Human Resources Professionals: Insights & Resources

Fractional CHROs in Los Angeles Making Things Happen

Anson Ye
July 3, 2025
All Insights
HR Professionals: Insights & Resources

Fractional CHROs in Los Angeles Making Things Happen in 2025

Los Angeles Interim Chief People Officers to Know

Los Angeles has long been known as a city of innovation, creativity, and reinvention. It's no surprise, then, that it's also become a hotbed for fractional leadership, especially when it comes to People Operations. From entertainment to emerging tech, the need for agile and strategic HR leadership is growing—and that’s exactly where fractional CHROs shine.

At Digital Reference, we’re committed to lifting the curtain on how work really gets done. We believe in the power of radical authenticity and radical transparency to reshape the talent ecosystem. That means helping professionals own their narrative—and helping companies find the right people, even if those people aren’t full-time.

This blog highlights a curated group of Los Angeles–based fractional Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) who are redefining how organizations build and lead their people strategies. Whether partnering with startups, scaling brands, or navigating complex transformations, these experts bring executive-level strategy without the full-time overhead.

Methodology: How We Built This List

Each individual on this list was selected through a combination of:

  • Direct sourcing and industry referrals
  • Publicly available professional profiles
  • Regional relevance (primarily LA-based or servicing clients in the Greater LA area)
  • Clear demonstration of fractional CHRO services or interim HR leadership

We value leaders who align with Digital Reference’s mission of building a more efficient, more human talent ecosystem.

If you’re new to the concept of fractional leadership, you can explore our full breakdown:

👉 Human Resource Professionals: What Are They and What Do They Do?

‍👉 HR Executives & What They Do

Meet the Fractional CHROs of Los Angeles to Watch

  • Tonyel Thompson
  • Scott Walters
  • Jennifer Abbott-Aston
  • Karine Shahar
  • Russell Lookadoo
  • Helena Ferrari
  • Heather Bischoff
  • Steve McElfresh
  • Prateek Kaushik
  • Lisa Henderson
  • Angela Elder

Read on to learn more about each professional and why they made our list:

Tonyel Thompson

LinkedIn | Website

“What I love about fractional HR is the variety. I get to support so many different kinds of people and businesses. But more than that, I get to help companies that want to do better. That’s who we’re looking for—clients who care.”

The Digital Reference Team had the opportunity to interview Tonyel Thompson to better dive into her firm's approach to HR.

Founder of Real HR Hero, Tonyel is a trusted advisor for solopreneurs and small businesses. Her consultancy demystifies HR policy, compliance, and onboarding—with a strong commitment to keeping it human. Since launching her business officially in 2019 (after years of consulting on the side), she’s built a practice that blends deep empathy, operational rigor, and a sharp eye for modern workforce dynamics.

In a city that’s long celebrated reinvention, Tonyel Thompson is offering something rare: consistency, credibility, and care in an often-overlooked part of business. And she’s proving that when it comes to HR, fractional doesn’t mean fractional value—it just means smarter delivery.

Real HR Hero's value proposition is great for founder-led or PE-backed businesses that need to grow fast without operational chaos.

Tonyel says: “We can drop in, stabilize things, and even help companies figure out when it is time to hire internal HR,”

Scott Walters

Founder, People Excellerator | Fractional HR Leader | Embedded Talent Partner
 LinkedIn | Website

Scott Walters is a powerhouse in strategic HR and recruiting—equal parts builder, operator, and advisor. As the Founder of People Excellerator, Scott helps early-stage startups, small companies, and scaling businesses tackle HR and talent operations with precision, speed, and care. His approach? Make people strategy an engine—not a bottleneck—for business growth.

With over 30 years of leadership experience spanning human resources, talent acquisition, and organizational design, Scott brings both hands-on execution and big-picture strategy to every client engagement. From compliance and onboarding to recruiting and people systems, he delivers solutions that scale as fast as your company does.

As a Fractional CHRO and Embedded Recruiting Partner, Scott supports clients through:

  • Fractional HR support: payroll, benefits, onboarding, compliance, and performance strategy

  • Embedded recruiting partnerships: full-cycle hiring, ATS setup, interview planning, and offer management

  • Concierge talent acquisition: white-glove hiring solutions for hard-to-fill or executive roles

  • Project-based HR work: handbooks, compensation benchmarks, org charts, and more

Before founding People Excellerator, Scott led talent functions for notable companies such as Toyota Motor Sales, Beachbody, Rand Corporation, eHarmony, and ReachLocal. He’s built scalable HR infrastructure from the ground up and served as the operational backbone during high-growth phases, M&As, and organizational pivots.

