Radhika Ragsdale

About Radhika Ragsdale

My career has centered on helping organizations and employees as they navigate complexity and change. I focus on how strategy, culture, structure, and talent interact and how intentional decision-making fuels performance and impact. Much of my work involves supporting senior leaders through high stakes, ambiguous, or sensitive moments. I help surface trade offs, clarify constraints, and sequence decisions in ways that balance organizational priorities with the lived realities of people and teams. I bring an integrative approach, connecting patterns across systems, identifying root causes, and translating complexity and uncertainty into actionable paths. I make thoughtful use of AI, data, and analytics to strengthen people, organization, and culture decisions. When applied responsibly, these tools can improve judgment, increase transparency, and support more equitable outcomes. I am particularly focused on pairing data with clear framing and narration, so decisions are understood, trusted, and effectively carried through the organization. Colleagues describe me as a steady and trusted partner who brings judgment, structure, and perspective during periods of change. I work well in environments where priorities evolve, ambiguity is unavoidable, and leadership requires balancing speed with integrity. Above all, I believe that when people practices are clear, fair, and aligned to strategy, organizations are better equipped to adapt and people are able to do their best work within them.

Experience

1. Principal HR Business Partner, Global Health

   Gates Foundation

   Jan 2018 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Principal Officer,(Deputy Director), HR Business Partner 2023 – PresentLead HR partner to the Global Health President and executive leadership team, translating priorities into actionable people and organizational plans. Provide leadership and set HR agenda across talent management, performance, total rewards, organizational design, and effectiveness for 12 cross-functional, matrixed teams (370 employees globally;$2B annual budget).Deliver people and culture programs and create talent practices that center employee experience and sentiment, while ensuring risks, ROI, and outcomes align with broader Foundation goals. Apply executive coaching, leadership development, change management, workforce planning, talent reviews, and succession strategies to build a coherent and forward-looking people plan that strengthens organizational and people capability and supports mission delivery.Senior Manager, 2021 – 2023Built and led a team of 15 talent acquisition professionals—spanning recruiters, sourcing partners, coordinators, and RPO—within a shared service model responsible for 70% of foundation-wide hiring. Developed and embedded a DEI framework across all searches, with a focus on inclusive job postings, intentional sourcing, and the implementation of tools to better identify and attract underrepresented talent. Redesigned recruitment practices to mitigate bias at every stage of the hiring process, including training hiring managers and interviewers. Contributed to the broader theory of action by clarifying business drivers and accelerating progress toward key outcomes.Executive Recruiter, 2018 – 2021Led talent acquisition strategy for Global Health and the Institute for Disease Modeling. Oversaw hiring process design, implemented recruitment best practices, and developed scalable sourcing systems to attract technical experts and leadership talent.

Education

• Rutgers University

  Bachelor's Degree, History, Political Science, Psychology

Skills

• Drug Discovery
• Lifesciences
• Technical Recruiting
• Consulting
• Talent Management
• Sourcing
• Vendor Management
• Temporary Placement
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Leadership
• Training
• Niche Talent Acquisition
• Talent Intelligence
• Saas
• Internet Recruiting
• Strategy
• Executive Search
• Business Process
• Full-Cycle Recruiting
• Hiring
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Staffing Services
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Project Management
• Interviews
• Applicant Tracking Systems
• Strategic Planning
• Management
• Communication
• Global Talent Acquisition
• Biotechnology
• Drug Development
• Recruiting
• Life Sciences
• Relationship Building
• Sdlc
• Benefits Negotiation
• Interviewing
• Talent Acquisition