Gil Lhotka

About Gil Lhotka

In the world of Workforce Management (WFM) and Human Capital Management (HCM), a successful implementation is only the beginning—true impact is measured by long-term value attainment and customer retention.With over three decades of experience spanning professional services, implementation delivery, strategic consulting, and Customer Success, I specialize in navigating the critical transition from \"contract signed\" to \"long-term success.\" I have spent my career helping organizations solve complex operational challenges by ensuring the technology they invest in delivers the financial and business results they expect today and in the future.My approach focuses on the vital post-contract phase. I specialize in dissecting complex agreements to ensure a deep alignment between what was promised and the path to execution now and when things change in the future. I find alignment prior to go live brings the best continuity of needs and customer success that leads to a high-value, long-term partnership.Whether scaling a SaaS delivery model or driving retention in a global enterprise, I am passionate about building organizations that act as true strategic partners to their clients improving retention rates for the company. Core Competencies- SaaS Customer Success & Value Realization- Workforce Management (WFM) & HCM Excellence- Implementation Strategy & Delivery- Post-Contract Alignment & Strategic Scoping- Professional Services Operations & Leadership

Experience

1. Vice President - Customer Success Management

   UKG

   Oct 2024 — Present

   As a leader in the HCM and Workforce Management space, I focus on transforming the Customer Success function into a high-impact, value-driven engine. I’ve lead a global organization of 60+ professional CSMs and leaders dedicated to bridging the \"consumption gap\" and ensuring clients realize the full business potential of their SaaS investments.In this leadership role, I worked on a comprehensive organizational redesign to better align our expertise with the specific needs and scale of our enterprise clients. Central to this transformation was the development of a revamped engagement model—shifting the focus from basic feature adoption to intentional value attainment.Key Leadership Initiatives & Impact:• Organizational Transformation: Reorganizing and upskilling a high-performing team of 60+ CSMs and leaders, optimizing the structure to mirror customer size, complexity, and strategic goals.• Engagement Model Innovation: Built and deployed a success framework focused on defining clear business outcomes post-contract, ensuring a direct path from implementation to measurable ROI year after year.• Revenue Stewardship: Responsible for a portfolio of nearly $2B in annual recurring revenue, maintaining a consistent 94%+ retention rate through proactive relationship management and customer success.• Executive Partnership: Serve as a strategic advisor to C-suite stakeholders, ensuring our solutions remain integrated with their long-term operational and financial objectives.I believe that true Customer Success is rooted in accountability. By aligning our delivery model with the client’s definition of \"value,\" we move beyond being a vendor and become an essential partner in their business growth.

Education

• University of North Texas

  Business

  1986 — 1988

Skills

• Business Development
• Driving Revenue
• Increasing Profits
• Managing Employees
• Operational Excellence
• Customer Engagement
• Practice Management
• Project Implementation
• Project Execution
• Confidence Building
• Project Management
• Profit Maximization
• Management
• Consulting
• Program Management
• Enterprise Software
• Workforce Management
• Strategy
• Professional Services
• Solution Implementation
• Process Improvement
• Sales
• Erp
• Kronos
• Saas
• Human Resources
• Business Process Improvement
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Pre-Sales
• Selling
• Vendor Management
• Crm
• Software Implementation
• Business Intelligence
• Solution Selling
• Integration
• Sdlc
• Software Documentation
• Business Process
• Cloud Computing