Clients trust Scott not just for his know-how, but for his calm, clear-eyed leadership. He’s known for streamlining chaotic hiring processes, building employer brands from scratch, and saving companies hundreds of hours in misaligned hiring cycles. At The Bouqs Company, for example, he helped grow the team by 57% in one year—a transformation rooted in better systems, smarter tools, and trust-based collaboration with internal stakeholders.

💠 Recent Wins Include:

🚀 Hiring stabilization and long-term recruiting foundation for a fast-scaling e-commerce brand
📉 Reduced time-to-hire and improved candidate experience via ATS implementation and interview process design
📈 Performance framework and compensation benchmarking for a 50-person tech startup preparing for Series B
🧭 Interim HR support for a company navigating leadership turnover and compliance uncertainty

Scott’s flexible model makes him especially valuable to founder-led companies, VC-backed startups, and small HR teams who need senior-level support—but not a full-time headcount. He seamlessly plugs in where needed, offering strategic clarity and tactical horsepower to keep people ops running smoothly.

🎯 Signature Strengths:

🧩 Fractional HR and on-demand leadership
💡 Full-cycle recruiting and candidate experience design
📐 Performance and compensation systems
📋 Compliance, handbooks, and HR process audits
🔧 ATS implementation and people tech infrastructure
🫶 White-glove hiring solutions for executive roles

Scott’s ethos is simple: build systems that work, hire people who thrive, and always lead with empathy. Through People Excellerator, he gives growing teams the HR advantage they need—without the guesswork or growing pains.

Jennifer Abbott-Aston

Co-Founder, Human Element Company | Fractional HR Leader | Culture Strategist
 LinkedIn | Website

Jennifer Abbott-Aston is the kind of HR leader who reminds us why the “human” in Human Resources matters most. As Co-Founder of Human Element Company, Jennifer leads with a blend of deep empathy and strategic clarity, helping organizations build inclusive, sustainable, and talent-driven workplaces that thrive through change.

With decades of experience across industries and a passion for values-led leadership, Jennifer brings an unwavering focus on culture, compliance, and community. Whether she’s providing fractional HR support, developing scalable hiring systems, or guiding a full HR department through transformation, Jennifer knows how to meet companies where they are—and move them forward with purpose.

At Human Element Company, she and her team are rewriting what it means to deliver people-first HR and staffing solutions. From Southern California and beyond, they offer highly customizable services that adapt to each client’s evolving needs—whether that means flexible headcount, budget-conscious contracts, or seasonally adjusted support.

💡 Areas of Expertise Include:

🤝 Fractional HR Leadership – hands-on executive support without the full-time commitment
🌱 Culture & Talent Development – inclusive practices that attract, engage, and retain great people
📊 HR Wellness Checks – assessing current operations and strengthening people strategy
🧠 Organizational Growth Strategy – helping teams align people practices with long-term business goals
🧾 Compliance & Generalist Support – end-to-end HR operations, from handbooks to hiring

Under Jennifer’s leadership, Human Element Company has grown into a trusted partner for companies that want both high-quality HR outcomes and values-aligned service. They operate with a signature approach—one that balances strategy with heart, delivering staffing and HR solutions that feel less like a transaction and more like a partnership.

🎯 Key Services:

📌 Human Element Solutions: Contract, contract-to-hire, retained search, and permanent placement
📌 Fractional HR: Flexible HR services that scale with client needs—from executive support to generalist operations
📌 HR Staff Services: Embedded HR professionals to strengthen internal teams and guide transitions
📌 HR Wellness Checks: Strategic audits to improve compliance, engagement, and organizational health
📌 Outplacement Consulting: Compassionate offboarding and career transition guidance

Jennifer’s leadership is grounded in the “three H’s” that define her firm: honesty, humility, and helpfulness. Her clients know her for being a steady presence in times of change, a trusted advisor for thorny people problems, and a strong cultural steward when values and operations need to align.

And it’s not just business for Jennifer. Through Human Element, she commits a portion of proceeds to nonprofits nationwide—supporting communities and reinforcing her belief that good HR is good citizenship.

💬 Client-Centric, Culture-Driven, Always Human.

If your company is growing, transitioning, or rethinking its HR infrastructure, Jennifer Abbott-Aston is the kind of leader who brings both the insight and integrity to make your next chapter a successful one.

Karine Shahar

Founder, Strategic Global Talent | Fractional CHRO | Leadership Coach | Behavioral Analytics Specialist
 LinkedIn | Website

Karine Shahar brings a rare combination of intuitive leadership, strategic clarity, and global HR expertise to every client engagement. As the Founder of Strategic Global Talent, she partners with companies undergoing transformation—whether that’s scaling a startup, navigating M&A, or reimagining how their people strategy supports performance and retention.

