Sean Nelson

About Sean Nelson

Value Proposition:I am a global human resources executive with more than 15 years of experience shaping enterprise people strategies across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. My career has focused on building high-performing organizations by aligning HR operations, talent development, and workforce planning with overarching business priorities. With extensive leadership experience across publicly traded, private, and high-growth global companies, I bring a consistent record of elevating HR capabilities, leading transformative change, and strengthening organizational effectiveness in complex, fast-moving environments.Throughout my career, I have guided organizations through mergers and acquisitions, large-scale restructuring, HRIS modernization, and global operating model redesign. I thrive in roles where the mandate involves scaling HR functions, developing leaders, optimizing employee experiences, and embedding cultural and organizational frameworks that accelerate performance. My approach integrates strategic foresight, data-driven decision-making, and hands-on leadership, enabling me to coach executives, establish operational discipline, and drive alignment during periods of growth, transformation, or disruption.Career Milestones:• Led international HR operations across 10 countries supporting over $500M in revenue and employees at ACCO Brands.• Directed HR due diligence and integration activities for six acquisitions spanning the US, EMEA, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.• Achieved $2M in savings by modernizing retiree healthcare programs across Europe through redesigned benefit structures.• Reduced global HR functional costs by $7M in 18 months by driving organizational redesign and shared services implementation.• Built ACCO’s global performance management system and increased participation by 50% and user satisfaction by 75%.• Directed talent, learning, labor relations, and organizational effectiveness functions for a global enterprise with 16+ direct reports and $5M+ budget.• Drove EMEA people integration for the Esselte Group Holdings AB acquisition, supporting 1,600+ employees and $450M in revenue.Top Skills:• HR Strategy• Talent Management• Organizational Development• Workforce Planning• Employee Engagement• Change Management• Leadership Development• Strategic HR Operations• HRIS Implementation• Culture Transformation

Experience

1. Director, Human Resources - North America

   Zinus

   May 2024 — Present · San Ramon, CA, US

   Directed HR operations for the $700M North American business across the US and Canada, overseeing workforce planning, talent programs, compliance controls, and people operations strategies that aligned HR initiatives with overarching business goals.• Led a cross-functional team across HR, Environmental Health & Safety, and Facilities, managing a $1.5M budget and driving process enhancement efforts to increase efficiency, improve safety outcomes, and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.• Oversaw and executed the merger of two subsidiaries into a unified organization by consolidating policies, benefits, and employee handbooks, achieving full compliance and sustaining high employee satisfaction while avoiding legal or operational disruptions.

Education

• University of North Florida

  BBA, Finance & Banking

• Rutgers Graduate School - Newark

  MBA, Human Resources

Skills

• Talent Management
• Human Resources
• Employee Relations
• Leadership
• Executive Coaching
• Organizational Effectiveness
• Coaching
• Personnel Management
• Training
• Employee Benefits
• Succession Planning
• Strategic Planning
• Deferred Compensation
• Talent Acquisition
• Change Management
• Performance Management
• Employee Engagement
• Hris
• Organizational Development
• Leadership Development
• HR Policies
• Business Strategy
• Project Planning
• Employee Training
• Onboarding
• Compensation & Benefits
• HR Partnership
• Building Organizational Capability
• Due Diligence
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Culture Management
• Compliance
• Labor Relations
• Management
• Strategy
• Team Building
• Consulting
• Recruiting