategies that enhance organizational performance and foster sustainable growth. Expertise in building strong partnerships with stakeholders, including C-Suite executives, while leading high-performing teams focused on strategic objectives. Proficient in leadership development, employee relations, compliance, and data analysis to drive process improvement and operational excellence. Committed to advancing critical initiatives through innovative HR solutions and a culture of continuous improvement.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Executive Coach
Valmis Consulting Group
Los Angeles, CA
01.2020 - Current
- Brings 20+ years of expertise in collaboration with leaders across various career stages as a certified executive and leadership coach.
- Provided targeted coaching to teams and individuals to facilitate transitions into executive-level roles.
- Evaluated organizational dynamics to enhance departmental collaboration.
- Advised executives on team management strategies.
- Facilitated open communication within the executive team to enhance collaboration.
- Worked with executive teams to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.
- Executed business plans and developed self-help tools, user assistance documentation and product training initiatives.
- Coached executives in the areas of communication, leadership, decision making, problem solving, and time management.
- Mentored executives on how to motivate their employees by setting clear expectations and providing meaningful rewards.
- Developed assessment tools tailored specifically towards measuring the effectiveness of an executive's performance.
Chief People Officer and SVP of Operations
West Coast Fitness LLC
Los Angeles, CA
01.2022 - 09.2024
- Designed and applied methods for boosting revenue, retaining members, and fostering business growth.
- Oversee daily operations across multiple fitness studio locations, ensuring efficiency, consistency, and adherence to brand standards.
- Manage P&L, budgeting, and financial forecasting to optimize profitability.
- Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess studio performance and identify areas for improvement.
- Recruit, train, and mentor regional and studio managers to drive operations.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Implement performance management strategies to enhance staff engagement and retention.
- Develop and execute strategies to increase membership sales, retention, and engagement.
- Ensure exceptional customer service standards across all studio locations.
- Monitor and analyze customer feedback to enhance the overall member experience.
- Launched innovative incentive program to achieve low turnover rate in highly competitive market.
- Researched industry trends to inform compensation and performance strategies.
- Facilitated workshops designed to optimize employee performance and improve service delivery.
- Designed strategies to promote organizational growth by identifying high potential employees and developing their skillsets.
- Managed disciplinary actions for staff policy violations.
- Implemented succession planning initiatives focused on cultivating leadership talent from within the organization.
- Monitored labor costs by analyzing headcounts against budget forecasts to ensure cost efficiency.
- Suggested promotions and wage increases according to employee performance.
- Facilitated change management projects by providing support during periods of transition or restructuring.
- Analyzed workforce trends to identify areas for improvement in terms of hiring practices, career development opportunities and rewards recognition programs.
- Conducted performance reviews, salary surveys and job evaluations to maintain competitive compensation levels.
- Interpreted employment law provisions related to wages, hours worked, vacation time, sick leave entitlements.
- Partnered with department heads to create effective staffing solutions that met operational needs while maintaining budgets constraints.
- Developed innovative methods for increasing employee satisfaction through improved communication channels between departments.
- Conducted employee performance reviews and implemented corrective actions to increase productivity.
- Collaborated with executive management on strategic plans for recruiting top talent in an effort to build a strong organizational foundation.
- Created a culture of inclusion through diversity initiatives, employee engagement activities and team building exercises.
Chief People Officer
West Coast Fitness LLC
Los Angeles, CA
01.2022 - 01.2024
- Sets the strategic direction across the rapidly expanding organization’s people team consisting of all human resources functions, payroll, recruiting, and learning and development
- Develops and leads a team of eight HR professionals, including HR Specialists, a Business Partner, a Recruiting Manager, Recruiters, and Payroll Specialists
- Implemented a strategy to mitigate risk, identify areas for improvement, and maintain compliance
- In just five months, 35% of the calls assisted in identifying and resolving compliance issues, and 30% assisted in resolving potential EEOC compliance issues
- Partnered with external legal counsel to create and implement arbitration agreements for all current and future employees to mitigate the organization’s class action risk
- Executed required fiscal audits on the 2021 401k savings program and corrected enrollment errors for 15% of enrollees to meet legal requirements
- Sourced and launched a new workers’ compensation carrier, program, and policy
- Designed and rolled out new compensation structures by position to correct compliance issues and increase employee engagement, resulting in a 15% decrease in hourly turnover from July-November and a 30% decrease in salaried employee turnover
- Saved $20k in monthly marketing spend by transitioning to the most productive marketing platform and eliminating the other platforms
- Updated the company handbook for the first time since 2018 to ensure compliance with all state laws and requirements
- Uncovered $50k+ in vendor payment errors through an audit
- The company was refunded and received credit for an additional $50k
- Implemented a new HRIS vendor best to support the company’s compensation structure and timekeeping needs
- Conducted DiSC assessments with all salaried leadership and leveraged data to create customized development plans
- Promoted two operations directors, five regional sales managers, and two regional fitness managers into roles of increased leadership responsibility
- Assessed current Human Resources Information Systems capabilities in order to identify gaps or deficiencies requiring improvement.
- Developed comprehensive human resource policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Analyzed workforce trends to identify areas for improvement in terms of hiring practices, career development opportunities and rewards recognition programs.
- Launched innovative incentive program to achieve low turnover rate in highly competitive market.
- Implemented succession planning initiatives focused on cultivating leadership talent from within the organization.