With over 20 years of experience across 36 countries, Karine has served as a Global Director of HR for TBWA\Media Arts Lab (Apple’s dedicated agency), VP of Talent at GOAT, and CHRO at Blumhouse Productions—before launching her own firm to offer fractional HR leadership, leadership coaching, and behavioral analytics to high-growth and mission-driven organizations.

What sets Karine apart is her ability to see the true potential within teams and leaders. She’s known for using The Predictive Index (PI)—a fast, scientifically validated behavioral assessment tool—to unlock key insights into individual work styles, team dynamics, and organizational fit. Whether she’s advising executive teams at Amazon Ring, Angel City FC, or Plus Power, her work consistently helps organizations align people with purpose and performance.

💡 Areas of Expertise Include:

🧠 Behavioral Analytics – Using Predictive Index to assess fit, coach leaders, and curate high-performing teams
🤝 Fractional HR Leadership – Executive-level strategy without the full-time overhead
🪴 Talent Curation & Succession Planning – Building leadership pipelines that scale with your mission
🎯 Organizational Design – End-to-end employee experience strategies that retain top talent
📈 Executive Coaching – Empowering C-suite and senior leaders through transformation and change

At Strategic Global Talent, Karine helps solve today’s urgent people problems—while also preventing tomorrow’s. Her firm supports startups and global enterprises alike with services designed to scale: from compliance and onboarding frameworks to culture strategies and leadership coaching. Clients regularly turn to Karine when they’re facing rapid growth, cultural misalignment, or the need to evolve their internal HR maturity.

🌍 Clients Have Included:

✔ Amazon Ring
✔ GOAT – Sneaker Marketplace
✔ Blumhouse Productions
✔ Bionauts Lab
✔ Angel City FC
✔ Plus Power
✔ Reveleer
✔ Pheast Therapeutics
✔ Clutter
✔ Percheron Capital
✔ Regal Technologies
✔ Upstart

🎯 Signature Services:

📌 Predictive Index Assessments – High-impact insights into behavior, performance, and leadership fit
📌 Executive Onboarding + Coaching – Ensuring leaders align with company values and drive team results
📌 Leadership Development – Coaching managers and teams through change, complexity, and growth
📌 End-to-End HR Transformation – From talent acquisition to succession planning and culture building
📌 Fractional CHRO Support – Providing trusted, strategic HR guidance at the executive level

Karine is also a passionate advocate for the power of people analytics and empathy-driven leadership. Her approach blends data with instinct, systems with culture, and strategy with soul—making her a trusted advisor to some of the most ambitious brands in the Los Angeles startup and corporate ecosystem.

👟 Beyond the Office: A Cal Poly Philosophy and French alumna, Karine is a mom of two, an avid hiker, and a gifted chef. But her biggest professional pride? The global network of top-tier talent and changemakers she’s helped cultivate over two decades in HR.

If your company is scaling, shifting, or seeking to better understand its people power, Karine Shahar is the kind of leader who can help you unlock your next level—with confidence, clarity, and heart.

Russell Lookadoo

President & Chief Strategist, HRchitecture | Fractional HR Director | The HR Guy for Small Business
 LinkedIn | Website

If you’re a small business owner chasing a bold vision but hitting roadblocks with your team, Russell Lookadoo is the expert you want in your corner.

As the President and Chief Strategist of HRchitecture, Russell serves as a fractional HR director and leadership advisor for entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses, and growing companies who need scalable people strategies—but not the overhead of a full-time HR team. With over 30 years of experience in Human Resources and organizational leadership, Russell helps founders align their team with their dream.

He’s worked across industries—manufacturing, finance, retail, and tech—and across scale, from small manufacturers to the second-largest bank in America. But his heart is with business owners who want their team to be a force multiplier, not a pain point. That’s why Russell has built an HR practice that blends deep strategic expertise with real-world empathy, including flexible support models like mastermind groups, virtual HR coaching, and one-on-one leadership development—no long-term contracts, just results.

💡 Areas of Expertise Include:

🧭 Vision-Aligned HR Strategy – Helping owners turn ambition into action through strategic people systems
🔄 M&A Integration – Led over 60 mergers and acquisitions, including a 180,000-employee post-merger compensation overhaul
💬 Performance Management – Built systems that improved communication, reduced waste, and doubled profit margins
🛠️ HR Systems & Process Engineering – Creating scalable frameworks in payroll, performance, compliance, and retention
🧑‍🏫 Leadership Coaching – From owners and founders to first-time managers, helping leaders lead more effectively

Russell’s signature strength is his ability to connect the why of the business to the how of the people. His clients don’t just get policies or handbooks—they get a partner who helps them make better decisions, build more accountable teams, and lead with greater confidence.

