Kerry D. Chandler, Global HR Executive | Your First Job

Leilani Brown and Kerry Chandler discuss Kerry's career journey, emphasizing the importance of first jobs and the value of unexpected opportunities. At her first job, she learned the significance of employee relations and the impact of company culture. She stresses the importance of aligning with a company's values and being an advocate for employees. Kerry advises job seekers to be honest about their employment transitions and to prepare thoroughly for interviews. ABOUT KERRYKerry is a highly accomplished HR business executive with experience in strategic planning, talent acquisition, performance management and organizational transformation. As a seasoned executive, Kerry has a unique combination of experiences in industries that include technology, sports, media, entertainment, telecommunications, and retail. She is a highly influential and effective leader with a record of achievements at some of the most admired organizations in the world. She is a trusted advisor who builds strong relationships with teams, CEOS and other C-suite leaders and board members. Kerry was most recently Chief People Officer at Bombas. She was recruited to this role as part of the company’s efforts to strategically prepare for its next stage of growth. At this highly reputable, early stage, mission-oriented company, Kerry was responsible for developing all aspects of the Human Resources function, including organizational design and learning, succession planning, total rewards, talent acquisition and employee relations. Her wealth of experience in the C-Suite served Kerry well in providing the necessary executive coaching and development to prepare this premium brand, B Corp, for continued growth and scale.In 2018, Kerry was recruited to become the Chief Human Resources Officer of Endeavor, a global leader in entertainment, sports and fashion, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer. She was responsible for all Human Resources strategy and operations including talent acquisition, organization and talent development, performance management, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, HR business partnerships, employee relations and budget for Endeavor worldwide. In 2020, Kerry’s leadership was instrumental to the company’s restructuring that was necessary as a result of the business impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, and in 2021, Kerry was an important member of the executive team that took Endeavor public on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2015, she was recruited as Chief Human Resources Officer at Under Armour to restructure and build out the HR organization to meet the 15,000-employee company’s emerging competitive challenges. Under her leadership, she created a global HR organization to scale while leveraging talent, enhancing culture, and driving long-term organizational change. She led a team of 160 HR professionals across North America, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Notably, she was instrumental in restructuring benefits for a $34M+ savings to the company. During her tenure, she implemented executive-level succession planning, and was a valued partner to IT, Finance, and SAP partners on an HRIS implementation. As part of the companywide Operational Excellence initiative, she expertly and sensitively managed a difficult reorganization that saved $55M. She was previously the Global Head of Human Resources with Christie’s International, and the most senior Human Resources executive for the National Basketball Association (NBA), reporting directly to the NBA Commissioner. She led the sports enterprise through organizational transformation to become a more global business entity with strong culture and operating infrastructure including new NBA markets in China, India, Europe and Africa. The sports fan joined ESPN in 2000 as senior Vice President HR, then worked in various capacities at Disney.