Nick Wakefield
Global Chief People Officer | Strategic Human Capital Executive | HR Transformation & Culture Architect | Board of Directors | HCM (Dayforce/ADP) | Risk & Safety
- Role
- Chief People Officer at Ascend
- Location
- Seattle, WA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Nick Wakefield
I translate business strategy into results through people and systems. That is…
Experience
Chief People Officer
Jul 2021 — Present · Seattle, WA, US
Strategic HR executive who partners with CEOs and boards to align people strategy to business outcomes. Known for enterprise transformation, measurable cost takeout, and building inclusive, high-performance cultures. Career highlights include $2.2 million annual benefits savings, 82% reduction in HR staffing through automation and AI, 31% retention improvement, 40.9% fewer preventable accidents, and 44% fewer lost-time injuries.Core Leadership & Technical Skills• Strategic Workforce Planning; Organizational Design; Culture & Engagement; Change Management• Talent Acquisition, Retention & Succession; Leadership Development; Workforce Analytics• Total Rewards, Compensation & Benefits; Pay Equity; Vendor & GPO Consolidation• Risk, Safety & Compliance (workers’ comp, OSHA); Claims & Legal Coordination• HCM Platforms & HR Tech: enterprise HCM selection/implementation • DEI; M&A Integration; Employee Communications; HR Operating Model/COE BuildLeadership Results• Advanced data-driven HR: standardized KPIs, dashboards, and quarterly talent reviews to inform capital allocation and workforce decisions.• Negotiated benefit plans and redesigned employee value proposition strategy, reducing costs by 38.9% delivering $2.2M annual savings while improving coverage to 98% and improving bill accuracy to 99.4 %. • Strengthened workplace safety: reduced preventable accidents by 40.9% and lost-time injuries by 44%; lowered claims costs and business disruption.• Modernized talent acquisition using AI-enabled tools; cut hiring costs by 34.5%, reduced time-to-hire by 30%, and improved early retention by 38.6%.
Education
University of Phoenix
MA
Western Washington University
BA
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