As a lifelong advocate for small business success, Russell doesn’t just offer HR compliance—he offers HR clarity. Whether he's supporting a family business navigating succession or guiding a tech startup through rapid hiring, his solutions are built to be hands-on, actionable, and values-aligned.

🏆 Credentials & Notable Achievements:

✅ Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) – SHRM
✅ Certified Compensation Professional – World at Work
✅ Morehead-Cain Scholar – University of North Carolina
✅ Led the design of a post-merger compensation system for 180,000 employees
✅ Reduced product waste by over 50% for a regional supermarket chain—while nearly doubling net margin
✅ Created career ladders and retention solutions for police departments, banks, and public sector employers

🧠 Consulting Style:

At HRchitecture, the philosophy is simple: Owners have vision, but they need capacity. Russell delivers that capacity by equipping leaders to think strategically, communicate clearly, and manage people with purpose. His process is as flexible as it is effective—offering both virtual HR support and on-the-ground consulting, depending on what the client needs.

🚲 Fun Fact:
 Russell got his start working in his family’s bicycle repair shop—an early immersion in the grit and grind of small business life. That experience informs everything he does today: always practical, always focused on outcomes, always committed to helping owners win.

Helena Ferrari

Founder & Managing Advisor, HRRX | Fractional CHRO | Governance & Risk Strategist
 LinkedIn | Website

When businesses face complex leadership transitions, class action risks, or cross-border M&A chaos, Helena Ferrari is the steady, strategic advisor they call. As the Founder and Managing Advisor at HRRX, Helena brings over 25 years of global HR leadership to the table—with experience that spans from hypergrowth startups to private equity-backed enterprises scaling across five continents.

Helena’s value lies not just in her operational expertise, but in her ability to help CEOs, Boards, and C-suite leaders navigate the high-stakes intersection of people, compliance, and business strategy. She’s led workforce transformations across the U.S., UK, Europe, Latin America, and APAC; advised one of the nation’s largest healthcare consortiums; and provided HR leadership through IPOs, SPACs, and financial turnarounds. Her global insight and boardroom fluency make her a go-to partner for CEOs managing intense transitions or seeking a fractional CHRO who can own the full scope of risk, governance, and people strategy.

💼 Areas of Expertise Include:

🔍 Governance & Compliance Strategy – Including SOX readiness, audits, and board-level reporting
🧩 Cross-Border M&A & Workforce Integration – From due diligence to cultural and legal harmonization
⚠️ Crisis & Risk Mitigation – Executive transitions, class action risk, and PAGA reform execution
📊 Workforce Optimization – Turnover analysis, HR audits, and operational restructuring
🎯 C-Suite & CEO Advisory – Succession planning, performance evaluations, and leadership remediation
💡 IPO & SPAC Navigation – Strategic counsel on public company transition, compensation planning, and stakeholder alignment

Whether she’s leading delicate downsizing initiatives or coaching Boards on executive decision-making during high-risk scenarios, Helena’s approach is rigorous, analytical, and rooted in minimizing legal exposure while maximizing organizational resilience.

🛠️ Notable Client Outcomes:

✅ Identified and corrected a 58% turnover rate costing $5.8M—cutting it in half in under six months
✅ Conducted wage/hour audits to reduce PAGA-related legal exposure by $1.7M
✅ Saved a company $2M annually by aligning staffing levels, insurance coverage, and workforce policies
✅ Guided a healthcare consortium through complex compliance and operational redesign
✅ Advised an eCommerce brand pre- and post-SPAC, supporting CEO/CFO transitions and board governance

Helena isn’t just an HR strategist—she’s a business continuity architect, bringing order and insight to moments of pressure. Her ability to see the full picture—financial, legal, operational, and human—is what makes her indispensable during business inflection points.

🎓 Credentials & Affiliations:

🔹 GPHR, PHR – Global and Professional in Human Resources Certifications
🔹 Member – Private Directors Association (PDA), where she leads national workshops and SIGs on topics like CHRO value to the board, class action reform, and future board governance challenges
🔹 Regulatory Compliance Workshop Facilitator and Speaker
🔹 25+ Years Leading HR Strategy Across the US, UK, EU, LatAm, and APAC

🧠 Consulting Style:

At HRRX, Helena works with private and PE-backed companies in need of embedded expertise at the executive level—particularly those facing compliance gaps, leadership gaps, or structural change. She offers fractional, interim, and project-based solutions, always designed to reduce risk and align people strategy with business goals.

📍 Based in Los Angeles, Helena supports clients across the U.S. and internationally, offering hands-on leadership through every phase of growth, crisis, and transformation.

