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Director, Total Rewards Engagement

Top Management

James is a dynamic and empathic senior leader with over 25 years of experience in the sports, management consulting and financial services industries. He is currently at Nike, Inc. building a new function responsible for increasing total rewards competence and capability among the brand’s 74k global team members. During his tenure, James provided change expertise to the rollout of a retail pay structure for over 20k+ retail athletes and supported a bold competitive pay initiative affecting nearly 10% of team members. He serves the community as a co-lead of the Ascend employee resource group where he channels the voices of the Asian and Middle Eastern communities into action. 

Most recently, James was successor to lead HR at the US Olympic Committee. He served the “Team Behind the Team” as the head of talent management, learning and development, compensation, org development and HRM systems. He led a high-functioning team to co-create and execute the non-profit’s talent strategy for critical parts of the team member experience. 

James was a pivotal leader in the USOC’s transformation from legacy bureaucracy into a service-focused and stewardship-driven enterprise. He rebuilt the HR function, overhauled the corporate university, innovated on employee engagement, introduced sustainable rewards programs, implemented HR technology systems, redesigned the organization, coordinated disaster response efforts, and developed hundreds of leaders. 

In addition, James proudly served the athletes of Team USA as transport and logistics support for Guadalajara 2011, London 2012, Sochi 2014 and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. He also partnered with a key sponsor to develop a $5M scholarship program for elite athletes to pursue an education while continuing to train and represent the U.S.

James has a strong reputation for making meaningful impacts and was named an HR Rising Star by HR Executive magazine. He currently resides in Oregon with his wife and two sons. 

Establish a new function responsible for increasing financial wellbeing among team members through outreach, education, and development of the core compensation skills of 10,000 managers impacting 74k global team members. 
-Supported the delivery of a top priority global competitive pay review with $10M in pay adjustments for ~7000 team members.
-Assisted transition to a new retail pay structure, involving a $20M investment and impacting ~20k retail store athletes. 
-Utilized an innovative neuroscience approach to instructional design introducing psychological safety into rewards dialogue.
-Advanced diversity and inclusion goals as Co-Lead of Ascend, the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern employee network.


DIRECTOR, TALENT AND REWARDS
Head of function responsible for developing strategy and executing in the areas of organizational effectiveness, learning and development, talent management, broad-based and executive compensation, and human resources management systems.
-Increased engagement Net Promoter Score from +11 to +40 over three years and reduced voluntary turnover by 30%.
-Promoted the USOC’s mission resulting in 99.3% agreement with “I understand how my job connects to the mission & vision.”
-Managed compensation base of $30M and guided the annual investment of $7M via sustainable rewards programs to ~500 staff.
-Maintained a 97% retention rate of high performing / high potential talent through targeted reward and development offerings.
-Advanced diversity and inclusion goals as the executive sponsor of employee resource groups and mentor to diverse leaders.
-Directed the implementation of two full-suite HRM systems, managed vendor relationships and guided HR technology spend.
-Optimized the performance management process saving over $250k annually while increasing feedback quality and frequency.


HR Director, Talent and Rewards

HR MANAGER, TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Lead corporate learning and talent management functions serving all team members of Olympic and Paralympic sport organizations. Develop new capabilities and reestablish trust in HR function. Transform training from a cost center to a revenue generator.
-Created the Team USA Academy of Learning and Leadership and deployed over 60,000 training hours to 4000 participants.
-Delivered $5M in scholarships to elite athletes by building a sustainable program and leveraging a key sponsor partnership.
-Developed hundreds of executives, successors, and elite athletes via bespoke programs and partnerships with leading schools.  
-Co-created Olympic-sport-based experiential learning programs for Fortune 500 executive teams and produced revenue for HR.
-Prepared over 50% of domestic workforce for global mobility and deployment to deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
-Created the business case for diversity and inclusion at the USOC, established employee resource groups, and implemented mentorship programs resulting in a 94% retention rate of underrepresented groups.
-Served on the Team Behind the Team for the 2011 Guadalajara Pan American Games, 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games.



HR Manager, Talent Development

SENIOR CONSULTANT, HUMAN CAPITAL
Trusted advisor in the organization and change practice providing expertise to executive clients in retail and financial services. Advanced firm’s diversity and inclusion goals as member of multiple networks facilitating cultural encounters and displays.
Client: Regional, Membership-Based Insurance Carrier and Member Service Organization
Project: Change Leadership of Organization Transformation
-Organized and led the change management program for a $250M complex enterprise business solution aimed at improving the member experience by replacing legacy technology.  Implementation impacted the daily operations of 5000 employees.
Client: Global Apparel Manufacturer, Retailer, and Brand Icon
Project: Cultural Transformation and Executive Development 
-Managed the update and execution of the organization’s flagship leadership and culture transformation program delivered by the CEO, COO and President to the top global leaders.
Client: Leading Title Insurer with $5.6B in Total Revenue
Project: PMO Change Management Lead 
-Created and executed change management initiatives to support an enterprise transformation project affecting ~18k employees.
Client: Global Specialty Lines Insurance Start-up Organization with $800M in venture capital funding
Project: Global Organizational Design 
-Partnered with client executive leadership to design a global insurance claims organization from start-up stage to maturity.
Client: Regional, Membership-Based Insurance Carrier and Member Service Organization
Project: Vendor Selection and Business Process Optimization
-Created a business case for the purchase and installation of a claims management application generating a $40M cost with over $100M in future operation benefits resulting in a positive NPV, high Internal Rate of Return and a discounted breakeven rate. 


Senior Consultant, Human Capital Organization and Change

James Sayno is a Director, Total Rewards Engagement at Nike, Inc. in Lake Oswego, OR.

James Sayno

James Sayno

James Sayno

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