Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
I build the HR infrastructure that organisations can't scale without. 20+ years. 42 countries. PE-backed hypergrowth, enterprise transformation, GTM and M&A at pace. I've been the person brought in when the current people ops and HRBP model has hit its ceiling; at Dynatrace, OneTrust, Michael Kors, Cigna - to design what comes next and make it work. My work sits at the intersection of HR, Finance, HRIS and Global Business Services. I design operating models, build tiered delivery structures, lead workforces through transformation, and leave organisations with governance that outlasts the mandate. Currently based in Barcelona. Co-located UK/Spain. Open to global director and VP mandates; permanent or interim [email protected] +34 687 50 86 21
With 20+ years of senior HR leadership across PE-backed growth, enterprise SaaS, luxury retail, healthcare, hospitality and global business services, I partner with executive teams on complex transformation mandates requiring commercial rigour, global expertise and senior judgement from day one. Current advisory focus; Expert Network Advisor — Atheneum. Selected for consulting direct to company, boards, PE, investment and research across: - AI-enabled workforce strategy and engineering role redesign, cost governance and workforce planning - Organisational delayering, restructuring and talent reinvestment - Global retail HR, service standards, training and compensation - HR operating models, transformation roadmaps and technology enablement Core consulting expertise - Global HR Ops leadership and target operating models and tiered service delivery - GBS and shared-services design, governance and SLAs - M&A, EOR market entry, integration and divestiture across 50+ transactions - Workday and HRIS transformation, automation and adoption - Job architecture, compensation frameworks and global reward governance - Go-to-market people strategy, training and career-framework design Previous mandates delivered through Karsten Global Partners include Cigna Global IPMI, the University of Strathclyde, Ceridian EMEA and Kura CS, spanning HR leadership, workforce planning, Workday implementation and global mobility.
Brought into a high-impact enterprise transformation mandate during founder exit, CEO transition, reward governance reform and workforce reinvestment, operating at the intersection of HR, Finance, HRIS, IT and Global Business Services. Lead HR Operational enterprise change during significant leadership transition, stabilising HR operations and preparing the organisation for new executive direction, redesigned governance and stronger cross-functional operating discipline Directed a talent density review and execution of workforce change across 11 countries, enabling reinvestment against strategic priorities Partnered with the CFO, FP&A and Accounting teams to align workforce planning, financial impact modelling, accrual treatment and cost realisation discipline Introduced compensation, variable pay and one time payment governance framework for the HR Ops-Total Rewards team — designing variable pay architecture, out-of-range hiring controls, retention award structures and one-time payment discipline Implemented an HR/TR/HRIS & Finance change committee to improve oversight, decision quality, financial discipline and executive accountability on pay-related matters Set the foundations for the roadmap for Workday as system of record and workflow engine, augmented by AI, Jira and structured intake governance, improving routing quality, control and service consistency Introduced no-bypass approval sequencing across HRBP → Finance → HRIS, alongside lifecycle playbooks covering onboarding, job changes, leave of absence and exits to reduce operational risk Strenghtened guard rails for true workforce planning, headcount governance and position governance in partnership with Finance, strengthening approval discipline and enterprise control
Assumed broader remit as Head of Global People & Business Operations, leading global people operations, workforce planning, governance and operating model execution at enterprise scale Architected and launched a global HR ops model with multi-tiered service structure and enabling infrastructure across 42 countries, improving scalability, consistency, compliance and employee experience Designed and launched the global GBS target operating model for HR Ops, improving integration, service design, governance and delivery discipline Led a senior HRBP cohort of 12 and a wider global HR operations organisation of 30+ Built and scaled delivery hubs in Poland, Austria and Spain, while embedding senior HR leadership capability across major regional hubs in Europe, the USA, LATAM, the Middle East and APAC Served as HR Sponsor and executive contributor within the GTM committee, aligning people strategy with growth priorities, organisational redesign and international commercial expansion Led acquisitions across EMEA, LATAM and the USA, managing pre-close and post-merger integration across people, systems, governance, risk and culture Partnered with COE leaders to operationalise global compensation planning, talent reviews, onboarding, organisation design and service improvement, strengthening data-driven decision-making Created a culture of empowerment, recognition and accountability, achieving 90%+ engagement scores and zero regrettable attrition in FY25 within key teams
Pivotal in launching EMEA Sales and Services HRBP infrastructure, and Global R&D functional Units. Partnered directly with the SVP and CTO to redesign verticals, strengthen organisation capability and build the people infrastructure required to scale Drove talent density for growth, establishing career frameworks, clarifying organisational structure and aligning people strategy to revenue acceleration — contributing to ARR growth beyond 12% and strong customer retention
Strategic HR leader for EMEA headquarters Corporate Functions and Northern European Operations, supporting 2,000 employees across 14 markets in a highly complex retail and corporate environment spanning multiple brands and jurisdictions. Partnered with EMEA leadership on organisational design, talent reviews, leadership effectiveness and workforce adaptation during post-Covid stabilisation and growth recovery Drove cross-brand HR integration across Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo, helping centralise common services under Capri Holdings to improve efficiency, consistency and collaboration Delivered 100% regulatory compliance across Northern Europe through policy modernisation, targeted training and stronger country-specific employment governance Increased employee retention by 30% through brand induction, competitive total reward strategy, strengthened career development pathways and improved induction and brand onboarding experience Directed large-scale seasonal recruitment campaigns, successfully hiring 600+ employees annually across multiple functions and geographies Led Workday-enabled HR transformation activity that streamlined processes, introduced automation and reduced operating costs by 25%
Interim BP & Head of HR, EMEA to the MD EMEA — supported 5,000-person job architecture, Go to Market UK & Germany expansion.