Heather Bischoff

Founder, UPSKILL Consulting | Fractional CHRO | HR Compliance & People Strategy Expert
 LinkedIn | Website

When small and midsize businesses need HR clarity, structure, and a partner who truly gets both people and process, Heather Bischoff steps in with decades of hands-on experience and a holistic approach to HR. As the Founder of UPSKILL Consulting, Heather brings over 20 years of HR expertise in compliance, people strategy, HRIS implementation, and leadership development to growing organizations—without the cost or overhead of a full-time CHRO.

From case manager in the nonprofit world to award-winning department head to fractional HR leader, Heather’s journey has been shaped by a deep belief in empowering people to do meaningful work, supported by the right structures, strategies, and teams. Her standout ability? Balancing business needs with a human-centered approach—reducing risk while unlocking potential.

📌 Specialties Include:

🔹 HR Compliance & Audit Readiness – Ensuring small and midsize businesses remain compliant with evolving employment laws and ethical standards
🔹 Fractional CHRO Support – Providing senior-level strategic HR leadership, from workforce planning to executive coaching
🔹 PEO and HRIS Implementation – Selecting and setting up systems that scale with growing businesses
🔹 Performance Management Strategy – Creating frameworks that improve retention, alignment, and accountability
🔹 Leadership Development & Team Upskilling – Coaching leaders, designing training programs, and nurturing growth from within
🔹 Strategic Planning & Change Management – Helping businesses evolve with intention through shifting priorities and transitions

Heather is especially skilled at designing cost-effective HR programs that align with both compliance and culture. Whether she’s rolling out a fractional engagement, launching a new HRIS, or advising on performance frameworks, her clients value her as both an HR expert and a compassionate, systems-minded collaborator.

🚀 Signature Offerings at UPSKILL Consulting:

✨ Fractional CHRO & HR Advisor Packages
 Includes strategic planning, HRIS setup, compliance audits, and change management guidance.

✨ HR Monthly Advisor Packages

  • Essential: Compliance-focused

  • Premier: Adds cost-cutting strategies and deeper business improvement initiatives

✨ Team Upskilling Programs

  • Leadership Development

  • Performance Management

  • Strength Finders & Employee Engagement

  • Compliance & Essential Skills Training

🌱 Impact Highlights:

✅ Maintained a 95% employee retention rate over three years—without a merit increase budget
 ✅ Helped organizations implement HR systems and processes that enabled them to scale with confidence
✅ Recognized with the American Association of Service Coordinators’ Innovation in Programming national award
✅ Built and managed fully remote teams before it was mainstream—pioneering flexibility and inclusion in operations

🔍 Who She Works With:
 Startups, nonprofits, growing SMBs, and values-driven businesses looking for a seasoned fractional CHRO to help optimize operations, stay compliant, and cultivate high-performing teams.

Steve McElfresh

Founder & Principal, HR Futures® | Fractional CHRO | Organizational Psychologist & People Strategy Expert
 LinkedIn | Website

Steve McElfresh brings a rare combination of C-suite insight, academic rigor, and battle-tested experience to every client engagement. As the Founder and Principal of HR Futures®, Steve partners with fast-growing startups, mature enterprises, and HR technology firms to tackle the most urgent people challenges—ranging from leadership transitions and turnover crises to IPO prep and post-merger integration.

With a Ph.D. in organizational psychology and a JD in law, Steve doesn’t just “do HR”—he engineers it to drive performance, resilience, and business clarity. Over the course of his 30+ year career, he has served as Chief HR Officer at four tech companies (including two IPOs), SVP/People at Duo Security (through their Cisco integration), and CEO of Saratoga Institute, a global HR consultancy.

His client roster includes Grammarly, Snyk, Figma, BridgeBio, Wily Technology, Flurry, HP, and Clarify Health, among many others.

📌 Signature Areas of Expertise:

🔹 Fractional & Interim HR Leadership – Step-in support for organizations navigating growth, executive exits, restructuring, or transformation
🔹 Retention & Turnover Reduction – Data-backed planning to reengage teams, reduce attrition, and build cultures of commitment
🔹 HR Operations & Policy Development – From HRIS implementation to compliant, context-sensitive policy creation
🔹 Compensation Design & Pay Equity – Market-aligned comp strategies, stock allocation planning, and internal fairness frameworks
🔹 Talent Acquisition Strategy – Building fast, efficient, and branded hiring engines that scale with intention
🔹 Executive Coaching & C-Suite Advisory – A sounding board and strategic partner for CEOs and HR leaders who want real talk and real traction

🚀 What Sets Steve Apart:
 Steve doesn’t show up with generic frameworks—he tailors solutions to your company's growth stage, leadership dynamic, and strategic goals. Whether integrating an acquisition, rebuilding your HR org, or evaluating compensation across departments, his ability to connect analytics with people insights leads to sustainable success.