- Monitored labor costs by analyzing headcounts against budget forecasts to ensure cost efficiency.
- Designed strategies to promote organizational growth by identifying high potential employees and developing their skillsets.
- Suggested promotions and wage increases according to employee performance.
- Provided guidance on employee relations issues such as conflict resolution, disciplinary actions and workplace grievances.
- Created staff teams based on employee strengths and made adjustments to promote overall productivity.
- Partnered with department heads to create effective staffing solutions that met operational needs while maintaining budgets constraints.
- Collaborated with executive management on strategic plans for recruiting top talent in an effort to build a strong organizational foundation.
- Coordinated training programs for managers and staff to enhance productivity, customer service standards and overall business operations.
- Facilitated change management projects by providing support during periods of transition or restructuring.
Vice President of Human Resources
Fashion Nova
Los Angeles, CA
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Directed budgeting, payroll, risk management and compensation functions for a fast-growing organization with 3,000 employees.
- Reported directly to the CEO
- Led a team of 16 recruiters, payroll managers, and HR Business Partners
- Shifted perception of HR to integral part of organizational success.
- Enhanced human resources processes in alignment with a rise in company revenue from $500M in 2018 to $3B in 2021.
- Achieved critical buy-in for workforce optimization initiatives.
- Achieved prompt enhancement in absenteeism, team morale, KPIs, and workplace engagement.
- Played a key role in reducing potential litigation by adhering to labor laws and regulations.
- Integrated various HR processes to enhance centralization and control.
- Designed and launched frameworks to enhance safety governance through risk management.
- Developed and launched an investigation skills certification program resulting in 20% year-over-year reduction in litigation costs.
- Transformed HR approach through pairing department heads with specific HR Business Partners.
Senior Director of Human Resources
Fashion Nova
Los Angeles, CA
01.2018 - 01.2021
Director of Human Resources
Amazon
01.2015 - 01.2018
- Initiated establishment of HR function and oversaw opening of two new distribution facilities with workforce of 5k employees.
- Formulated strategic hiring blueprint based on labor analysis and demographic insights.
- Directed efforts in legal compliance, performance management, as well as specialized training for HR leaders.
- Optimized legal and compliance framework for the CA facility, fostering adoption of new compliance initiatives.
- Established a structured program for boosting employee productivity.
- Boosted engagement levels of West Coast employees by 25% during initial 90 days.
- Oversaw payroll processing and conducted wage surveys to ensure competitive compensation packages.
- Developed and implemented human resources policies, procedures, and best practices.
- Assisted in the preparation of annual budgets related to staffing needs.
- Managed employee benefits programs, such as health insurance, retirement plans, and vacation time.
- Created staff teams based on employee strengths and made adjustments to promote overall productivity.
Executive Store Director
Target
Tracy, CA
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Led HR functions overseeing operations in four different stores.
- Boosted annual employee engagement by 25% among hourly staff and 55% among salaried workforce.
- Recruited and mentored a team of 21 executive leaders, fostering rapid career progression.
- Demonstrated exceptional leadership by retaining all salaried managers regionally in 2014 and 2015.
- Recognized as a top 5 performer among 60 peers for legal and regulatory compliance in consecutive years.
- Achieved a score of over 95% in weekly customer service surveys, significantly surpassing the regional average of 81%.
Regional Manager of Practice Development
Aspen Dental
Portland, OR
01.2011 - 01.2013
- Secured and managed multiple contracts with business partners, vendors, and suppliers
- Defined performance metrics and leveraged precise tracking systems to measure and report customer success to executive team members across four states
Regional HR Director
Goodwill Industries
Portland, OR
- Governed all aspects of HR operations for a $5M region of 40 stores
- HRBP for corporate, Board, and C-Suite
- Driving force of an average annual sales growth of 140%+ for 6 years
- Reduced turnover by 20% in Year 1 and by >11% in subsequent years
Education
Bachelor of Science (BS) - Business Administration & Management
Marylhurst University
01.2013
Skills
- Global Human Resources Strategy
- Change Management
- Executive Team Coaching
- Culture development
- Recruitment Strategy
- Performance Management
- Talent Management
- Process Improvement
- Team Development and Leadership
- Communication Strategy
- Training and mentoring
- Succession planning
- Coaching techniques
- Talent development
Websites
Certification
- Senior Professional in Human Resources International (SHHRi)
- Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
- Professional in Human Resources California (PHRca)
- Certified Executive Coach (CEC)
- SHRM Specialty Certification: Inclusive Workplace Culture
- 5 Behaviors Trainer and Authorized Partner
- DiSC Trainer and Authorized Partner
Timeline
Chief People Officer and SVP of Operations
West Coast Fitness LLC
01.2022 - 09.2024
Chief People Officer
West Coast Fitness LLC
01.2022 - 01.2024
Vice President of Human Resources
Fashion Nova
01.2021 - 01.2022
Executive Coach
Valmis Consulting Group
01.2020 - Current
Senior Director of Human Resources
Fashion Nova
01.2018 - 01.2021
Director of Human Resources
Amazon
01.2015 - 01.2018
Executive Store Director
Target
01.2013 - 01.2015
Regional Manager of Practice Development
Aspen Dental
01.2011 - 01.2013
Regional HR Director
Goodwill Industries
Bachelor of Science (BS) - Business Administration & Management
Marylhurst University
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