Change comes fast in the dynamic and demanding private equity industry. Laura McLand faced this reality 20 years ago when she, an executive assistant to the president and CEO of an investment firm, was suddenly tasked with processing the company’s payroll.
“It was a deer-in-the-headlights moment,” said McLand, now vice president of human resources at Sun Holdings, the second-largest franchise organization in the U.S. “At that time, my experience in payroll was non-existent. The CEO had much more confidence than I did that I could learn the process in time for the next payroll.”
Her decision to accept the challenge rather than resist the responsibility changed her career. “That decision spearheaded my love for human resources, and I never looked back,” she said.
But McLand needed to gain the HR skills to succeed.
Torie Anderson
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