🧠 Academic Credibility Meets Real-World Impact:

  • Ph.D. in Social/Organizational Psychology – Boston College

  • J.D. – Santa Clara University

  • Taught at Boston College School of Management and UC Santa Cruz Extension

  • Former board member of SHRM’s Human Capital Measurement panel and the Bay Area HR Executive Council

🌱 Recent Wins:
 ✅ Guided two companies through IPOs as CHRO—supporting rapid growth and investor-readiness
✅ Supported multiple M&As and integrations, including Duo Security’s acquisition by Cisco
✅ Built scalable HR systems for high-growth tech companies, including Grammarly and Flurry
✅ Advised early-stage HR product companies, blending product-market fit with real-world HR needs

Whether you’re a CEO confronting executive turnover, a startup preparing for scale, or a company navigating complex compliance and culture challenges, Steve brings the strategic foresight and hands-on pragmatism to move forward—faster and smarter.

Prateek Kaushik

Founder, SolutionBox & Success Sparrow | HR Transformation Specialist | Fractional CHRO
 LinkedIn | Website

With more than 17 years of cross-border HR leadership, Prateek Kaushik is a standout force in human capital transformation across India, the UAE, and beyond. As the Founder of SolutionBox and Success Sparrow, Prateek has partnered with organizations in over 10 countries and 25 industries, helping them evolve from reactive HR to proactive people strategy.

From factory floors to fintech firms, Prateek has helped businesses of every shape and size build HR from scratch—whether that means creating a scalable org chart, performance systems that motivate, or culture playbooks that actually work.

💼 What Prateek Does Best:

🔹 Fractional CHRO & Strategic HR Partner – Plug-in people leadership for startups and SMEs looking to scale sustainably
🔹 Global HR Transformation – End-to-end org builds, from team structure to compensation modeling, across diverse markets
🔹 PEO Solutions – Comprehensive outsourced HR support, from payroll and compliance to talent acquisition and benefits
🔹 Recruitment Strategy – Custom hiring pipelines that attract, evaluate, and onboard top-tier talent
🔹 Training & Development – Team capability-building programs designed for high-performance environments
🔹 Culture & Org Development – Transforming companies from the inside out through values-driven leadership alignment
🔹 Coaching & Mentoring – Certified executive coaching that blends strategy, empathy, and accountability

🌐 A Micro-Multinational with Macro Impact
 Prateek doesn’t just bring an HR lens—he brings a business lens to HR. His dual companies, SolutionBox and Success Sparrow, operate as micro-multinational consulting firms, serving scaling enterprises across India, the UAE, Southeast Asia, and select international markets.

Clients trust him because he doesn’t offer one-size-fits-all answers. He listens deeply, builds tailored interventions, and transforms ambiguity into structure—helping companies align people practices with business goals from Day 1.

🧠 Certifications & Professional Recognition:
✅ Certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
 ✅ Certified by MEPSC & ISTD (India’s leading HR and training bodies)
✅ Recognized for driving HR innovation and compliance transformation in multiple industries including manufacturing, health tech, SaaS, and D2C

📌 Key Offerings via SolutionBox:

  • HR Lifecycle Management

  • Recruitment & Staffing Solutions

  • Payroll & Benefits Administration

  • Policy & Compliance Audits

  • Performance Management Systems

  • Executive Coaching & Mentorship

  • Culture Change & Organizational Development

🧭 Why Clients Work With Prateek:
Because he combines strategic advisory with tactical execution. Whether you're launching a people function from scratch or need a fractional CHRO to align HR with investor expectations, Prateek brings calm, clarity, and systems thinking.

If your business is scaling and you need to “get HR right, right from the start,” Prateek is exactly who you want in your corner.

Lisa Henderson

Founder, Empowering People Leaders | Fractional CHRO | Executive Coach
 LinkedIn | Website

With 25 years of transformative HR and business leadership under her belt, Lisa Henderson has built a career around guiding organizations through change while aligning people strategy with measurable business impact. As the Founder of Empowering People Leaders, Lisa works with executives, boards, and leadership teams to elevate performance, drive alignment, and embed cultures that scale.

Whether leading through a merger, building a mission-driven team from scratch, or coaching a new CEO to their stride, Lisa delivers clarity, confidence, and results.

