Melissa Ferrer-Smith

About Melissa Ferrer-Smith

Melissa Ferrer-Smith | Trusted Executive Advisor | Email: m••••••••@gmail.com Melissa is passionate about studying organizations and building strategic priorities in partnership with senior leadership to evolve the overall business, increase revenue, expand market presence with potential customers, retain superb talent, and create a positive experience for all. She is at her best when observing and walking the operation, learning the business, noticing great work, brainstorming \"out of the box\" innovative solutions, and building relationships in the true sense. Melissa is a Customer Service first, global HR executive, who began her leader career in a busy international airport, making decisions on the spot. This led to her distinction and analytical prowess to navigate complex organizational challenges, a clinical eye to find relevant trends, root causations, and leverage data to inform decision-making, mitigate risk, optimize the operation, and enhance workforce performance. There is no same restoration from one organization to the next; it is customized to services offered to different customer audiences. While holding progressive roles and working in many different environment, US multi-site and international operations, Melissa stills seeks to learn new ethos and is research data driven. As a Coach of leaders and Servant-leader of teams, she is dedicated to the growth and well-being of people in their respective communities. She is highly organized and methodical in her approach to design plans that keep solutions on track until self-sustained and develops leaders for the future to produce business-focused results. Melissa’s demanding high-quality results reflects on her commitment to the company’s success, to deliver on the promised brand, and attract talent that clearly envisions who the company is and why they should join. EXPERTISE HR Strategy & Innovation Strategic Planning & Implementation Leadership & Organizational Development Change Management Operational & HR Transformation Employee Engagement Strategies Customer Relationship Management Talent Acquisition /Talent Management Plan Executive Coach /Mentoring Total Reward Assessment & Plan HR Department Management Mergers & Acquisitions Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Union Management / Labor Relations Notice of Dispute Resolution Business Optimization & Consulting Ph.| Email:|

Experience

1. Global Vice President of Human Resources

   Smart Start, Inc.

   Aug 2024 — Present · Grapevine, TX, US

   Lead cultural transformation and talent strategy of a global workforce spanning the U.S, Canada, Europe, and Australia. In a private equity-backed environment, I partnered closely with the CEO and Board to align people strategy with revenue growth goals, operational excellence, and long-term value creation.I architected a performance-driven culture by implementing a modern performance management system rooted in competencies and transparency, and introduced a structured bonus and merit program linked to job tiers—resulting in measurable increases in engagement and retention.By streamlining recruitment operations and vendor relationships, I reduced talent acquisition costs by 50% while enhancing hiring speed and quality across multi-state service functions. I also led a global compensation analysis to ensure market competitiveness and equity across all roles.From launching international recognition programs to optimizing our HRIS for lifecycle management, I’ve positioned HR as a catalyst for strategic growth. These changes helped fuel a stronger employer brand, improved compliance reporting, and deeper leadership alignment—contributing to improved EBITDA and service delivery in a regulated industry.

Education

• Southern Methodist University

  Executive Education, Corporate Development Executive Program

• Florida International University - College of Business

  Executive MBA

• Barry University

  Bachelor of Business Administration - BBA

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  Notice of Dispute Resolution