After seven years of helping clients achieve dramatic results in HR performance, change management and organizational transformation, SteelBridge Solutions, Inc., is substantially expanding its team and offerings to better serve its clients and relaunching as Sapient Insights Group.Hrtech News
The newly formed research and advisory firm will focus on equipping clients, as well as the HR and finance communities, with data and insights to drive enterprise-wide outcomes across a spectrum of industries, including financial services, energy and utilities, manufacturing, technology, telecom, healthcare, insurance and the public sector.
As part of this shift, Sapient has acquired the Sierra-Cedar research group and will continue to publish its annual HR and Finance Systems surveys, which tap user-driven data to help companies make better investments in people, process and technology. This new entity allows Sapient to combine 23 years of technology trends from thousands of unique organizations and blend it with unparalleled strategic consulting and technology expertise.
“Sapient has the experience, the knowledge and most importantly the data to help our research community make informed people and technology decisions,” said Stacey Harris, chief research officer of Sapient. “No other Systems Research has this much depth of information coming straight from users on the ground. We have surveyed more than 18,000 unique organizations covering 290 million employees over the life of the surveys. It is truly the voice of the customer.”
Sapient Insights Group will be led by:
Susan Richards, SPHR, chief executive officer. Richards has been leading change management, HR technology, strategy, organizational effectiveness, and transformation engagements for more than 20 years. Previously, she founded SteelBridge and worked at Mercer, Buck Consultants, Deloitte and IBM. She earned an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA from Maryville College.
Teri Zipper, chief operating officer. Zipper has more than 25 years of experience in global human resource consulting and systems. She specializes in helping organizations improve their HR technology strategy, process, change and execution. She has expertise in M&A, compensation, talent management, and product management and strategy. She previously served as SteelBridge’s COO, served in multiple roles at Mercer including Software Business Leader, Product Strategy and Client Success, and led the brand rebuild for compensation at PeopleFluent. She has a BS in business administration and finance from the University of Louisville.
Stacey Harris, chief research officer. Harris has been a leading member of the HR practices and technology research community since 2007, producing groundbreaking research on high-impact HR organizations, enterprise HR technology, and key practices across the talent management spectrum. She previously served as vice president of research and analytics for Sierra-Cedar, where she oversaw Sierra-Cedar’s Annual HR Systems Survey and Research. Prior to joining Sierra-Cedar, Harris held executive level roles with Bersin & Associates and Brandon Hall Group; and worked as an industry advisor and HR leader at multiple fortune 100 organizations around the world. Harris is included in Human Resource Executive® and the HR Technology Conference’s Top 100 HR Tech Influencers list and sits on the IHIRM (International Human Resource Information Management) Board of Directors, overseeing strategy and education in her role as Vice Chair. Harris holds MA and BA degrees from Kent State and Ashland University in Education and Communications.
Kim Seals, strategic adviser and board member. Seals has more than 25 years of experience in leading M&A transactions, service delivery transformation, talent, compensation, benefits and recruiting program design, as well as technology development, selection and implementations on a global level. She is currently a General Partner of The JumpFund, a micro-VC fund investing in startups in the southeast, a role she will continue hold. Seals previously spent 15 years at Mercer in several positions including Atlanta market leader, Global Talent Technology Solutions Leader and HR Effectiveness Global Practice Leader. She received her BS in Psychology from Louisiana State University.
“People strategy and workplace technology will be critical to navigating the complex challenges facing HR leaders in this volatile environment. We’re excited to bring the wisdom and expertise of this team, along with our data and research, to help our clients tackle those problems with confidence,” Richards said.