💼 What Lisa Does Best:

🔹 Fractional CHRO & Strategic Advisor – Executive-level partnership for organizations navigating growth, transition, or leadership change
🔹 Executive Coaching – ICF- and iPEC-certified coaching for first-time leaders to seasoned CEOs
🔹 Leadership Development – High-impact programming and facilitation to strengthen bench strength and strategic alignment
🔹 Culture Transformation – Aligning values, behaviors, and organizational goals to ignite lasting engagement
🔹 M&A Integration & Organizational Design – Supporting high-growth firms and PE-backed companies through complex business change
🔹 Succession Planning & Talent Strategy – Future-proofing businesses by shaping sustainable leadership pipelines

🏆 Career Highlights:
Lisa’s leadership philosophy—shaped by in-person development with Patrick Lencioni—centers on servant leadership, business-first HR strategy, and team empowerment. Notably, in one role, she helped drive a 120%+ revenue increase and a 2,900% improvement in EBITDA over five years—without increasing headcount.

She’s led HR teams through countless mergers, divestitures, turnarounds, and reorganizations across startups, PE-backed companies, and nonprofits, always championing business strategy alongside human impact.

🧩 Select Client Engagements at Empowering People Leaders:

🌐 CompassMSP (PE-owned) – Fractional CPO leadership through deal close and M&A integration
🌐 HexClad (pre-IPO CPG brand) – Interim HR support during international expansion
🌐 Copia Power (Carlyle Group) – Vision, mission, and values development for a renewable energy startup
🌐 Netwatch Group (The Riverside Company) – Interim HR leadership and integration for global operations
🌐 Hotel Maya (Hilton to boutique) – Offsite facilitation and brand transition planning
🌐 East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (nonprofit) – Interim EVP of HR and long-term engagement partner

🎯 Certifications & Education:

✅ Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
 ✅ PHR – California
 ✅ Associate Certified Coach (ICF)
 ✅ Certified Professional Coach – iPEC
 ✅ Master Practitioner, Energy Leadership Index (M-ELI)
 ✅ B.S. Business Management, San Diego State University

✨ Her Approach:
Lisa brings a rare combination of executive-level business acumen and coaching finesse. She partners with clients to engage teams, align strategy, and achieve results. Her coaching extends from first-time managers to C-suite executives, guiding leaders through transitions, culture shifts, and organizational pivots with insight, grace, and actionability.

📌 Core Offerings at Empowering People Leaders:

  • Fractional CHRO / CPO

  • Executive & Leadership Coaching

  • Culture Transformation

  • Talent & Succession Strategy

  • Mission/Vision/Values Facilitation

  • Team Effectiveness Programs

If your organization needs people strategy that matches the pace and pressure of change, Lisa brings the grounded experience and executive mindset to get you there.

Angela Elder

Founder & Principal, Simplie HR | Fractional CHRO | M&A HR Expert
 LinkedIn | Website

With 25+ years of global experience leading HR operations in over 30 countries, Angela Elder is the kind of HR executive companies turn to when the stakes are high. From merger integrations to operational streamlining, DE&I strategy to executive comp, Angela brings both depth and precision to every engagement. As Founder of Simplie HR, she partners with progressive, purpose-driven companies to align their people, processes, and performance for scalable growth.

Angela’s blend of strategic foresight, operational grit, and people-first leadership allows her to quickly assess organizational challenges and deliver real-world, ROI-driven solutions. Whether guiding a post-acquisition stabilization or building HR systems from the ground up, she leads with courage, accountability, and a deeply rooted belief that people are every company’s greatest asset.

🔧 What Angela Does Best:

  • Mergers & Acquisitions – End-to-end HR due diligence, integration, and stabilization, with “boots on the ground” execution

  • Fractional & Interim HR Leadership – Executive-level partnership for startups, PE portfolio companies, and global orgs navigating scale

  • Organizational Streamlining – SOP creation, resource alignment, and operational audits to improve efficiency and lower costs

  • Culture & Engagement Strategy – Embedding values through mission/vision/values development and leadership alignment

  • Executive Compensation & Benefits Strategy – Designing competitive, data-driven comp structures with a compliance-forward lens

  • HRIS & PEO Implementation – Guiding selection, vendor RFPs, system integration, and go-live

  • Full HR Lifecycle Oversight – Talent acquisition, development, rewards, succession, and everything in between

🌟 Career Snapshot:

Angela’s HR leadership spans every continent and industry vertical—from overseeing transformations in post-merger environments to driving strategic talent planning in fast-growth startups. Her approach? Rooted in operational clarity and human insight. She helps leaders identify performance gaps, create KPIs and accountability structures, and build infrastructure that actually supports people success.

Angela’s track record of executing complex projects—like developing total rewards packages during a divestiture or coaching leadership teams through cultural transformation—is built on her ability to connect vision to action and strategy to results.

