Growing Up.

As the seventh of ten children – six of whom were adopted from various corners of the world – Britta grew up with more siblings than most, less personal space than many and a deep understanding of “group dynamics.”

The family’s large size dictated certain practices: assigned seats in the15-passenger van, mountains of hand-me-downs and an infamous “job chart.”

To distinguish herself among so many siblings (a world-class gymnast; a Tony-nominated Broadway star; a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Britta parlayed her love of fashion and beauty into a career in NYC that began with Donna Karan. 

There, she met Trey Laird whom she would later help to launch the Laird+Partners agency. Here, she worked for a decade and found her true calling: HR & Operations.

But, she’s not your everyday HR person.

Early career goal was not to become “HR”

Like a lot of people, she held a stereotype against HR that wasn’t entirely positive. Growing up in such a diverse family, she was hyper sensitive to stereotypes and was not keen on being promoted to HR given she was (and still is) a white enthusiastic blonde women. She much preferred her role as Head of Creative Services running Production, Studio and Project Management.

But in her late 20’s, the founders of her company recognized her unique ‘human’ talents: her natural influence, mentorship skills, and ability to create a great culture at their start-up creative agency. Without any formal HR training (she ironically kept a copy of HR for Dummies on her desk), she forged her own path and perspective to help founders, executives and people managers to leverage her HR experience to improve the employee journey and make work work better.

Britta is an extraordinary advocate for people and enterprises. Her impact is profound and, one time, t-shirts were printed with: “Britta Makes It Happen.”

Empowering employees and organizations alike, Britta respects history while building the future. She understands creativity as well as she does spreadsheets, easily balances the needs of the individual and the organization and believes objectives are just as important as inspiration.

Work Experience w/ Founders

Britta has spent 20+ years working for founder led companies. She has reported to Founders, CEOs, CFOs, CCOs, CSOs, and COOs. She's as comfortable working with founders and executives as she is with admins and interns. She has run HR, Operations (and Creative Services in the early years) for the following organizations:

COMPANY - INDUSTRY ~ FOUNDER

>>> Bespoke Post - E-commerce ~ Steve Szaronos & Rishi Prabhu
>>> It’s Britta - HR ~ me
>>> Translation - Advertising ~ Steve Stoute
>>> Fahrenheit 212 - Strategy & Innovation ~ Mark Payne
>>> Redscout - Strategy & Design ~ Jonah Disend
>>> YARD - Advertising ~ Ruth Bernstein & Stephen Niedzwiecki
>>> Omega Institute - Wellness ~ Elizabeth Lesser & Stephan Rechtschaffen
>>> Laird+Partners - Advertising ~ Trey Laird
>>> Donna Karan - Fashion ~ Donna Karan
>>> Betsey Johnson - Fashion ~ Betsey Johnson

Prior to falling into HR in 2006, she headed up Creative Services. She started her career in project management where she guided 2,000+ marketing and advertising projects to completion in a year. Britta has managed everything from showrooms (2x) to office relocations (4x) to brick-and mortar retail stores (x2) and staffing for a wellness center.

Brands

Athleta, Beringer Wine, Betsey Johnson, Bottega Veneta, Cadbury/Schwepps, Design Within Reach, Donna Karan, DKNY, Equinox, Frye, Gap, Hush Puppies, Isopure, Juicy Couture, John Varvatos, Johnston & Murphy, Kate Spade, Keds, LeSportsac, The Limited, Liz Claiborne, Maidenform, Nautica, NBA, Perry Ellis, Shea Moisture, Timberland, Tumi and more…

Education

Boston University - Bachelor of Science & Administration, 1993
School of Management, Organizational Behavior

Training

Leading Change • Mediation/Conflict Resolution • Tools for Management Success • Negotiation • Brand Strategy • Communication Essentials • Leadership • Presenting with Style • Digital Marketing • Public Speaking • Time Management Strategies • Writing Reviews • Design Your Destiny• Writing the mind Alive • Meditation • Certified Yoga Instructor

Understands

Brands & People as Brands • Building Culture • Attracting & Grooming Talent • Collaboration • Identifying Needs • Business & Human Success

Specialties

HR Therapy (what individuals have said it likes after speaking to Britta) • Re-Inventing & Retaining People • Employee Relations • Performance Management • Managing Employee Journey •Empathic Terminations