🧩 Signature Solutions from Simplie HR:

💼 Fractional CHRO & Interim Leadership
 🔄 M&A HR Due Diligence & Integration
🧭 Org Design & Strategy Facilitation
📊 SOP Development & Operational Audits
💬 DE&I & Culture Transformation
🛠️ Full HR Lifecycle: From hiring to succession
📈 HR KPIs, Goal Planning, & Execution Roadmaps
🧑‍💻 HRIS & PEO Selection + Launch Support

📌 Why Clients Choose Simplie HR:

Angela founded Simplie HR to give businesses what so many HR firms don’t: strategic support grounded in experience and executed with precision. Her firm is known for white-glove service, a “do what it takes” ethos, and deep care for people. Clients love her for her directness, results-focus, and ability to deliver transformative impact—often while reducing costs and increasing operational alignment.

Whether your company is in hyper-growth, navigating complex change, or needs to professionalize its people operations fast, Angela Elder and her team at Simplie HR are ready to roll up their sleeves and get it done—with integrity, strategic clarity, and a people-first mindset.

Why LA Is Embracing the Fractional CHRO Model

In a city driven by startups, creatives, and disruptors, the traditional model of full-time leadership doesn’t always fit. That’s why LA companies are turning to fractional CHROs—to get expert guidance in a more flexible, cost-effective format. These professionals are particularly valuable when companies are:

  • Navigating funding rounds or rapid headcount growth
  • Building people infrastructure from scratch
  • Managing transitions such as layoffs, M&A, or pivots
  • Seeking executive-level HR without the six-figure salary

In short: fractional CHROs provide scalable HR leadership that evolves with your company.

How Digital Reference Supports Fractional Leaders

We’re building a platform to help fractional executives stand out in a crowded market. Through verified references, structured digital portfolios, and video storytelling, Digital Reference allows fractional CHROs to showcase their value with clarity and confidence.

We’re on a mission to make the talent ecosystem more efficient and more human. By giving professionals the tools to document and share their impact, we’re not only helping them land the next gig—we’re helping organizations make smarter hiring decisions.

✅ Check Out Our Local Directories of Fractional CHROs & Interim Chief People Officers by City

This resource highlights city-specific guides to some of the most impactful interim and fractional Chief People Officers across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Each directory offers a look into the unique business culture of the region and the leaders driving people strategy forward.

  • Atlanta
    Fractional CHROs in Atlanta Making Things Happen
    Atlanta’s talent leaders are shaping diverse, tech-forward workplaces in a city that’s become a magnet for startups, logistics firms, and entertainment enterprises. Fractional CHROs here are experts at managing rapid growth and culture change.
  • Chicago
    Fractional CHROs in Chicago Making Things Happen
    In this powerhouse of industry and innovation, Chicago’s fractional CHROs help organizations scale intentionally—blending legacy systems with modern people practices in finance, healthcare, logistics, and tech.
  • Columbus
    Fractional CHROs in Columbus Making Things Happen
    Columbus combines Midwestern values with high-growth potential, and its interim people leaders bring strategic clarity to fast-growing startups, educational institutions, and service-sector employers.
  • Denver
    Fractional CHROs in Denver Making Things Happen
    Known for its entrepreneurial spirit and wellness-driven culture, Denver is home to CHROs who specialize in building values-aligned teams and sustainable HR infrastructures for growing businesses.
  • Las Vegas
    Fractional CHROs in Las Vegas Making Things Happen
    Beyond hospitality, Vegas is growing its footprint in tech and healthcare—and its HR consultants are ushering in next-gen talent strategies in industries that rely on high performance and adaptability.
  • London
    Fractional CHROs in London Making Things Happen
    London’s fractional HR leaders support multinationals and scaleups across finance, fintech, and creative industries—navigating global labor trends and cross-border compliance with precision.
  • Miami
    Fractional CHROs in Miami Making Things Happen
    Miami is a rising tech and finance hotspot with a diverse workforce—and its interim people leaders are fluent in multicultural management, bilingual team dynamics, and global HR systems.
  • Toronto
    Fractional CHROs in Toronto Making Things Happen
    As Canada’s economic engine, Toronto is full of global talent and cross-sector complexity—making its CHROs indispensable for companies navigating growth, governance, and globalization.

Want to Be Featured?

If you’re a fractional CHRO in the Greater LA area and would like to be considered for a future update of this blog, reach out to us at ryan@digitalreference.co.

Together, let’s celebrate the professionals building better workplaces—one fractional engagement at a time.

Looking for other Fractional Leadership?

Find Fractional CMOs here.

Find Fractional CTOs here.

Find Fractional CFOs here.

Find Fractional COOs here.

Final Thoughts

Fractional CHROs are the glue behind many of LA's growing businesses. They help organizations transition, ensure compliance, and execute—all while working with flexibility and human intent.

Whether you’re preparing for Series A, downsizing, evolving your leadership team, or rethinking how your business runs—these are the people you want on your team.

Explore their work. Connect. And when you’re ready to document your own professional story or discover your next operational partner—start with Digital Reference.

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